Return to the Zones
by Maxforce
Summary: It's been more than a year since Max had used a forbidden advance, Kalar disappearing along with him. But now, an old threat has reappeared. What will happen when the team gets back together?
1. Memories and Return of a Nightmare

**I'm back with a sequel. Man, you have no idea how long I have been planning this. I started planning this thing when I wrote the thirtieth chapter for my first story, ****The Zones****, but didn't start writing till I got into the high fifties of the story. So, sit back, relax and enjoy ****Return to the Zones****.

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**Memories and Return of a Nightmare**

A purple haired girl, now seventeen, was sitting in a big comfy chair, a book in her hand, and a fire crackling in a nearby fire place. She stopped reading to look up at the mantle of the fireplace. More specifically, the two pictures on the mantle, as well as one final item. Z sighed, still surprised that it had been more than a year since the one person she loved most in the Prime Zone was presumed dead. Two months after he had left no trace, officials called off search parties, claiming him dead. But Will and his contacts had kept looking for Max. The picture to the right was a picture of just her, J, Max, Will, and Jen. Max had his arms wrapped around Will and herself, both hands in a piece sign. Jen was latched onto J's arm, who was blushing as he smiled. The picture to the left was one of the entire team, a week before their final mission. There had been so many people who had gone with them. So many people that they had come to think of as family. The final item on the mantle of the fireplace was Max's helmet, the only piece of his armor that they had found. That Z had found. "It still hurts so much," Z said to herself. She had bought her own house nine months back, Will, J, Kass, and Jen helping her pack and unpack, her returning the favor for her friends. Kass and Will now had an apartment that they shared, while J and Jen had bought a house to share. They all got together once a week, to have dinner or just to reminisce. "I miss everyone." She was referring to everyone on the team, old and new friends.

DING-DONG

She got up out of the chair to go answer the door. When she opened it, a man with black hair slicked back, a gray coat with buttons down the front of the coat, and a monocle was standing there in the twilight. "Oh. Mr. Wily," she said, "what a pleasant surprise."

"Ah, young Zaria. How are you doing," Wily asked. Over the past year, he had become extremely popular with the children and teens of Ground City and now owned the Ground City Arcade. He was known for having free game days quite frequently, as well as lowering the prices themselves for children who couldn't afford it. But somehow, he kept in business.

"I'm doing fine, Mr. Wily."

"Your lips say you are fine, but your eyes say you are hurting." Wily gestured towards the room beyond the door. "May I come in?"

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry." She moved to the side, gesturing her arm for him to enter. "Please."

Wily stepped through the door, immediately walking to the fireplace. "So, this is Maxwell's helmet." He looked it over. "Amazing. It was still in one piece after a blast like that. You know, something like this is considered a sign among some people."

"Hmm? What kind of sign?"

"That the person lost is still alive. And that they're making their way back to friends and family." He smiled at Z and adjusted his view to look at the pictures. "Ah, the entire team. An interesting bunch, though that does them no justice in how they were. You know, I grew quite fond of young Eva. She visited so often, I began to think of her as a daughter. I wonder if she shared the sentiment."

"You know, you could ask her."

"I know, but talking through a communicator is no substitute for talking in person. I would much rather go see her myself."

"Yeah. So, how's the arcade doing?"

"Oh, same old, same old. Kids coming in, me lowering prices and what not. The same day to day routine."

"Heh. Yeah ok." There was a ringing sound, a phone next to the chair. Z picked it up. "Hello?"

"Z. It's Jen," came the voice of her oldest friend.

"Hey, Jen. Is something wrong?"

"Yeah. Have you seen J in the last three days?"

"No. Why? Has something happened to him?"

"I don't know. He hasn't called me and he isn't answering any calls. I'm getting worried about him."

"Hm. Ok, just calm down. Listen, come over here, ok? Mr. Wily's here and he may know something."

"Alright. I'll be over in ten." Z heard a click on the other end and hung up the phone.

"Jen's going to come over."

"Is something wrong," Wily asked.

"Perhaps. We won't know till she gets here." Ten minutes later, they heard the doorbell once more. Z answered to see a girl wearing a necklace, a purple t shirt with a cross hair on it, and a pair of blue jeans with rips at the knees. "Hey, Jen. Glad you made it."

"Hey, girl. Can I come in," Jen asked.

"Of course." Jen followed her into the room with the fireplace, shaking hands with Wily.

"Hello, Mr. Wily."

"Jennifer," he said, offering her a warm smile. "Nice to see you again."

"Yeah. Sorry to be blunt, but have you seen J in the past three days?"

"Well, no. I haven't. Is there trouble?"

"I hope not."

DING-DONG

"Damn. If I'd known I'd have so many guests tonight, I would have tidied up," Z said, once more going to the door. She opened it to see a boy, around eighteen, lying on the ground face down, in gold armor. The armor had gaps in it, with just as many dents. His wrists had blades on them, one of them chipped. On his helmet were two spikes mimicking the ones on his wrists, both snapped off at the end. "Oh my-" She put her hand to her mouth, taking it off once more. "JEN, MR. WILY, COME QUICKLY!"

"What is-" Jen began, only to stop in mid question. "J!" She ran to him, turning him over. "J, can you hear me?"

"Yeah," J whispered, obviously in pain. "'Fraid I got some bad news, people."

"What is it, honey? Can it wait, or does it need to be said now?"

"Now. An old enemy is back."

"You can't mean," Wily said, fearing the worst.

"Yeah. Kalar. He somehow survived the blast."

Z's spirits surged and fell at the same time. "I know that's bad, but doesn't that mean that Max survived too?"

"Not necessarily. But I pray that he did." J passed out, no longer possessing the strength to stay awake.

The remaining three stood or squatted in silence. "What do we do," Jen asked, finally cutting through the silence.

"We call Will and Kass," Z said. "We call the entire team to see if they can help us. And we bring them here if we can."

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**Man, it's only been one chapter and already the toughest baddie is back. Anyways, here's my disclaimer. Capcom's characters belong solely to Capcom. I'll do more disclaimers as more and more characters come into play. Please Review and tell me what you think of the first chapter of this sequel.**


	2. Calling the Team

**Ok, I got the intro chapter done. Now we introduce even more characters back into the chapter. Here's another disclaimer. Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron, Apapa155's characters belong to Apapa155. Enjoy.

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**Calling the Team**

RIIIIINNNNNGGGG

Kass grumbled, turning over in the bed. "Will," she called out.

"What," Will called back from his room.

"Could you get that? I don't feel like answering the phone."

"Sure thing, honey." She heard him walk through the hall to their small kitchen, followed by him saying, "Hello?"

"Who is it?"

"It's Z," he answered about a minute later. "It would seem that we have a problem."

"What? She's moving again?"

"No. Kalar's back. J just got to her house three hours ago, his armor with dents and gaps in it. MD."

"Yeah," the biometal said, floating into the kitchen.

"Can you head on over to the HQ? Call Ophiuchus and Taurus while you're at it. They know how to start up the transfer sequence."

"Sure thing, Will. Just one favor I need."

"What?"

"How bout opening the door for me?"

"Oh. Right, sorry."

***

"HAI," Zero yelled, slashing downwards at Axl.

"Ungh," Axl grunted, blocking with one of his pistols. "Hah. What are ya gonna do now?"

"This," X said from behind him. "X Buster." He fired his main weapon, only to have the shot blocked by three of Axl's bullets from his free pistol. A fourth shot went past, hitting X in his stomach. "Ow."

Axl just looked confused, then victorious. "Hah. I finally got a hit on one of you."

"True," Zero said. "But you left your back open to attack." Zero kicked him in his rear, sending him face first into the floor.

"Why is it always my face," Axl groaned, standing up. "I call time out. It's time for a break."

"No time for a break, fellas," Alia said, walking into the training room.

"Why not," X asked, noticing that Layer and Palette were flanked behind her.

"We have to get packing."

"For…"

"We're going back to the Prime Zone," Layer answered.

"Why? Did they find Max," Axl asked, his spirits somewhat high at the possibility.

The three girls looked down, Palette answering. "No. Kalar's back," she said.

"Oh, great. So, the blast didn't kill him," Zero said. "This isn't good. X, what do you want us to do?"

X looked down, thinking. When he came to a decision, he looked around the group. "We start packing. How long do we have?"

"Three days," Alia said.

"Alright, people, you heard the lady. Pack what you need, as well as any extra weapons, items, or armor you want to bring. Let's go."

***

"Hey, Maylu," Lan called out of his bedroom window, leaning out of it just a bit.

Maylu went to her window, opening it and leaning out. "What is it?"

"I was wondering…if you weren't too busy this Friday, maybe we could go see a movie? Or something?" Lan blushed, turning away to hide it, although it wasn't necessary, seeing as how Maylu was doing the same.

"O-ok. Sure, that sounds great."

"Ok. Uh, what time should I pick you up?"

"I guess around-"

BEEP-BEEP-BEEEEEEEEEEP

"WHOA!"

BAM

"Lan, are you okay," Maylu called down to Lan, who was now in the shrubs, his legs sticking out. A few seconds later, she was helping him out of the bushes.

"Ow. Megaman, what was that?"

"There's a phone call, Lan," his netnavi answered. "It's Will and Z, as well as Yai, Dex, Sean, Chaud, and Tory. Will and Z put everyone on a conference line."

"Hello."

"Lan. Glad you picked up. Is Maylu there as well," Will asked from the other end of the line.

"Right here, Will," Maylu said, waving at the screen.

"Good. Listen, Z and I hate to put you guys on the spot, but can you be packed in three days to come to the Prime Zone?"

"Why," Yai asked.

"We need your help," Z said. "Kalar's back."

"Oh, for crying out loud," Chaud said. "How the hell can he be back? _Nothing_ survived that blast."

"……."

"Way ta be sensitive Chaud," Sean said, sighing.

"Oh, geez. Listen, I didn't mean that," Chaud said. "I mean, you found his helmet. He's still gotta be alive, right?"

"Uh, moving onto other matters," Will said. "Yes or no?"

"Yes," Lan said.

"Of course," Maylu said. Soon after, everyone else gave an affirmative. "Now all that's left is to pack and tell our parents."

***

"Ok, if this isn't a ratchet wrench, then which one is it," Naruto asked, attempting his best at helping Sasuke with a new project.

Sasuke sighed, pointing at the correct tool. "We've been over this before, Naruto. Please, don't make me have to teach you about the different tools again."

"Sorry, sorry. I get confused."

"Obviously," Netto said, walking in. "Hey, guys, we've got a call from Will."

"Put 'im on speaker."

"Will do." Netto clicked a button on the phone. "Alright, Will. You're on speaker."

"Hey fellas. How's it going," Will asked.

"Pretty good," Kyuubi said, who had been watching the project, along with Shinobi. Rockman had come in with Netto. "Something up that you need us for?"

"Kinda. Are you guys up for a trip to the HQ? Sometime in the next three days?"

"Why," Shinobi asked, already dreading the answer.

"Would you believe me if I said that Kalar's back?"

"Aw, shit," Naruto said. "He's back?"

"Yeah. And the first person to fight him was J. Well, it didn't end all that well for J."

"Is he okay?"

"He is now. Listen, guys, I've got a few more calls to make. Yes or no?"

"Yeah. We'll come," Netto said.

***

"Ok, let's see. After that game, I should have twice as many zennies than what I had started with," Ashe said, counting her money once again.

"Ashe, are you done counting your money," Grey asked, coming into his sister's room.

"Yeah, I guess," she said, putting the wallet down. "Do you need something?"

"Not me. Z." He held up the communicator, their choice of communication with everyone still in the Prime Zone.

"Oh. Hey Z."

"Hey Ashe," Z said. "Uh, is Model A there with you as well?"

"Yes, I am," Model A said, floating into visual range of the communicator's small camera.

"Oh, good. There you are. Listen, we need your help. A certain villain is back and his name starts with 'k'."

"Please tell me it isn't the person I'm thinking of," Ashe said, her fingers crossed.

"Who do you think it is?"

"That Kalar person."

"Yes. It is."

"Aw man, I told you not to tell me."

"Sorry. Can you be ready for a transfer in three days?"

"Sure. Just give us a time and we'll make sure we're ready."

"Alright. Thanks."

***

"Got any threes," Omega-xis asked, looking around the group of EM beings, while their partners were talking.

"Go fish," PD said.

"Damn it."

"Ok. Gemini, got any kings," Lyra asked, looking at the two headed FM-ian.

"Are you sure you aren't cheating," Gemini asked, handing over his king.

"Pretty sure. Now then, Laplace, do you have any aces?"

"……" was the only reply.

"Do you ever talk," PD asked, looking at the purple EM being. Laplace was Solo's partner, the most noticeable parts of him being the two thick bracelets on his wrists. Laplace just shook his head.

BEEP-BEEP…BEEP-BEEP

"Hello," Geo said below the EM beings.

"Geo. How's it going," Jen asked from the other end. "Is everyone else there?"

"We're here," Luna spoke up, speaking for everyone else assembled.

"Good, good. Listen, can all of you come back to the Prime Zone?"

"Why do we need to come back," Zack asked, adjusting his glasses.

"Well, we have something of a pest problem to take care of. You know, the kind of pest that starts with 'k' and ends with 'alar'."

Omega-xis, noticing that everyone's partners were gathered around Geo and his Hunter-VG, had stopped the game, choosing to listen to the call. He groaned, obviously annoyed. "Why can't the bad guys just stay dead? Please tell me you're ok," Omega-xis said, his worry for his adopted daughter.

"Yeah, dad, I'm fine. J, however, isn't. Listen, can you all be ready in three days? I need an answer right now."

"Yeah, we'll come," Lyra said. "Tell J I said hi."

"Will do mom. I guess we'll see all of you in three days then." Jen hung up on her end, leaving everyone there to digest what they had just heard.

"Why do you people keep answering for me," Solo asked a short time later.

"Oh, please. Don't act like you don't wanna help them," Bud said.

"I don't."

"Yeah, whatever. You just keep telling yourself that."

***

"Luna, did you find the tomatoes," Eva called out, Reaper floating beside her, Yami around her neck as a choker necklace.

"Yeah, I got them," Luna Rena said, walking into the aisle that Eva was standing, Angel floating for her and Awai around her neck. "Is there anything else we need?"

"I don't think so. Just let me che-" She was interrupted by the sound of a phone. She looked down at her new Hunter-VG to see it was a call from Z. She answered, saying, "Hello?"

"Hey, Eva? It's Z. Is Rena with you," Z asked.

"Yeah, she's right here." Luna Rena stepped into view of the screen.

"Hi Z," she said, waving at her.

"Hi, Rena," Z said. "Listen, can you two and your partners come back to the Prime Zone?"

"What for," Reaper asked.

"We kinda need your help with Kalar. He, uh…well, he's kinda back."

"Seriously," Angel asked. "Does that mean that-"

"No. Max…Max isn't back. Only Kalar. Can you be ready for a transfer in three days?"

"Yeah, sure. No problem. Just let us know when it's time to transfer."

"Alright, thanks. See you in three days."

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**The team's getting back together. Sweet. Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron, Apapa155's characters belong to Apapa155. Please Review.**


	3. The Team is Back

**Now we bring the team to the Prime Zone. Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron, Apapa155's characters belong to Apapa155. Enjoy.

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**The Team is Back**

"Are you sure you have everything," Haruka asked her son as he got ready to meet up with everyone else at the park.

"Yes mom, I have everything," Lan said, trying to get out the door before she asked again. "I'm sorry, but I need to get there so I'm not left behind. Bye mom. Bye dad."

"Stay safe, Lan," Yuichiro said. "You as well, Megaman."

"Don't worry dad," Megaman said. "I'll keep Lan safe."

A few minutes later, Lan was waiting with Dex, Maylu, Yai, Sean, Tory, and Chaud in the ACDC Park. "It's about time you got here," Chaud said. "I was starting to think that you chickened out."

"Whatever," Lan said. "There is no way I'm missing this."

"Good. Just be sure not to act like an idiot this time around."

"What?! Why you fu-"

FLASH

***

"Alright, I'm going," Geo called, Omega-xis beside him. "Bye mom and dad."

"Come back in one piece, alright," Kelvin said to his son as he watched him go out the door. "Just like my boy. His dad's finally home and he has to run off. He makes me so proud."

"He takes after you," Hope said, her arms wrapped around her husband.

Geo ran to the front of the Big Wave chip shop to meet up with everyone else. "Another minutes or two and you would have been left behind," Luna said, scowling at Geo.

"Sorry prez," Geo said. "I had to make sure I had everything."

"So, PD," Lyra said. "You excited about going back to your home zone?"

"A little," PD said. "Though I have grown quite fond of my adopted zone."

"Well, I'm sure you won't have to worry about that for too long," Sonia said.

FLASH

***

"Axl, are you sure that you've got everything together," Palette asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," Axl said, groaning. "Come on, Will, hurry up," he whispered under his breath.

"You say something?"

"No, Palette. I didn't say anything."

"What time did they say they'd be transferring us," X asked.

"It should be within the next two minutes or less," Alia said, checking the time again.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Zero said. "I've never known Will to be late with this kind of stuff."

FLASH

***

"Are you absolutely sure you wanna go," a girl asked. She was wearing a red bandana that held her hair in it and had sky blue eyes. She was wearing a red T-shirt, red skirt, dark cerulean blue shorts, light blue gloves, ocean blue shoes, and a tear drop shaped necklace on a silver chain.

"Yes Love, I'm sure," Eva said to her cousin. "Besides, Luna Rena's gonna be there."

"Alright, alright. Just promise me you'll call every now and then."

"Ok, I promise." Eva turned to Rena. "Come on, let's get out of here." They stepped outside and went to sit at a bus stop near the house. "So how long do you think we'll have to wait?"

FLASH

***

"Alright, I'm starting the transfer sequence now," Will said. The group around him, composed of Taurus, Ophiuchus, Z, Kass, MD, Jen, and J, who was currently leaning on a crutch, one arm around Jen's shoulders, was watching the teleporter's pad. "J, you sure you don't wanna stay in the infirmary? Everyone will, without a doubt, visit you."

"For the last time, I'm fine," J said. "I'm just having trouble walking without the crutch."

FLASH

"Why does it keep doing that?"

They all looked towards the pad to see the entire team there, currently locked in individual conversations. "-cking…" Lan stopped whatever it was he had been saying, noticing where he was.

"Welcome back to the Prime Zone," Will said, smiling at everyone.

"I guess we don't have long to wait," Rena said to Eva.

"Whoa J," Omega-xis said, floating over to him. "What happened to you?"

"Uh, yeah," J said. "I kinda had a close encounter with Kalar. My armor's still being repaired by Wily. He said something about added features when I get it back."

"Kalar or Wily?"

"Wily."

"Huh. Anyways, how are you, kid?" Omega-xis turned to his adopted daughter.

"Fine, dad," she answered, giving him a smile. "What about you and mom?"

"Same old, same old," Lyra said floating up to her. Everyone else was currently in multiple conversations with each other, making up for lost time.

Everyone suddenly heard a door slam and were in armor, old reflexes taking action. They heard footsteps and those with firing weapons began to charged them up. "Whoa, whoa, friend," Kyuubi said, holding up his hands. "Geez, is that how you greet an old friend?"

"Sorry," Geo said, lowering his buster, which had been changed due to the Hunter-VG. "Old habits."

"Obviously. But it looks like we got here in time for the party," Naruto said, walking in after his netnavi. "So, how's everyone been?" Soon after, Netto, Sasuke, Shinobi, and Rockman all walked in, exchanging hellos and handshakes with everyone.

"Well, it looks like everyone's here," Z said, looking around the room. "Your rooms are probably still in the same condition you left them. Though they may be a little dusty."

"Nothing a little elbow grease can't fix," Eva said, who was somewhat of a clean freak herself. "Those rooms'll be clean in no time flat."

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**The team is one big family again. Well, sorta. There's still one person missing after all. But maybe his spot will be filled with a new character? Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron, Apapa155's characters belong to Apapa155. Please Review.**


	4. Walter

**Here's where I introduce a new character. Enjoy.

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**Walter**

"Come on, Walter," a man's voice said. "It's time to get up."

"Can't I sleep in today," a boy with jet black hair called back. "I worked all day yesterday."

On the other side of the door, a heavyset man with brown hair stood sighing and shaking his head. "Alright, but only because you managed to fix this thing's engine yesterday." He walked away from the door, saying under his breath, "Teenagers. What are ya gonna do with 'em?"

"Finally, I get to sleep in," Walter said, turning over in his bed.

***

Walter walked through the small hallway into the kitchen area. "Well, look who finally woke up," a woman with red hair and a smile on her lips said. "Walter, the mysterious stranger."

"Morning Mrs. Karen," Walter said, sitting down at a table. "I thought you were done calling me the mysterious stranger."

"Nope," she said, putting a plate of eggs and bacon in front of him. "That's what you'll always be, the boy with amnesia. Have you gotten any of your memories back?"

Walter dug into the eggs. "No ma'am. But I have been getting quick flashes recently. Most of them have been about this girl."

"Oh? Old girlfriend perhaps? Or maybe a sister?"

"I dunno. Every time the flashes end, I forget what she looks like."

"Any names?"

"No ma'am. Just images."

"I was wondering when you would wake up," the man from earlier said, walking into the kitchen and taking a seat beside Walter.

"Morning Mr. Chuck."

"Morning boy." Chuck began to eat the eggs and bacon that Karen had just set in front of him. "Now then, what's this I hear about flashes? Are you finally getting some of your memories, boy?"

"Not really. They've just been quick flashes of this girl. No names and as quick as they come, they go. And I never remember what she looks like afterwards. Just that it was a girl. This is really good," Walter said, pointing to the bacon. "Are you trying a new recipe, Mrs. Karen?"

"Nope," she answered. "I'm cooking it the old fashioned way. With a skillet and a fire."

"Mmmm…anyways, is there any other work planned today?"

"Not today," Chuck answered. "But we'll be arriving in Ground City tomorrow morning. Today is a break day, I guess. But tomorrow, I'm going to a restaurant owned by an old friend."

"Who is he?"

"His name's Beamer. Now, in my opinion, he makes some of the best pizza that you will ever taste in this world. Just be sure you don't mess up his restaurant."

"Why not?"

"Well, let's just say he doesn't take it very well. If you mess up his restaurant, you may as well jump off a hundred foot cliff using a hundred and ten foot long rope. Either way, you'll most likely end up going splat."

Ew. Not very appealing."

"Heh, heh. No, I suppose it isn't. Now then, like I said, you basically have the entire day off. How about you work on that leg gear of yours?"

"How do you know about it?"

"Boy, you've been going through every junkyard we've found and you haven't hid the blueprints very well. What exactly does the damn thing do?"

"Well…it kind of allows a person to go faster."

"Oh? How fast are we talking?"

"Well, I have been running a few tests. Last time, I clocked it at close to two hundred miles an hour."

"Damn. That's some speed."

"Yeah. I'm hoping that with some more tweaking, I may even get it up to four hundred. Possibly even more."

"Well, you keep it up and I'm sure you'll make it."

"Ok." Walter stood up, grabbing a silver jacket as he made his way to his room. "I'm going to run another test today, ok?"

"Alright. Hey, how do you manage to keep track of the vehicle if we're always moving?"

"Simple. I just run the opposite way we came or I run ahead of the vehicle. That way, I can run in a straight line and back."

"Huh. Good thinking. Ya know what? How about you go ahead and check out Ground City?"

"Really?"

"Really. Go on and see what there is to see."

"Alright." Walter ran to his room, adjusting the straps of the gear once he got there. "I'll be back later." He went to the door of the vehicle and opened it. He jumped out, his feet running as he hit the ground. He waved to Karen and Chuck and then proceeded to speed up, soon leaving behind a large dust cloud.

"What are we gonna do with that boy," Karen asked, smiling at her husband.

"I suppose that we just watch over him," Chuck answered, walking to the front of the vehicle to watch Walter.

***

Walter took a look at the watch on his wrist as he ran. "Alright. I'm going twenty percent faster than yesterday," he said to himself, looking up. He saw a large city and a sign saying Ground City on it. He ran past it and entered the city. "Wow. This place is huge." He continued to run without decreasing his speed, the wind behind him kicking up dust and causing people's clothes to flutter. He almost knocked over a girl with purple hair carrying bags, but he managed to avoid her. The wind that he kicked up still knocked a majority of the bags out of her hands. He ran back and caught all of the bags, placing them in a pile without decreasing speed. He then ran on, calling back to the girl, "Sorry." He continued to run through the city, only looking at the outside of buildings. An hour later, he ran back out of the city, heading towards the large vehicle that he called home.

***

"Hey Z," J said, still on his crutch, as Z walked into the kitchen that he was currently in. "Anything interesting happen?"

"Yeah," Z answered, putting her bags down. "Some guy, running at like two hundred miles an hour, almost knocked me over. Some of the bags flew up in the air, but he caught them and put them in a pile beside me, all without stopping."

"Wow," Kass said, walking over to the bags and pulling out various food items, placing them in their proper places. "There's something you don't see every day."

"I know. It was really weird."

***

"So, how was the city," Chuck asked as he, Walter, and Karen sat eating dinner.

"It was huge," Walter answered. "Like no other place that I've seen…at least as far as I can remember. I almost knocked over one girl, but I managed to dodge her. And the gear ran twenty percent faster than the last test. Even though it doesn't seem like much, that's still a significant improvement."

"Good for you," Karen said.

"Maybe you should take it with you tomorrow," Chuck said. "We're going to eat at Beamer's for lunch tomorrow."

"Actually, I was kinda wondering if I could skip that, on account of me wanting to check out the mall there."

"Well, I suppose. We will be there for a coupla days. Sure."

"Thanks."

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**Man, I wish I had that leg gear. It would really come in handy in today's time. Please Review.**


	5. Trouble in the Mall

**Another chapter. YAY! Enjoy.

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**Trouble in the Mall**

"Now remember, you need to be back here by 4:00," Karen said.

"Of course," Walter said, strapping on his leg gear. "Trust me, I won't be late."

""I'm not sure that you should be using that leg gear so often," Chuck said.

"There's no need to worry," Walter assured him. "I've made sure that it won't cause me any harm or injury. It is completely safe."

"Honestly Chuck," Karen said. "Have some faith in the boy's skill. He's fixed this old thing's engine plenty of times and even made it work better last time."

"Alright, alright," Chuck said, conceding. "Just be sure you don't run into anyone, ok?"

"Yes sir," Walter said, walking out the door of the vehicle. "I'll see you later."

***

"And where do you think you're going," Lyra said.

"Uh, the mall," Omega-xis offered, caught in the act of trying to sneak out.

"Not without your Transformer," Will said, walking into the hallway.

"My what?"

"The watches and necklaces."

"You finally named 'em?"

"Yeah."

"And it took you more than a year?"

"So? What's your point?"

"Never mind. Where are they?"

"In the lab, third shelf from the bottom, in the box."

"Alright." Omega-xis floated off, heading to the lab.

"Hey, what's going on," Jen asked, coming into the hallway.

"Your father was trying to sneak out," Lyra said.

"So, where was dad trying to sneak out to?"

"The mall," Omega-xis said, walking back into the hallway, now in his human form, which had changed. He now looked like he was in his early thirties, his green hair now cut close. He held up a necklace, holding it towards Lyra. "I'm pretty sure I grabbed yours."

"Thanks," Lyra said, activating the necklace. Her human form had also changed, but only in that she now looked to be in her early thirties as well, her clothes and hair still the same. "Perhaps we should all go out. Just the family?"

"Sure," Jen said. She was surrounded by a purple light, now in her human form. "It's been a while since we've gone out together."

As they walked out the front door, Will headed to the lab, saying to himself, "I really need to figure out why those things keep acting up."

***

Walter went into the mall, looking around at the stores. "Wow. Didn't think it'd be this big," he said to himself. He began to walk around, checking out the many stores, spending more time in a tech store that he found. When he came out, he had two bags, one with some new tools, the other with some new parts. "Well, seeing as how I have quite a bit of time, the tools, and the parts, may as well spend some of it working on the gear." He walked around until he found the food court and sat down at an empty table, setting his bags beside the table. He unstrapped his gear and placed it on the table next to him and took out some of his new tools and two parts. "Ok, if I cross these wires here…"

ZZZT

"Ow!" Walter thrust his finger into a cup of water that he had bought, sighing in relief. "New rule. Do not touch the red wire in the gear to the blue wire in the part." He took his finger back out of the water continued to work. "Alrighty then, maybe these wires together will…"

***

"Come on Sam," Lyra said, looking at Omega-xis, who was currently drooling over some weaponry in a window.

"Look, I just wanna go in there for a few minutes," Omega-xis said.

"Actually, I kinda wanted to go in myself," Jen said.

Lyra sighed. "Alright. I'll be waiting out here," Lyra said.

"Alright," Omega-xis and Jen said going into the store.

Lyra chuckled to herself, watching the two act like little kids.

***

"There, that should do it," Walter said, strapping his gear back on to his legs. "Now I should be able to run at least twice the speed I had yesterday. Too bad I can't test it here."

***

"Hey dad," Jen said, walking over to the aisle that Omega-xis was in.

"What is it, kiddo," Omega-xis asked, looking at her.

"Do you hear that annoying beep?"

"I thought I was just imagining it."

"Nope. Cause I hear it too."

BAM

Omega-xis went flying through the store window, landing next to Lyra. "Done," he said, trying to make a small joke out of it.

"Dad, are you okay," Jen asked, running out of the store.

"Yeah, kid, I'm fine. But what the hell hit me?"

They looked towards the store to see a large robot coming out of the window, heading for them. "Targets acquired. Proceeding with extermination."

"Aw man, not this again," Jen said groaning.

***

Walter looked up to the sound of glass breaking. He turned around to find the source and saw a large robot coming out of what looked like a weapons store, holding a large axe in its hand, about to swing it downwards on three people. Two of them looked to be in their early thirties, a man and a woman, the man with green hair cut short, the woman with pink hair put up into two ponytails. There was a girl with them with purple hair. Walter thought that it might have been that girl he almost knocked over yesterday. _How many girls can there possibly be in this city with purple hair,_ he thought to himself. He looked around for a weapon, but the closest thing at hand was the table. "Well, if there was ever a time to improvise, then this is the time," he said. He picked up the small table and ran at the robot, using his gear. When he reached the robot, he threw the table, adding even more momentum to the table's flight, the table smashing into the robot. He continued to run, going past the robot and swinging around. "Ok, that didn't do much. Let's see if I can find something a little heavier." He saw a sports shop just a little farther down. "Let's see if they have any weights." He ran past the robot as it tried to hit him with the axe, going into the store. He ran around until he found a weights section. "Hey, is it ok if I borrow this really quick? Thanks," he said to a clerk looking at him with an open mouth. As he ran back out, he looked around for the three people, but didn't see them. "Hope they got way."

***

"What the hell was that," Omega-xis said after they had gotten away from the robot.

"I think it was a table," Jen said, leaning on her knees. "But I wonder who it was that had run past us."

"Who knows? Just be glad that they came when they did. Now then, let's see if we can return the favor."

"Uh, I think it's a little late for that," Lyra said, pointing towards the robot. The robot was now on the ground, twenty hand weights on its back, each one fifty pounds. "Whoever it was, they took care of it."

***

"Oh man, that was awesome," Walter said as he walked back out of the mall with his bags. "I can't believe it actually worked. I can't wait to add these other parts." He ran back to the vehicle, just barely getting before 4:00. "I'm back."

"Almost late," Chuck said, coming in.

"I still made it. But that isn't the best part. I picked up some parts and tools. Did some work on my gear at the mall and guess what. I went twice as fast as yesterday's test."

"Are you sure it's safe to go that fast," Karen asked, coming into the kitchen where Chuck and Walter had walked into.

"Perfectly. As long as you have the reflexes for it."

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**Again, I wish I had that kind of gear. Do you have any idea what I could do with that? Please Review. Please, give me a sign that this story is good. Any sign. From more people. I'll get on my knees if I have to...ok, maybe not that far, but I'll think of something.  
**


	6. Training Day

**Another chapter. I'm up at like midnight writing this chapter. I'm obviously a night owl. Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron. Enjoy.

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**Training Day**

"Alright Lan," Netto said, walking into the living room that Lan and Megaman were sitting in. "Get up. You two are training today."

"What?!"

"You heard me. You two probably haven't practiced at all since we last saw you, so it's time for you to get back into shape. Now get up and follow me."

"Fine," Lan grumbled, getting up and following Netto and Megaman to one of the many training rooms. "What do we do first?"

"First, you need to go into Blade Soul Cross Fusion again," Kyuubi said. Lan and Megaman did so, now waiting for instruction. "Alright, we're gonna start off simple. Let's see if you remember the chakra manipulation exercise Blademan first taught you."

"Ok," Lan said, placing his hands into the focusing position that he used. Small swirls of green energy began to move around his feet. "I did it."

"Good. Now, walk up the wall." Lan did so, tossing his arms to his side.

"Anything else?"

"Yeah. Don't use too much." Kyuubi pointed towards Lan's feet, causing Lan to look at his feet. The swirls were getting larger.

"Oh, great. Here we go aga-"

BAM

"-in," Lan got out, twitching. After a few minutes, he was finally able to get back up and brush himself off. "I always hated that exercise."

"Well, now that that's done with, let's move on to basic jutsu," Naruto said, taking over the instruction for a bit. "First, let's see if you remember the henge no jutsu."

"That's easy. I just think of an object to transform, think of what to make it, sign, and focus my chakra." Lan signed, saying, "Henge no Jutsu." He was surrounded by a poof of smoke and there was now another copy of Naruto standing there. "See?"

"Ok, so you remember how to do the henge. How about kagebunshin?"

Lan released the henge, putting his fingers into a plus sign. "Kagebunshin no Jutsu." There were two smoke clouds beside Lan and there were now three Lans in the room. "Can we move onto something harder?"

"Alright. How about the kuchiyose?"

"Summoning jutsu?"

"Right."

"Oh. Ok. Let me see." He began to sign. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu." A large cloud of smoke appeared and once it disappeared, a wolf with snow white fur appeared, claws like glass, and two shoulder blades that curved backwards for two feet on its front limbs. "Oh, Akone."

"Aw, Lan Hikari. How are you," the female wolf asked.

"Uh, fine. How's it, uh, been with you?"

"Fine. Fine. Is there a reason that you have summoned me?"

"No. I was just training."

"Ah. Um, if it isn't too much to ask, could I stay here for a bit?"

"Uh, sure. But why?"

"Well, I don't get very many chances to visit a place other than mine."

"Oh. Well, ok."

"Don't mind me. Continue your training." Akone walked out of the training room.

"Um, ok. That was…different."

"Yeah. Anyways, how about those jutsu that we spent time to teach you," Sasuke asked.

"Uh, yeah. I don't really remember them."

"Of course you don't," Sasuke said, sighing. "Well, I don't feel like reteaching you."

"Yeah, I agree," Netto said. "I say we just call everyone else to visit us and teach him."

"Fine, but not today," Naruto said, leaving the training room.

"Well, that wasn't much of a training session," Lan said, looking at Sasuke, who was the only other one in the room. He released Blade Soul and Cross Fusion. "What now?"

"I don't know what you have planned, but I have a project to get back to." Sasuke walked out of the room, leaving Lan and Megaman to stand there by themselves.

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**It's midnight, ok? Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron. Please Review.**


	7. Who I Am

**Sorry I've been gone for a week, but I've had something to take care of. Let me just say, my arms, back, and gut hurt. Anyhow, on to the chapter. Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron, Apapa155's characters belong to Apapa155. Enjoy.

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**Who I Am**

"Morning, Mrs. Karen, Mr. Chuck," Walter said, walking into the kitchen of the vehicle.

"Mornin', boy," Chuck said, looking at him. He noticed that his hair was disheveled and he had bags under his eyes. "What happened to you?"

"Couldn't sleep last night."

"Possible memories," Karen asked, taking a seat at the table.

"I think so. This time, I saw four people and myself with them. But now, I can't remember who they are or what they looked like." Walter pounded his fist on the table, causing Chuck and Karen to jump. "WHY THE HELL CAN'T I REMEMBER ANYTHING?"

"Whoa, calm down," Chuck said, putting his hand on Walter's shoulder. "Listen, you'll remember eventually. But it doesn't help things if you force them along."

"But it's been almost a year since I first met you two. Before that, I only remember walking around, trying to figure out where I was. I thought amnesia only lasted a few weeks to a coupla months, at most."

"Walter, you can't rush something like this," Karen said, wrapping her arm around the teenager. "It takes time for the body to heal, but it can take longer for the mind to heal. And that includes regaining memories."

"I know." Walter exhaled. "But it's just so frustrating."

"Tell ya what," Chuck said. "Today, we'll all go out together and stop at Beamer's before we leave tomorrow morning. Ok?"

"Alright," Walter said. "That sounds nice."

"Then it's decided. We'll leave after breakfast and introduce you to Beamer," Karen said.

***

"Hey, anyone wanna go to Beamer's with me," Will asked.

"I will," J said. "You know, it's been awhile since we all went to Beamer's together. And he hasn't gotten to see all of you since you've been back."

"Ok," Rena said. "That seems like a good idea. And I've kinda been wanting to go there for a pizza since we got back."

"Alright then. We'll all leave in about twenty minutes."

***

"So, that's Beamer's," Walter said as he, Chuck, and Karen walked towards Beamer's restaurant. "It seems…I dunno."

"Not what you expected," Chuck offered.

"No, something else. Like I've been here before. Oh, wait now I know. It looks like the first restaurant that you and Mrs. Karen took me to when you first took me in." They continued to walk, Walter speeding up just enough to open the door for Chuck and Karen. "Allow me."

Chuck and Karen walked through the open door, Karen saying, "At least you remember how to be polite."

"Hey, Beamer," Chuck said. "We're he-"

BOOOOOOM

Chuck, Karen, and Walter were sent flying back by an explosion in the restaurant. "What was that," Walter exclaimed, sitting up.

"I don't know," Chuck said, getting to his feet and helping his wife up. "But it can't be good. Come on, we need to find somewhere safe." They began to walk off, Walter looking back at the restaurant. He saw several people in armor facing off against a large robot, the robot standing thirteen feet tall, with large fists, a brown color with gold plating on it. He also saw a man with a strange looking pistol, a boy about his age aiming two pistols at the robot, and a netnavi with what seemed to bat ears. For some reason, he thought that they all looked familiar. "Walter, come on."

Walter continued to stand there, looking at the group. "No. You two go on. I'm gonna see if I can find something to help them with." Walter ran off, his leg gear giving him added speed. "Glad I finished the last modification needed on these things."

***

"MY RESTAURANT," Beamer yelled, looking at the large robot. "WHY THE HELL DID IT HAVE TO BE MY RESTAURANT?!"

Rena took her hands off of Eva's ears. "Will you please quit using those kind of words in front of Eva," she asked.

"Sorry, sorry. But seriously, whenever you people are in my restaurant, something bad always happens to it. Why?"

"Don't ask us," Z said. "Ask him." She pointed at the robot.

"You know, I really don't think that's such a good idea right now," Geo said. The robot brought one of its fists back, thrusting it forward to hit Geo, Sonia, Beamer, JT, and Meda. The five landed hard on their backs, bouncing along the ground.

"Well, this sucks," J said, whose armor was still with Wily. "I can't help you guys and on top of that, this robot has enough power to knock out Beamer. Yeah, we're pretty much screwed."

"Gee, think you could be little more depressing," Naruto asked.

"What? Just calling it as I see it." J was suddenly knocked back by the robot's fist, taking Naruto, Sasuke, and Netto with him. They hit the ground, bouncing and finally coming back down to rest on their backs. "Like I said," J said, sitting up and groaning, "we're screwed." Suddenly, they all saw a blur hit the robot, making it stagger back, but only a couple of inches. "What was that?"

"Assessing new threat," the robot said, looking around for the source of the impact. "Threat cannot be determined. Resuming previous activity."

"Well, at least these things broadcast most of what they do," Lan said. He was about to shoot the robot with his buster, but once again, the robot was hit by a blur. "Ok, seriously. What is that?"

The robot began to look around, trying to find whatever it was that had hit him. It drew its fist back and then let it fly, hitting the blur, which had been heading directly towards the robot again. The blur slowed down as it flew backwards, allowing everyone to see that the blur had been a teenager with a silver jacket and black hair. "Well, now we know _what _that blur was," Chaud said. "But now there's just the _who_?"

"That will have to wait for later," Will said. "Right now, we have other matters to worry about."

***

Walter went rolling, hitting a wall and stopping. "Ow. Fuck, that hurt," he said, still laying where he was. Suddenly, he grabbed his head, as if he was in pain. "What the hell?" Suddenly, a name flashed through his head. _MAXWELL._ With that name came memories, all of them flashing in his mind, changing every few seconds. He saw people and places, names, and more specifically, a girl with purple hair. "I remember. I remember who I am. I'm Maxwell Escal," Max said, standing up. "My friends…no, not friends. My family. Everyone I've ever met, I remember." Max looked to Beamer's restaurant. He saw Z and Kass, the only two who had managed to dodge the robot, but were now about to be hit themselves. "And they're all in trouble." His silver jacket began to slide out, turning into his old armor. "It feels good to be in this armor after so long."

***

"Well, it looks like we've actually met our match, huh," Z asked.

"Yep," Kass answered. "Should we close our eyes?"

"I guess so." They looked at the robot, which had drawn its fist back. "At least that way, we won't see it coming." Suddenly, hidden rockets in the robot's fist turned on, but the robot was still holding its fist back. "Ok, that's just unfair." Kass and Z closed their eyes, waiting for the hit.

"You know," a voice said, "it isn't nice to hit a lady. It's even worse," they opened their eyes to see a figure in silver armor holding the robot's fist with one hand, showing no effort, "when they happen to be my friends." The figure threw his arm forward, causing the robot to step back, the rockets turning off. "Are those rockets actually supposed to make you hit harder? If so, you may want to invest in a better fuel source." The robot swung its fist, but the figure suddenly disappeared. "Seriously, you have got to be the _worst_ fist fighter I have ever seen," the figure said, now behind the robot.

"Max," Z said, shocked. "Is that…Max?"

Kass looked equally shocked, as did everyone who hadn't been knocked unconscious. "I think so, but…when could he move so fast," Will asked.

"Missed again," Max said, once more disappearing to reappear behind the robot. "Come on, give it some _oomph_ this time. You might actually graze me." The robot was growing frustrated at missing its target, which had also begun to mock it. "Come on, come on, haven't got all day." The robot swung its fists once more, but again missed. "Ok, I've let you have your fun. Now it's my turn." Max held his hands out straight to his sides. "Battle Card Predation, Double Jet Attack. Battle Card Predation, Tail Burner." Max's hands turned into what looked like narrow beaks with teeth on the edges. "EM Advance: Flight of the Phoenix." He thrust his hands forward, fire surrounding him as he flew at the robot, picking up speed. He hit the robot dead on, flying into it and then going through the robot's chest, coming out of its back. He stopped and landed, taking just a few steps to slow and then stop his momentum. "That oughta do it," he said as the robot fell backwards. He turned to everyone else, now standing up, some leaning on each other. "Hi guys. I'm home."

"Max," Z said. She ran and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. He looked surprised at first, but then smiled, putting his arms around her back.

"Sorry I took so long."

***

"So, you've finally gotten your memories back, eh Wal…sorry, Max," Chuck said.

"Yeah. Hard to believe that it's been so long though," Max said, his armor now back into his jacket. "But now that I remember, I guess that means I'll be staying here."

"Well, I'm glad you finally remembered," Karen said.

Max rolled up his pant legs, revealing to everyone else the leg gear. He began to undo the straps. "I know it probably won't be use, but I want you two to keep this." He placed the gear on the table. "To remember me by."

Chuck and Karen looked first at the gear and then at Max. "No," Chuck said. "You keep it. You'll have more us for it and we don't it to remember you by. You're a hard person to forget about." Chuck pushed the gear back towards Max. "Beamer, how about a round of drinks and pizza, on me. We'll spend our last day in Ground City to get to know your friends."

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**Did you really think I'd get rid of Max? No way. Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron, Apapa155's characters belong to Apapa155. Please Review.**


	8. Home Again and a Visit to the Lab

**YAY, MAX IS BACK! For anyone who thinks I would have gotten rid of Max, fore shame. I would never get rid of one of my own characters, at least not one as good as that. Anyways, here's the new chapter. Enjoy.

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**Home Again and a Visit to the Lab**

Max got out of his bed, unable to sleep. He looked at the bedside clock he had to see it was 1:30 in the morning. _Wow,_ he thought to himself. _Either I'm really hyper right now or I ate something bad. Aw, well. I guess I'll take a walk around the HQ, just to be sure that I remember the layout._ Max walked out of his room, putting his leg gear on from an impulse, making sure to close the door as quietly as he could behind him so that he didn't wake anyone up. _Mr. Chuck and Mrs. Karen are probably back on the road by now. I hope they make it safely to the next town. _He continued to walk around the HQ, going through the various rooms, or at least the rooms that people weren't sleeping in. He stopped at one room to hear snoring. After a few moments, he remembered who this room belonged to. _Who'd have Solo snored when he sleeps. That or it's his new partner Laplace._ Max walked on, thinking back on the past year, not realizing that his feet were taking him to someone else's room. When he stopped, he looked up as if just noticing where he was. _Z's room? If my brain's tryin' to tell me somethin', then it should be more specific._ On a whim, he opened the door and looked in. He saw Z sleeping peacefully, her hair splayed out behind her. She suddenly turned, as if trying to adjust her position, her breath quickening just slightly.

"No…it can't…," she mumbled, still sleeping and tossing about.

_Wonder what she's dreaming about. It must be a nightmare._ She then calmed down, her breath slowing down. _Wait, why the hell am I watching this? Get a hold of yourself Max. Now, close the door and keep walking._ Max did what he had told himself to do, leaving Z to continue sleeping. He continued to walk when he suddenly heard a sound coming from the lab.

"OW," a voice yelled.

"Would you keep it down," a second voice said, a hushed tone. "We don't want to wake everyone else up."

"Sorry, sorry."

_Wonder who's in the lab._ Max made his way toward the lab and saw light streaming out from under the door. He opened it to see Sasuke, J, and Will all gathered around a table, Will holding his head. "Uh…what's going on in here," Max asked, looking at the three.

"Oh, Max," Sasuke said. "Did we disturb you with our racket?"

"No. Couldn't sleep. Been up for about an hour or two now. So, like I said, what's going on in here?"

"Well, we're trying to figure what this bot is made of," Will said, stepping away from the table to reveal the robot that Max had beaten earlier that day. Or at least its head and arms, the fists open. "None of us could even dent this thing. But then you show up, in the nick of time I might add, and barreled through it like it was nothing."

"Well, I did use Flight of the Phoenix. That attack burns pretty hot."

"But that's just it," J said. "We've been running tests on this thing. We've subjected this thing to fire that was at least twice as hot as that EM Advance. But we couldn't burn through it. And if you take a look at the hole in the chest panel," at this point, J held up the panel with the arm that wasn't in a sling, "the edges aren't even melted. Something else had to have been in play for you to do this."

"I think I know what." Max rolled up the legs of his sweats, revealing the leg gear. "This is what I've been working on while I was Walter."

"What does it do," Sasuke asked, taking a closer look at the gear as Max unstrapped it and put it on the table next to the robot's pieces.

"It lets a person go faster. In the past three days, I've managed to get this thing higher than seven hundred miles. I'm pretty close to breaking the sound barrier with these things."

"Isn't that kind of dangerous?"

"Nope. Not with these. I've made more than thirty failsafes that prevent me from actually breaking it. Of course, I can take these failsafes off at any time, but I'd have to be insane."

"Hmmmmm…..with enough speed and heat, you could break through this kind of armor. But that means that you weren't just relying on that advance's speed," J said. "You were using this gear."

"Yeah. By the way, what's up with the sling?"

"Oh…about that. You remember Kalar, right?"

"Yeah…shit."

"Exactly. I had a rather unfortunate meeting with him. It didn't end well for me."

"I swear, if I have to beat that guy to a pulp again, I just might use the most destructive advance I know."

"NO! No more Forbidden Advances. It's too dangerous."

"Hey, I never said I was gonna use a Forbidden Advance. Besides, it's normally only a one time deal."

"You're lucky to have survived."

"No. I'm lucky that I actually regained my memories. J, I solved that riddle. After using the advance, the user loses everything that they are. Everything that a person is lies in their memories. It's no wonder that my amnesia lasted so long."

"Wait. So the user isn't killed. But why wasn't Kalar destroyed?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know? I only solved the first part of it. There wasn't even a part as to what would happen to the opponent. It just said what to use and what would happen to the user."

"And what did you use?"

"I'd rather not say."

"And why not?"

"So that no one else will try and use it."

"Max, you're the only one who's done that in the last century."

"Fine. I used both cybeast chips, Andromeda's card, and Ra Mu's card."

"Wait, it's a combination advance?"

"Yeah."

"Well, you're the only person who can use both chips and cards together."

"Weeellll…the riddle might have said something about two users working together…"

J sighed. "You know, I think it would be a good idea if we all just tried to get some sleep."

"Good idea," Sasuke said. They heard snoring and looked to see Will already working on his sleep. "Perhaps we'll just Will in here."

"Yeah. I really don't feel like lugging him to his room." J looked around and found a blanket. "This'll do." He put it on Will, who continued to snore. "Alright, let's get back to our rooms."

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**What kind of armor does that robot have? I wonder what. Please Review. P.S. I may start updating only once or twice a week, maybe every two weeks. Don't be surprised if I do.  
**


	9. Return of the Uncles

**Ok, I'm bringing back some familiar faces from my first story. Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron, Apapa155's characters belong to Apapa155. Enjoy.

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**Return of the Uncles**

Everyone was walking up to a large estate, which Jen's three uncles owned. "So, why are we here again," Lan asked.

"I need to see if there's anything in the books about why Kalar wasn't destroyed by the Forbidden Advance," Max said. "And I need to stop in and say hi. No one's seen me in more than a year's time."

"We also need to see if they've ever dealt with metal like this," Will said, holding up the chest panel of the robot. "If this is gonna become a regular occurrence, we need to find some way for _all_ of us to get through it."

"Right. So, who lives here again," Rena asked.

"My uncles," Jen answered. "Leo Kingdom, Pegasus Magic, and Dragon Sky."

"Ok. Don't know who they are."

"Not a surprise. They try not to attract attention. And you do come from a different zone to boot." They continued until they made it to the large door. Jen pushed an intercom button, saying, "Uncel L, we're here."

"Intercom's new," Max commented as they waited for Jen's uncle to come to the door. "When did they put that in?"

"About six months ago," Z said.

"Wow. Missed a lot of stuff, didn't I?"

"Kinda," Jen said. The door opened to reveal Leo Kingdom, looking down at the group.

"Jennifer, good to see you again," Leo said. "What brings you here today?"

"I do," Max said, waving his hand. "I need some help."

"Maxwell! When…how…"

"Long story short, I got amnesia and just remembered who I was two days ago."

"Alright then. Anyways, please, come in. We have much to catch up on. One last thing."

"What?"

"Who are these two here?" Leo was referring to Eva and Rena.

"Oh. This is Eva and Luna Rena, who we just call Rena." Max gestured to the two girls as he said their names.

"Well, it's nice to meet you. Now then, come in. I'll call my brothers in." They all went inside to wait for Dragon Sky and Pegasus Magic.

"Yo, what up, little dudes and dudettes," Dragon said, coming into the room.

"When did he start talking like that," Max whispered to Will.

"No idea," Will answered. "Just don't say anything negative about it."

"Why?"

"Are you sure want to know?"

"…On second thought, I like it."

"Exactly."

"Hey what are you little dudes whisperin' 'bout over there," Dragon asked, still oblivious to the fact that Max was now with the group.

"Nothing, Mr. Sky, nothing," Max said. They all sat there waiting for about ten minutes before Dragon finally noticed.

"Uh…Wait a second…MAX! YOU'RE BACK!"

"Took ya long enough, Mr. Sky. Have you been staying in the sun too long?"

"…Maybe…"

"Greetings, everyone," Pegasus Magic said, walking into the room. "Well, young Maxwell. I see that you survived the blast. That's good, very good."

"Good to see you too, Mr. Magic," Max said. "Hey, can I get some help in your study? I need to go through that book that I found the forbidden advance in."

"Of course. But first," Pegasus turned around, yelling up the stairs, "Sarah, come down here. There are some friends here."

"Alright, uncle Pegasus," a girl's voice called back down. Everyone heard footsteps coming down the stairs and a green EM being with cloth bandages wrapped around her arms and legs walked in. "Who is it?" She looked around the group. "Oh, hey guys." Max sat there, waiting for her to react. It took her only half as much time as Dragon took. "MAX!" She ran and almost knocked him out of his seat, her arms wrapped around his neck. "Max, you're alive!"

Meanwhile, Max's face was turning blue. "Can't…breathe…losing……..air," he gasped out.

Sarah immediately let go. "Oh, sorry. Anyways…I can't believe that you're alive."

"Did everyone think I was dead?" He looked around the group and everyone either looked down or whistled to themselves. "Seriously guys?"

"Ok, so some of us may have thought that you were dead," Chaud said. "And, much as I hate to admit it, I was one of them. But others kept faith."

"Well, as long as some of you thought I was still alive. Anyways, I need to get into the study." He walked off, Pegasus leading the way.

"Oh, that reminds me," Will said. "Mr. Kingdom, Mr. Sky, have either you ever seen this kind of metal?" Will held up the chest panel.

"Hmmm," Leo said, taking a closer look. "I believe I have an idea of what it is, but I can't be sure. Bring it to my lab and I'll see what I can tell you." Will, J, and Sasuke followed him out of the room, leaving everyone else to find their own way to stay busy.

***

"Alright then, let's see if we can find that book in here," Pegasus said, looking at a shelf. The study itself was enormous, with more than a hundred large bookshelves, all of them about fifteen feet high. "Ah, here it is." Pegasus took a thick book, leather bound and green in color.

"Thanks, Mr. M," Max said, taking a seat at the desk, while Pegasus sat beside him. "Ok, let's see…where is that page…ah, here it is." Max began to trace his finger along the page, reading out loud. "Wolf of…eagle…planet…creator of roads…user shall lose…nope. Nothing in here about what happens to the opponent."

"Oh. So that's what you were looking for."

"Yeah. Kalar's back and I was hoping that there might be something as to how he survived. But there's nothing that givers a clue about what happens to the intended target of this attack. Then again, this is an all around attack that doesn't discriminate between friend or foe."

"Perhaps the answer will come to you in time."

"Maybe. Anyways, thanks for helping."

"It was no trouble."

***

"So, any idea Mr. K," Will asked, looking at the large flaming lion.

"Yes. Dragon, Pegasus, and myself have come across this metal only once. It does not exist in any records or data of any sort for that matter. We dubbed it Metal Zeta. It's the strongest metal that we have ever come across, but it's extremely rare. We have about three pounds of it here. Enough to make extra armor for every member of your team and we'd still have at least a pound and a half left. It's durable, but malleable," Leo said.

"Wow. That's pretty unique," J said.

"Yes, well, we used to have four pounds, but we decided to see how to mold it into various objects. After a year, we finally found a process that works, but it's incredibly difficult."

"Could you tell us this process," Sasuke asked, currently writing notes in his book.

"No, I cannot. We found the process three years ago, but we never wrote it down or remembered it. But if this process were to be rediscovered, the possibilities for use of this metal would be near limitless. Well, as far as armor or covering uses go. It may be used for medicinal purposes, but I'm not all that sure."

"Hmm…well, thanks for helping us," Will said.

"Tell me, this hole here. How was it made?"

"Max used Flight of the Phoenix."

"Really? That amount of heat and speed shouldn't have made it through this metal. On top of that, this panel is about an inch thick. A flat piece of Metal Zeta that's an inch thick is nearly impenetrable."

"Well, he apparently had some leg gear that he made when he had amnesia," Sasuke said. "When he used that advance, he was using his own speed by using that leg gear to increase his speed. From what we know, he's very close to breaking the sound barrier with that gear."

"Well. I suppose that with enough speed, a person could punch through anything, eh?"

"I suppose so."

"Now then, let's get back to the group. Tell me Sasuke, does Shinobi still have that crush on Sarah?"

"Not that I know of."

***

Everyone who hadn't gone off to the lab or study was sitting in the main room, listening to Dragon. When they all noticed that the others had gotten back, Dragon stopped talking to look at them. "Well, whatcha ya find out, little dudes," Dragon asked.

"Nothing. Still don't know how Kalar survived," Max said, taking a seat. "What about you three?"

"Well, this is apparently Metal Zeta," Will said. "Mr. K, Mr. M, and Mr. S have all come across it before."

"Yes, we have," Pegasus said. " We have-"

"Three pounds. Mr. Kingdom already told us," J said, sitting down. "But now we just need to figure out if this was just a coincidence or not."

"I doubt that Kalar has any idea what this metal is. And even if he did, the process to mold it takes many months. This may have been a coincidence."

"Or he found a way to transfer people from other zones," Max said. "If so, it would be a simple matter to find a zone with plenty of Metal Zeta or even take it from multiple zones. And if he can do that, then we may be in trouble."

"Perhaps we should talk with Mr. Wily," Eva said. "Since he handled all of their machines, is it possible he made one that could copy your power?"

"Actually, he did. But I thought that it had been broken. And the only other one is back at HQ, now part of our teleporter. But we should talk to him about it." Max stood up. "I think it's about time we got back to HQ."

"I wish there was some way I could help," Sarah said as everyone got up to leave.

"Perhaps there is," Leo said. He looked at Max and J. "Don't you agree?"

"Are you actually giving permission," J asked.

"Yes. But only if you can insure that she will be safe with all of you."

"Well then. How about you come to stay with us Sarah?"

"Really," Sarah asked, excitement in her eyes. "You'll let me go, uncles?"

"I got no problem with it," Dragon said.

"Well, if these two think it's ok, then I give my consent as well," Pegasus said. "Go on, child."

"Oh, thank you, thank you," Sarah said. "Just give me a few minutes to pack."

"Alright," Max said. Sarah ran upstairs to pack and Max turned to Leo. "So, have you told her or Jen yet? Or even Z?"

"No, we haven't," Leo said. "It hasn't been a priority."

"Then when?"

"I don't know. But I'm sure that they'll figure it out on their own."

"Mr. Kingdom, I'm not sure that we should leave until you tell them."

"Maxwell, they don't need to know yet," Pegasus said. "And it isn't a matter of life or death. It's just a simple fact that they could probably go their entire lives without knowing."

"Ok, granted. But still."

"Listen, kid," Dragon said. "It isn't an important detail."

"It is when they're on my team and when they're my friends. Now, you say that it isn't a matter of life or death, but when it comes to missions, even choosing when to brush your teeth could cost you some time that could get you killed. Especially when dealing with Kalar and the people that he finds for hire."

"Fine. But tell them when you believe the time is right," Leo said. "But _only_ when the time seems right."

"Alright, Mr. K. But if it comes before a mission, then that's when I'll tell them. It may prove to be important in their lives."

"Alright, I'm ready," "Sarah said, coming into the room with a small duffel bag on her shoulder. "Let's get going."

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**Now the uncles are back in play and Sarah has joined the team. Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron, Apapa155's characters belong to Apapa155. Please Review. P.S. For anyone whose wondering, I own Sarah.**


	10. Girls' Night Out

**It's raining. There's some thunder. To be honest, I love watching rain, but it's a really sucky day to go outside, so I'm going to do some chapters that should seem familiar from my first story. Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron, Apapa155's characters belong to Apapa155. Enjoy.

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**Girls' Night Out**

Everyone was sitting in the main living room, trying to figure out something to do. Thunder was heard outside of the HQ, heavy rain pounding the roof. "Damn rain," Solo said, before falling over backwards from a book hitting his head.

"Seriously, quit using those words in front of Eva," Rena said. "Or say it in a different language at the very least."

Solo shot her a glare, rubbing the bump on his head. "Fine."

"Ok, maybe we should do something that we did the last time you all were here, minus the recent team members," Jen said. "Have a girls' night out."

"Better than nothing," Z said. "And the guys can do..whatever it is that you do when we aren't here."

"You say it like we're gonna destroy the HQ," J said.

"That's because last time you almost did," Alia said. "Or did you forget about it?"

Ashe, Grey, Sasuke, Netto, Naruto, Kyuubi, Shinobi, and Rockman all looked at the rest of the guys there. "What did happen," Grey asked.

"Well, let's just say that…Bud lost to Solo," Max said. Bud shuddered at the memory. **(Side Note: Take a look at chapter 12 of my first story to see what it is.)** "We ended up watching movies for the rest of the time."

"Uh, can I just…leave," Grey asked.

"Nope. You're staying here with us, buddy."

"Crap."

***

"Yami, you have to stay here," Eva said.

"No," Yami said. "I've always been with you to protect you."

"Yami, it's a _girls' _night out. The guys are all staying here."

"Come on. You won't even notice that I'm there."

"Yami, no. You're staying here."

"Fine. I'll stay."

"Ok, now that that's over," Z said, "let's get going." All of the girls walked out the door, leaving the guys to do whatever it is that they do.

***

The girls walked into the mall, taking a look around. "So, where do we go first," Yai asked.

"I don't know," Maylu said. "Any ideas?"

"Well, we could always just walk around for a bit, do some window shopping first," Alia said.

"No, I've got a better idea," Z said. "Remember when you asked if anyone's ever been through the entire mall in one day?"

"Yeah," Sonia said. "What about it?"

"Well, how about we try to break it? And we can still shop while we do it."

"Alright, let's do it," Layer said, the rest of the group agreeing, except for Rena, Eva, and Ashe, who still had no idea what was going on.

"Wait, how do we do this," Ashe asked.

"Simple. Go into each store and go through at least two shelves, rows, or aisles without running through it and you have to look at each item," Jen said.

"Oh…well, I suppose I'll give it a try."

"Then it's settled. We'll all try to beat the record. Ready…GO!"

***

Six hours later, the girls were all resting in the food court, bags around them. "So, how many stores do the rest of you have left? I've got six more," Yai said.

"I lost. Apparently I skipped a store. I don't feel like starting over," Rena said. All of the other girls had apparently done the same thing.

"I'm the only one left, am I?" Everyone nodded. "Well, wish me luck. I'm going to try and get through the last six stores before closing time."

***

Yai was sitting down, sobbing. "I can't believe it. One more store and it was closed for the day. Just one more." The rest of the girls were trying to reassure her, saying things like "There's always next time," or "At least you beat the record." But none of this helped.

"Maybe we should just go home now," Jen said. "There's only thirty minutes till closing."

"Ok," Yai said, standing up. "Let's go."

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**Well, you probably know what the next chapter will be, don't you? Gammatron's character belong to Gammatron, Apapa155's characters belong to Apapa155. Please Review.**


	11. Another Guys' Night at HQ

**It's time to see what the guys did. Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron. Enjoy.

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**Another Guys' Night at HQ**

"Ok, the girls are gone. And once again, we're stuck trying to figure out something to do," J said. "Damn, I hate these kind of nights."

"Hey, maybe Minato has some ideas," Naruto said, signing. He said," Kuchiyose no Jutsu," touching his palm to the ground. A cloud of smoke appeared, revealing a crimson colored version of Kyuubi with a red collar sitting on the couch, engrossed in a book.

"Minato," Max said, "long time no see."

"Hmmm," Minato said, looking up from his book. "Oh, hey there." He looked around the group. "Who are these people?" After a few minutes, Minato sat there, the book now gone. "So, the girls all went out and you guys have no idea how to occupy your time."

"You got it," Geo said. "So, you have any ideas?"

"…Nope. Got nothin'."

"Well, so much for that route," Netto said, sighing. "Was it like this the last time the girls went out?"

"Yeah," Will said. "Exactly like this. You know, we could always do the tournaments again."

"Fine, but I vote that Bud and Solo not fight each other," Taurus said.

"Agreed," everyone who had been there the first time said.

"Alright then, how about we head to the virtual room," J said, standing up.

"Are you sure that you can still fight with your arm in a sling," Max asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Everyone headed into a door that was marked V Room. "Alright, if you'll all take a seat."

***

"Damn, that was fun," Lan said. "I love the virtual room."

"I know. But still, I can't believe I lost to a one foot…whatever those things were," Grey said. "So, what next?"

"Well, we could spar. Or we could find something else to do, like watch a movie or something," Will said.

"I vote we spar," Minato said.

"I'm with him," Omega-xis said.

"Well, ok. We'll go to one of the training rooms. And Bud, please don't pick up a rocket launcher this time," J said. "Now we just need to set up some matches." After getting to a training room and setting up the matches, Max and Solo were the first to fight.

"Well, I get to go against the quiet one," Max said, his armor sliding from his jacket as Solo wave changed. "This should be fun."

"Laplace," Solo said. Laplace began to glow, morphing into a very large sword, floating into Solo's grasp. "This was over before it started." Solo slashed at Max, only to have Max disappear and reappear behind him.

"You need to be faster than that." Max yawned, making Solo mad. "Come on, how about you make it worth my time."

"Does Max always do that in a fight," Sasuke asked.

"Ever since I've known him, whenever he gets in a fight, he begins to taunt," Will said. "It's very rare to see him get serious, but when he does, it's best to find cover." Meanwhile, Solo was still trying to hit Max with his sword, but to no avail.

"Hold still," Solo grunted, once again slashing, but missing.

"What? And let you actually hit me," Max asked, his tone mocking. "Now why would I go and do a thing like that?"

"Because I won't kill you as much."

"Wait. Won't kill me as much…but then I'm still dead. How can you not kill me as much if I'm already dead?" Max dodged another slash. "Ok, now that you've had your fit and I'm warmed up. Katana, Battlechip, Download." Max grabbed the hilt of the sword as it formed, taking a stance.

"Finally." Solo charged at Max, swinging his sword down, only to have Max block it with ease.

"Pitiful." Max swung his sword back, but what looked to be a casual swing knocked Solo off of the mat and into the wall. "I win."

"Wow. Didn't know he could do that," Will said. After some more sparring matches, it was down to Lan and Netto.

"Do we really have to fight again," Lan asked.

"Yes, Lan, you really have to fight again," Max said. "Now hurry up and Cross Fuse."

"Fine," Lan grumbled, cross fusing. "And since I'm going against Netto. Blade Soul, synchro chip, download." Once the light was gone, Lan was in Blade Soul armor. "Now I'm ready."

"Well, if it's gonna be like that," Netto said, drawing a bag out with some coffee colored pills, "I'll oblige." He swallowed one, his hair became a lighter color, his eyes now held a serious look, and on his face was a scowl. "You are going down and I am serious."

"Aw man, I hated fighting Professional Netto the first time around," Lan groaned, "and now I gotta fight him again? Alright, let's get this over with." Lan took a stance, one kunai in each hand, a reverse grip on both.

"So, I get the first hit, huh? Well, here it comes." Professional charged at Lan, swinging his fist at him. Lan went to block, but at the last second, Professional opened his fist, changing his swing and slapping away the left kunai. He then grabbed Lan's left arm, pulling it to bring Lan in closer, grabbing the right kunai and yanking it out of Lan's hand. He tried to cut Lan with the kunai, but Lan managed to block and then knock it away, leaving them both with only their fists. "It's time for hand to hand and I am serious." **(Side Note: Gammatron, if I'm screwing up how Professional talks, tell me and I'll try to do better in the future. Or I can just stop using Professional and Chaos period if you want.)** They began to swing, their blows being blocked, counterattacking at each opportunity, creating a complex dance that, if one fist made it past, would halt as quickly as it started. When they finally got past the other's guard, they both hit at the same time, knocking each other back. "Perhaps it is time to kick it up a notch." He swallowed another pill, his hair turning dark brown and spiking wildly, his eyes a deep red, and his vest turned into a black and red jacket. "Now you lose, punk."

"I really shoulda seen that coming. Shit."

"Uh…," everyone had the same look on their faces.

"That's Chaos Netto," Sasuke said. "I'll explain later."

"Get ready to feel some pain," Chaos said.

"Oh, this is not gonna end well," Lan said. "Wait, I've got it." He began to sign. "Lightning Style: Electric Overload." Electricity built in three places around Lan, slowly forming into electrical versions of Lan in Blade Soul Cross Fusion. "Electrical Charge." Lan and the three clones extended their arms, spheres of electricity building up. "Fire." All four spheres fired, spiraling around each other to form a large electrical drill.

"Kaosuton: Kaosu Shield." A shield of energy formed in front of Chaos, blocking the attack. "Was that it, wuss?"

"Nope." Lan signed once more, saying again, "Lightning Style: Electric Overload." Once again, three electric clones of Lan appeared. "Overload Blade." Lan extended his right hand out to his side, two of the clones changing and going to his hand, becoming a very long, thin blade made of electricity.

"Oh, I'm so scared."

"You should be. GO!" The last clone ran at Chaos, splitting in two.

"Oh, please." Chaos threw a kunai at the clones, but the kunai passed through them. "What the hell?!"

"They're pure electricity you moron," Lan said, following the clones. As the clones got close enough to him, they began to slide and then kicked up, hitting Chaos on the chin at the same time, knocking him into the air.

"Ungh."

"Now it's my turn." Lan jumped up, moving the blade as he rose to meet Chaos. "YAAAAHHHHHH!" He slashed in a horizontal to vertical to horizontal pattern, hitting Chaos five times before doing a final downward slash, knocking Chaos to the ground.

"OOF!" Chaos began to stand up slowly. "Ok, I'll admit that hurt…a lot." He finished standing up, brushing himself off. "But now is where I win, punk."

While Chaos was doing this, Lan whispered, "Overload Armor." The remaining two clones, as well as the sword, disappeared, returning to Lan as electrical currents.

"And now that the limit on your jutsu is up." Chaos took a stance. "Kaosuton: Kaosu…" He ran at Lan, grabbing him by his neck and lifting him into the air.

"Oh, this is very bad," Naruto said.

"BAKUHA NO JUTSU!" There was an explosion and once the cloud of smoke disappeared, Chaos was standing there, holding a smirking Lan, looking just fine. "How the hell did you come out of that unhurt?"

Lan grabbed Chaos's wrist. "Armor Spark." Suddenly Chaos began to jerk as electricity flowed into his body, letting go of Lan. Lan released his wrist and Chaos stopped jerking around, falling to the ground. "My limit wasn't up yet."

"Damn. I lost." Chaos then turned back into Netto, who got up, clutching his stomach. "Good (ow) job, Lan."

"Thanks."

"Well, now that that's over, we need to think up an excuse as to why this training room is looking this bad," Max said. Everyone looked around to see that all of the battles had taken their toll on the room.

"The girls are _not_ going to be happy about this," Will said.

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**Well, that was fun. Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron. Please Review.**


	12. Multi Wave Change Part I

**Ok, I realize it's been more than two weeks. For that, I apologize. I didn't have writer's block, I just didn't take the time to write up any chapters. Sorry. Anyways, here's a new chapter, so enjoy. Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron.

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**Multi Wave Change Part I**

"Ok, people, it's time for a mission," Max said, coming into the main living room, one week after the girls and the guys had taken a night off.

"Are you sure," Sonia asked. "You did just regain your memories only a week ago."

"Yeah I'm sure. Besides, it's not like it's anyone we actually have to worry about."

"Then who is it?"

"Cameo. Personally, I just wish these guys would stay down. But Kalar must be paying this guy quite a bit of money. Anyways, the people for this mission will be Sarah, Z and Jen, and Naruto and Kyuubi. We'll leave in twenty."

***

"Sarah, do you have a partner," Jen asked her cousin as they waited for Max to get to the teleporter.

"No. I still haven't found anyone with my frequency," Sarah answered, tightening the bandages around her arms. "Our uncles said something about me being special from most EM beings, so I guess that means that I won't have a partner."

"Oh."

"Ok, is everyone ready to start this," Max asked, walking in.

"Believe it," Naruto said.

"Of course," Jen and Z answered together.

"I'm ready to go," Sarah said, giving a thumbs up.

"Then let's get going," Max said, looking to Alia.

"Alright. Teleporting in three, two, one," Alia said.

"Teleportation successful," Layer said.

***

"I'm starting to think this guy has a thing for forests," Max said. They were indeed in a forest, this one slightly thicker than the last. "Anyways, let's figure out which way to go."

"What, you're not gonna flip a coin this time," Naruto asked.

"Naw. I figured I'd just let you figure it out this time." Max went over and sat down under a tree, leaning against, his hand behind his head. "Let me know when you do."

"Is Max normally this lazy," Sarah asked Z.

Z sighed. "Yes. Embarrassing really," she answered. Naruto, in the meantime, was trying to figure out which way to go. "Come on Max, help us out here."

Max sighed. "East. That's the way we need to go," he said, getting up. "Listen, see if you guys can keep up."

"Wait, what's that mean," Naruto asked. Suddenly, Max ran off, leaving a large cloud of dust behind him.

"It apparently means that he's wearing that leg gear of his," Jen said.

"Oh, just great," Z said. "How the hell are we supposed to keep up with that?"

"Simple," Max said, suddenly behind them. They all jumped. "You start moving." He gave them a smile, mischief in his eyes. "I'll give you a five minute head start." Five minutes later, Max took off. He caught up to them thirty seconds later and slowed down a bit. "Well, you covered more ground than I thought you would."

"Is that a compliment or an insult," Sarah asked.

"Could be one, could be the other. It may even be both."

"Well, that doesn't exactly answer the question," Z said, looking at the teenager.

"Oh, come on. The answer's in there. It just depends on how you perceive it." THUNK. Max went flying, tripping over a large shuriken that had landed just in front of him. "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow." With each bounce, he said this this. "Cameo, when I get my hands on you, you are so dead."

"I believe you mean 'if'," a voice said.

"Where is he," Z asked, looking around.

"Ten paces to the right, moving left," Sarah said.

"You can see him?"

"No, but I can sense and hear his movements."

_Same here,_ Kyuubi said.

"Well, let's see how you like this," Cameo said. Suddenly, the immediate area was filled with a purple light. Two seconds later, Z was standing there, forced out of wave change. "Damn it. I thought it was supposed to work on all people."

"Is that really all it can do," Max asked.

"Uh, Max. Not sure if you noticed," Z said, "but I'm kinda in normal form now."

"Then wave change back."

"How?"

"Well, I suppose that now's as good a time as any. Sarah, what your uncles never told you was that your frequency is the exact same as Jen's."

"Wait. If that's true, then that means that I can…"

"Wave change with Sarah. Technically, you can wave change with Jen and Sarah's other two cousins as well."

"Then…" Sarah said, going silent.

"That means you do have a partner," Jen finished. "Wow. Who'd have thought?"

"Well…I guess we should try it," Z said. "EM Wave Change. Zaria Celest, On Air." Instead of being surrounded with a purple light as she normally was with Jen, she was surrounded with a green light, as well as a swirl of leaves from the surrounding trees. Once it was gone, her armor was very different from her normal armor. Her entire body was wrapped in bandages, a leather vest around her torso, cloth sandals on her feet. On her back was a large shuriken instead of a rifle. She also had on a cloth mask. She looked down at her body, taking it all in. "Wow. This is kinda cool. What do you guys think?"

"Awesome," Naruto said.

_Interesting_, Kyuubi answered.

"Different," Jen suggested.

"…."

"Max, what do you think," Z asked.

"…Huh? Oh. You look…just fine," Max said. He was glad that the helmet provided him with privacy once the mouth guard was in place, because his jaw had dropped once she had wave changed. "Oh. Almost forgot. Since you can wave change with four different EM beings, you can also do a multi wave change."

"A what?"

"Multi wave change."

"Oh. What do I do to use it?"

"Just say multi wave change while thinking of the EM being you want to use for it."

"Ok. Multi Wave Change." This time, she was surrounded by a purple light and once it was gone, she was wearing light armor. The bandages were still there, but the vest was gone, replaced with torso armor. She also had shoulder armor, her rifle strapped over the shuriken, the armor pieces purple. Her mask was replaced with a helmet that had a visor on it. "This is really starting to grow on me."

"I just realized something," Naruto said. "Cameo's been kinda quiet. Is he still there?"

"No, he isn't."

"How do you know?"

"It's the visor. It has some sort of vision choices on it."

"Well then, let's try and find him again," Max said, sighing.

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**Ha. I bet no one ever thought that would be the secret. Though it probably isn't all that much of a secret. Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron. Please Review.**


	13. Multi Wave Change Part II

**I'm back. I'm sorry for taking so long. I blame school. Oh, I finally talked a friend into drawing at least one character in my fanfic. Go to my profile page and click on the link there to check it out. Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron. Now then, on with the story.

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**Multi Wave Change Part II**

"I hate that guy so much," Max said, grumbling as they walked. His armor was grimy, dust was collecting on his helmet, and there were branches sticking out of various places on his armor.

"Well, at least they weren't good traps," Z said.

"Yeah. Otherwise, you probably wouldn't be walking right now," Naruto added.

"I see that my traps worked," Cameo said, startling everyone, who then settled into stances.

"Not very well, you moron," Max said. "Anyways, why are you working for Kalar again? I thought you would have learned your lesson the first time around."

"What can I say? He pays good money," Cameo said, still invisible. "What does it matter anyways? None of you will be leaving alive."

BAM

"OW! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!?" Cameo yelled. He turned to see Z lowering her rifle." Why you-" He then looked down to see that he was now visible. "Aw, shit."

"Haha, now we got him," Naruto said.

"Whatever, shrimp. I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve."

"Uh oh," Max said. He and Z began to back up, taking positions behind a tree. Naruto, on the other hand, was clenching his fists.

"What? No, don't tell me. I'm supposed to be scared of this short person here, huh?"

"If I were you, I would shut my mouth."

"Shrimpy. Shorty. Midget."

"I'M…NOT…SHORT!!!!" Naruto yelled, jumping at Cameo.

"What the-" was as far as he got. Naruto was now on top of him, pummeling him into the ground, using his tails to throw him around, slamming him into nearby trees. He soon let up, his blows becoming less frequent.

When he had completely stopped, Max simply said, "Feel better?"

"Yep," was Naruto's answer. Cameo was on the ground, twitching. "That'll teach him to call me short."

"You know, that was pretty anticlimactic, considering all the trouble that it took to find him."

"Especially since you set off all the traps," Z said.

"I," Cameo began, "really, really…hate…you." He gasped the last word and fell into unconsciousness. Max, Z, and Naruto looked at him.

"Should we leave him here or take him with us?" Z and Naruto turned to look at Max.

Max looked at the ground, contemplating. Finally he looked up. "I honestly don't know," he said. "Odds are he'll cause trouble for us no matter what we do."

"Well, what if we just left him with a transmitter? That way, someone will find him and figure out something to do with him," Naruto said.

"Yeah. That would work. I don't suppose anyone has a transmitter on them?" He looked at the two, but they shook their heads. He sighed. "Well, I guess we take him with us."

***

"Boy, talk about gratitude," Max said. "Ya save a guy's life and what's he do? He tries to kill us." Cameo had run away two days earlier, after a failed attempt at killing everyone in the HQ after he came to. "Hopefully, he learned his lesson this time around."

"Yeah, we can only hope," Lan said.

DING-DONG

"I've got it," Will called, heading towards the door. "Yo," he said upon opening it. Standing in the doorway was a boy with blue hair, wearing a gray T shirt and a pair of blue jeans, the knees ripped. On his right front pocket was a device shaped like a coyote's head and on his back was a duffel bag.

"How's it going Will," Tommy asked, smiling.

"Well, I'll be damned," Will said. "Tommy Cavez."

* * *

**Again, sorry that this took so long. I promise, I'll do my best to make it up to you, but I just don't know how yet. Anyways, Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron. Please Review.**


	14. Haunted HQ Part I

**Hello everyone. Remember that chapter that I had Shadowfox777write? Well, it's going to be put on hold temporary. To make up for this, I've decided to create my first Halloween special. Or, at the very least, attempt it. Enjoy.

* * *

**

**Haunted HQ Part I**

"Alright, I'll call you later mom," Lan said, turning off the zone communicator function for his PET. After the first trip, his dad had installed the communicators into the PETs of the ones who had gone. He gave a sigh, walking into the main living room.

"Something wrong," Will asked, looking up from the chess board set between him and Tommy.

"Not really." Even though Lan did his best to give the impression that he was fine, Tommy and Will weren't fooled.

"Come on, what's the problem," Tommy asked, moving a pawn to capture Will's queen. "That's check, by the way."

"Damn it," Will said, looking down once more at the board.

"Alright. This is the first time that I won't be home for Halloween," Lan said.

"What's that?" Will moved his knight to capture the pawn currently holding his king in check.

"Did I hear something about Halloween," Sonia asked, walking into the room.

"Yeah," Lan said. "In my home zone, today is Halloween."

"What a coincidence. It's the same in mine."

"Really? That's kinda strange."

"Hello," Will said, getting their attention. "Can one of you enlighten us?"

"Right, sorry," Lan said. "Halloween is something of a holiday, but it's more of a chance for kids to get free candy. It's also a day to scare the shit outta people."

"And why are you so down about not being able to celebrate in your zone?"

"Well," Lan said, smiling, "this year, my friend, Akira, and I had the _best_ prank planned of all time."

"Really now," Tommy said, moving his queen to take Will's knight. "Checkmate."

Will did a double take. Outside of the house was a peaceful scene. "DAMN IIIIITTTTT!!!!" was heard as the scene shook.

***

"I love you too. Bye," Eva said, hanging up her Hunter-VG.

"Was that Solo," Rena asked, looking up from her book. "The one from our zone?"

"Yep. Apparently, today's Halloween."

"Halloween," Z asked.

"Yeah. What, you guys don't know what Halloween is," Rena asked, looking surprised.

"No, not really," Kass answered. "Could you tell us what it is?"

"Well…I'm not really sure how to explain it. The best I can come up with is a day where kids get free candy and people scare each other for fun."

"That's it?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Rena began to read her book again, while Eva went off to the kitchen to begin making some dinner.

***

"Ok, I think it's best if we just let the equipment cool down for a bit," J said, walking out of the lab.

"That seems to be the best choice," Sasuke said, nodding his head.

"Did something happen in there," Geo asked, noticing the smell of smoke.

"No. Just a couple of shorts in the circuitry."

"How many?"

"About thirty," J answered, acting like it happened all the time.

"Is that normal?" Geo looked doubtful.

"Well…no, it isn't. Normally, we rarely have any and if we do, it's only about two or three. Something is strange," Sasuke said, now considering other possibilities.

CRASH…TINKLE

"EEEEE!" was heard from the kitchen. The trio ran to the kitchen. "What's wrong," J asked, coming into the kitchen to see the broken plates and Eva panting, hugging the wall.

"Are you ok," Rena asked, running in and seeing the scene. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Eva said, still panting. "One minute I'm cutting the carrots, the next thing I know, plates start flying."

"This is very peculiar," Sasuke said, writing notes. "So, first we have ten times as many shorts as normal and now we have plates taking to the air, seemingly on their own."

"This is a really strange day," J said.

"I wonder if it has anything to do with Halloween," Geo said, looking at Eva and Rena.

"No. That just isn't possible," Rena said.

"Halloween? Please, explain," Sasuke asked, holding his pen over his notepad.

"Well, for the most part, it's a day for kids to get free candy and for people to scare each other for fun. But supposedly, strange things happen on Halloween as well," Geo said, Sonia and Lan walking in with Will and Tommy.

"What's going on," Will asked, looking at the plates on the floor.

"Some rather interesting occurrences," Sasuke said. "We've had thirty shorts in the labs and now plates are flying by themselves. But I highly doubt that it is due to Halloween."

"I don't know," Lan said. "I've seen some strange things concerning Halloween."

"Lan, pranks with your friend don't count," Will said.

"Oh. Right."

"I think we should talk with everyone else about this," Tommy said.

A few minutes later, everyone was in the main living room. "Ok, the reason we've called this meeting is to discuss some…occurrences in this house," Will said.

"Like what," MD asked, floating beside DC, the two finally having made their peace.

"Well, for one thing we've had thirty shorts in the lab," J said.

"Over a week? That's normal," Max said, still not sure why they had called the meeting.

"No. Over a ten minute period." Everyone looked surprised. "On top of that, we just had a couple of plates go flying in the kitchen, some of them coming pretty close to Eva." On learning this, everyone immediately looked over at Eva, who was still somewhat shaken. "Now then, does anyone have an idea as to _how_ this is possible?"

"Well…," Roll began.

"Yes..?"

"In our zone, today is Halloween. Could that have anything to do with it?"

"As far as I know, it isn't possible." At that moment, the lights went out. "Oh, just great. Now something's wrong with the circuits. Come on Will, let's go check the circuit breaker."

"Yeah," Will said, pulling a small flashlight from his pocket. They walked out of the dark room, leaving everyone to mingle for a little bit. Once they got back, everyone looked at them.

"Well," Max asked.

"It doesn't look good," J said. "According to the breakers, everything's just fine."

"But then how-" Suddenly, laughter filled the room, startling everyone.

"Wahahaha…"

"Who's there," Jen said, looking around.

"Your worst nightmare," the voice answered, sending chills down everyone's backs. "This building is now mine."

"Oh yeah? Says who," Yami asked, standing in front of Eva.

"Says me. And if you have a problem with it…oh well."

"Show yourself. So I can have the pleasure of tearing you limb from limb." Yami growled, showing his teeth.

"Oh, a feisty one, eh? Well then, let's see how you like this." Yami suddenly went flying, hitting the wall. He fell to the ground with a gasp. "Do you still wish to tear me limb from limb? No? Well, in that case, shut it. Now then, I want all of you to leave this place. I will give you until tomorrow."

"What?! You think that you can make us leave this place," Kass said.

"Yes. I know I can. Now then, like I said, I will give you until tomorrow. I leave you to pack." With that, the lights came back on, but only in the main living room.

"Well, that was strange," Max said.

"Hmmmm. I don't know," Lan said. "I'm not sure why, but that voice sounded familiar."

"So, you thought so too," Chaud asked. "He sounds like an old enemy."

"Perhaps we should stay then. And fight this enemy head on," Max said. "This is the only permanent home I've known for six years. I'm not going to give it up without a fight."

"We're behind you Max," Z said. "One hundred percent."

"Yeah. We'll show this…thing what the consequences of messing with us are," J said.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed this. But who or what is trying to take the HQ. Maybe we'll find out next chapter. In the meantime, please review. Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron, Apapa155's characters belong to Apapa155.**


	15. Haunted HQ Part II

**Alright, time to find out who's been screwing with the team. Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron, Apapa155's characters belong to Apapa155. Enjoy.

* * *

**

**Haunted HQ Part II**

"Ok, how shall we start this," Sasuke asked, looking around the group.

"Well, I suppose the first thing we should do is check the affected areas first. See if there's anything that would logically explain what caused them," Tommy answered. "The kitchen and the lab."

"That makes sense," Rena said. "So, how shall this be split up?"

"Hmmmm," Max looked down. "Right now, we'll have the wave users make up one team. Netnavis and operators will make a separate team. I'll stick with the Biometal users and the Reploids. Alia, Layer, and Palette, we'll need to make sure the operations room isn't compromised. If it isn't, you three can at least guide us through the parts of the HQ that don't have electrical failure." Everyone nodded and soon after split up into their respective groups, all in armor.

***

"So, anyone know any good jokes," Tommy asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"None come to mind," Grey answered, looking around warily.

"Anyone else?" Everyone in the group shook their heads. "Alright. If anyone can think of any, don't be shy."

"Alright, here's the operations room," Max said, opening the door. The inside looked the same as it always did. "Well, it looks like this room is safe. Alright girls, do your thing." Alia, Layer, and Palette walked past him into the room, closing the door behind them.

"Now that that's done with, shall we check the rest of the HQ," X asked.

"Yeah. Let's go." Little did they know that as they walked off, they were being watched by someone in the corner of the ceiling.

"Fools," the figure hissed, dropping down from the spot.

***

"I don't see why we're looking over the broken plates," Sarah said.

"Because there may have been something that we missed," Sonia answered.

"Like what?"

"Like this," Solo said, standing up, a plate shard in his hand. "Look closely. There are small scratches on these plates."

"Well, considering that we use silverware…"

"No. These aren't the kind of scratches that you would get from a blade of any kind. These are too deep. More like claw marks." Upon closer inspection, everyone saw that they were indeed claw marks.

"Maybe whatever threw the plates threw me," Yami said.

"Maybe."

"Argh, this just gets more confusing by the second," Bud said. "What's going on here?"

"Eva, are you okay," Zack asked. Eva was whipping her head back and forth, as if trying to watch all parts of the kitchen at once.

"O-of c-c-course. Why w-wouldn't I b-b-be," Eva stuttered, still whipping her head back and forth.

"Don't tell me you're actually scared," Rey said.

"Well…m-maybe a l-l-little."

"Eva, there's nothing to be scared of," Z said, giving her a reassuring hug. "You've got your friends with you."

"Yeah, I g-guess you're right," Eva said, calming down a little. After a few more minutes, she exhaled. "Alright, where should we look next?"

"Hey guys," Omega-xis said suddenly. "Didn't find anythi-"

"EEEEEEEE!!!!" Eva yelled, flailing her scythe at Omega-xis.

"YIPES!"

***

ZZZT

"OW," Naruto yelled, sucking his finger.

"Be careful of electrical shocks," J said, currently looking through a panel on a piece of equipment.

"Gee, thanks for the warning," Naruto replied, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"So, what is it that we're looking for," Yai asked.

"Anything that looks out of the ordinary," Sasuke answered, two open panels in front of him.

"Like what," Dex asked.

"Cut wires, melted plastic, burnt out couplings, missing screws, and things of that nature."

"I think I found something," Netto said. "The wires in here look like something bit through them."

"Let me take a look," J said, moving over to the panel that Netto was checking, Netto moving aside. "Yep. Something definitely ate through here." He pulled out a strip of wiring, showing the end to Sasuke. "What kind of animal do you think would leave a bite mark like that?"

"Hmmm." Sasuke took the wire from J to take a closer look. "I would say a very small animal. Most likely a rodent of some kind."

"Maybe our intruder is more than what they appear to be," Sean said.

***

Everyone met up again in the main living room to share what they had found. Tommy took a look at Omega-xis, who was covered in bruises, scratches, and gaps in his armor. "What happened to you?"

"Don't…ask," Omega-xis said.

"Uhhhh…ok."

"Ok, time to see what we have," Max said.

"Well, it would seem that all of the shorts in the lab equipment was due to some small creatures chewing through the wires," J said, holding up the wiring.

"Ok. What about the kitchen?"

"The plates all have small claw marks on them," Jen answered. "After taking a closer look at Yami, we found similar marks on his back."

"So, we're either dealing with very smart rodents or a mastermind?"

"Basically," J said.

"Well, now all that's left is to find this intruder."

"Max," Alia said over the communicator.

"Yeah."

"There's something moving towards the room you're all gathered in."

"What?! How long has it been moving?"

"No idea. We think the scanners may have been picking up some traces of it, but it was always too quick to tell. Whatever it is, it's sending off some type of energy that I've never seen before. It may have been messing with the scanners before."

"Alright. You three stay where you are, we'll take care of it from here."

"Great. Now whatever's doing this is on its way," Will said. "This is just fu…" He looked at Rena, who was giving him a fair impression of an evil eye. "I mean, frickin' great."

"She said that it was giving off an energy that she had never seen before," Lan said.

_And I've been getting a weird feeling since this thing got here,_ Megaman threw in.

"Then who would be here," Kass asked.

"Ke-ke-ke," a figure said, appearing in the doorway. At first glance, it seemed to be a vampire looking person, but on closer inspection, it was a blue netnavi. His eyes were an eerie yellow. His arms resembled bat wings, his teeth like fangs.

"Shademan!" Lan and Chaud exclaimed, surprise written on their faces.

"Ke-ke-ke. So, you _do_ remember," Shademan said, a very creepy tone in his voice. "I thought that you would have forgotten about me after so many years."

"Who is this guy," Max asked.

"He's a dark netnavi from our zone. About five years back, he was working for a guy named Regal, leader of group known as Nebula," Chaud answered. "Their first goal was to mass produce and spread dark chips. After their first defeat, they tried to finish the creation of a device designed by Lan's grandfather. It was called the Soul Net. However, Regal tampered with it, so that the effects of it would pump peoples' souls with darkness."

"That's correct," Shademan said.

"So what, this is some type of revenge," Tommy asked.

"Ke-ke-ke. No, it isn't. I wandered the Murkland for three years after you defeated me the last time. Two years ago, I stumbled upon a portal to another place. Curious, I stepped through to see where it would lead me to. It was then that I found myself here." Shademan stopped, coughing. "Unfortunately, I have not fully healed my internal injuries."

"Internal," Lan asked.

_I didn't think that I had done that much damage,_ Megaman said.

"Oh, but you did. Ke-ke-ke. You did," Shademan said, coughing once more. "But you can repay me by leaving this house."

"I don't think so," Max said, a katana appearing in his hand.

"Hmmmm. You are a feisty one. Ke-ke-ke. I like that. I want a fight." Shademan crossed his arms. "If you defeat me, I shall leave. But if you don't…" He looked around the group. "I get all of your energy."

"Fine. Ready yourself." Max gripped the hilt with both hands, the tip pointed backwards and down.

"Ke-ke-ke. This shall be glorious." He spread his arms outward, the wings stretching. "Forward, my pets." Three bats appeared in front of him, flying at Max.

"Those must be what caused the shorts and threw the plates," Sasuke said.

"They're pretty strong for their size," J said.

Meanwhile, Max had just sliced through two of the three bats, both disappearing in puffs of smoke. He then plunged the tip of his blade into the third bat, the bat disappearing in a puff of smoke. "Is that the best that you have," Max asked, spinning his katana twice before letting it rest against his shoulder.

"Oh, that wasn't even a warm up," Shademan answered, flying at him. "Try this." Rings of light extended from his wings, hitting Max. Max jerked back, his body numb. "Now you're mine." Shademan swiped at Max, but Max managed to jump back just far enough to receive a small gash on his arm. "Hmmm. You are the second I've fought who has been able to resist my screech. But unlike that first fight, this time I have my Darkpower."

"Wait a second," Lan said. "I thought that you had always used your Darkpower."

"Ke-ke-ke. No, dear boy. That was only a poor substitute of the Darkchips. This is my true Darkpower." Shademan was surrounded by a dark aura, his body starting to change shape. His wings grew slightly longer, curving even more, talons growing on the folds. His claws grew longer, coming to wicked looking points on his fingers. His fangs became sharper, longer, and glistened in the light. His ears began to extend backwards, curving up as they extended. Once his transformation was complete, the aura that had surrounded him flowed into him, turning his blue armor into a much darker blue. "You now see before you my true form."

"That's his true form?!" Chaud exclaimed. Eva fainted, collapsing into Solo's arms, who seemed at a loss, not sure what to do with her.

"Um, would anyone like to take her off of my hands," Solo asked, looking around the group.

"So, all that happened is your ears grew pointier. Big deal," Max said. "That's not gonna help you."

"Oh, but it is," Shademan said, disappearing. He reappeared behind Max, taking a swipe at him, knocking him forward.

"So, you've gotten faster," Max said, on his hands and knees, hacking. Blood came in small drops from his mouth, three long gashes on his back and armor. "That means that we can fight on even turns then."

"What?"

Max disappeared, startling Shademan, who whipped his head around, trying to find his enemy. "Look up." Max was now hanging upside down from the ceiling, his sword holding him there. He dropped, bringing his sword down like a hammer. Shademan dodged, Max hitting the ground with his hammer and leaving a small crater.

"Well, for you to be able to move like that with the amount of damage I've caused is very impressive. But you can't be standing for much longer." As if on cue, Max fell to his knees, hacking even harder. "Ke-ke-ke-ke. I knew it. I knew that no being could withstand my Dark Claw."

"You…bastard," Max gasped, his body pitching forward.

"MAX," Z exclaimed, running forward. "Are you okay?"

"Ke-ke-ke. Silly girl. Of course he isn't. He lost. And now," Shademan said, uncrossing his arms, "I believe that you shall be my first meal."

"No. You said-" Max began.

"That I get _all_ of your energy. I was talking about your entire team." Shademan disappeared, reappearing to grab Z, and disappeared again, reappearing in his first spot, Z in his arms, his fangs an inch from her neck. "And now, I feast."

"Grrrrrrrrr…"

"Mmmm. Do you still have some fight in you?" Shademan released Z, straightening himself. "I suppose I'll have to finish you off first."

"Rrrrrrrr…" Max was surrounded by light, blinding everyone. "You threatened my son." The light sparked brightly. "You try to throw him out of the only home he's known for six years." The light sparked once more. "And you have very nearly killed him and this girl." The light sparked brighter than the first two times. "It's time for you to leave." The light exploded this time, forcing everyone to shield their eyes with their arms. Standing in front of Max was a man in armor similar to his. The difference was that the man had hair sticking out of the helmet, the hair itself a silver color. But the most notable part of the man was that he was both transparent looking and both of his feet were missing. **(Side note: Bonus points if anyone can tell me where I got the idea from. I'll give you a hint; it's from a famous manga that follows a swordsman.)**

"Who's that," Lan asked.

"Dad," J gasped, Max joining him in that statement.

"WHAT?!" everyone else yelled, except Eva, who was still out cold, and Solo, whose arms were beginning to shake from holding Eva up.

"Peh. Just an image. You cannot pose a threat to me," Shademan said, charging at the man. The man simply raised his hand, slapping Shademan away. "What?!"

"As I said. It is time for you to leave." The man held up his hand once more, the palm open, facing Shademan. A small sphere of light began to build in his hand, growing to the size of a baseball. He thrust his hand forward, a beam erupting from the ball of light, striking Shademan dead center, Shademan screeching in pain. His body began to depixelate, his navimark the only part of him that remained. He lowered his hand, turning around and kneeling beside Max, who was looking at him with a face of surprise. J stepped forward, joining the two. "My two sons. You've grown so much."

"Dad," they both said, hugging him, Max having some difficulty with his injuries.

"Whoa, boys," James Escal said. "Not so fast Max. You may make it worse."

"Dad, how…"

"The armor." Max looked confused. "I see you still haven't unlocked the secrets of the armor. Well, I'm gonna let you in on one of 'em. The users of this armor have a small part of their soul, their personality, in the armor. Later users can call upon them in times of dire need, such as near death."

"Then…"

"You won't stay much longer," J finished.

"No. But don't forget that you can call on me when you need me most. Good luck boys," James said, standing back up. "Go show Kalar what it means to mess with an Escal."

"You've…got it…Dad," Max and J said, J helping Max to stand up, while James began to disappear.

Silence filled the room, everyone too shocked to say anything. Eventually, Z walked to Max. "So…that was your father," she asked.

"Yeah. That was…" Max looked to the ground for a second, still supported by J. He then looked back up, a smile on his face. "It was good to see him again."

"Yeah," J agreed. Silence filled the room again.

"Well, that was the weirdest Halloween I have ever had," Lan said.

"Ohhh, yeah," Rena agreed. Everyone walked out of the room. "So, how about we head to Beamer's?" Solo was left standing there, still holding Eva up, his body trembling.

"HELLO?!" he yelled. "How about a little help here?"

* * *

**Well, I hope you all enjoyed. I feel that I kind of went off task with this chapter. Anyways, Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron, Apapa155's character's belong to Apapa155. Please Review.**


	16. Kassie's Past, Part I

Kassie's past, part 1

Hey there everyone. I'm ShadowFox777, and Kassie's creator. Maxforce  
asked me to write out a story for Kassie's past, and I was only more than  
happy to comply. To be frank, I'm glad he likes her so much. She was made  
just for his story.  
Anyway, without further adieu, on with the story!

----

Blood, there was so much of it. It was on the floor, on the furniture, on her  
armor, and even her own hands. Kassie looked down at her blood stained hands.  
Her whole body began to tremble, and she didn't want anything more to do  
with this place. She wanted to get away, get out. But as she looked around,  
she found no door to escape with.

"Murder."

Kassie froze in an instant at the voice. She turned around quickly, and  
there, where there had been none was a body.

"No," Kass said as she began to back away. "I, didn't want, I mean, I  
didn't mean…"

"Murder!"

Kassie thrust her hands over her head and ears and screamed.  
"NOO!"

Kass woke with a start, breathing heavily and badly shaken.

"That dream again?" came a deep male voice to her right.  
She turned, to see MD hovering over her bedside table. "It's been a while  
since you've had that dream."

MD, her Biometal based off of the former maverick from the maverick hunter  
world, Magma Dragoon. Her friend and ally. The only one who knew, everything  
about her past.  
Kassie looked down.

"Yes, it has. I can't understand why it's happening now. Not with Tommy here, and, being with Will…"

"Sometimes, things just happen for no real reason."  
"And sometimes it's a dark vision of things to come. Like my past  
catching up with me."  
"It's a possibility. I won't lie to you Kassie. I promised to you that  
day that I would never lie to you again."

Some how, this didn't make her feel better. She glanced at the clock. One  
Thirty. She sighed, and got up from her bed. No way the little reploid girl  
would get back to sleep feeling like this. A reploid of her design didn't  
need a recharge capsule, as she was build to be very, human. But they still  
made them. If this kept up, she may want to consider investing in one.

Or maybe ask Will to make one.

She threw on a robe and walked out in to the hall and made her way to the  
kitchen. MD fallowing her closely, and she was glad for the company even if it  
was silent company. Though, when she got to the kitchen, she saw she wasn't  
going to be alone in the company of MD for much longer.

Grey, Ashe, and Model A, where all in the kitchen, sitting around the table.  
Well, Grey looked more like he was sleeping on the table. But Ashe seemed to  
be poking at him.  
"What's going on here?" Kass asked, getting their attention.

"Oh Hi. We all seemed to have some extra energy to burn, so we were just  
hanging out here talking. But Grey's energy ran out before mine did. Kinda  
funny seeing how he's the Reploid and I am the human." Ashe answered, as  
Grey sat up straight in his chair, blinking numbly, clearly ready to go back to  
sleep.

"Why don't you just go to bed Grey? If you're so tired now?" Kass  
asked. Grey was about to answer when-

Boom.

An explosion was heard. However faint.

"That's why." Grey answered. "My room is a bit close to the lab."

"And it seems the brainiacs are working on an all night Project." Model A  
said. "That's the main reason we couldn't sleep. It makes it kinda hard  
to recharge."

"That's it! In the morning, I'm demanding a room on the other end of  
the house." A familiar voice yelled out from down the hall.

"Ah, Exhibit A." Ashe said with a smirk.

"Zero, don't yell. You'll wake those who are actually asleep."  
"Well Lucky them!"

Three more bodies entered the kitchen.

"Hey, well check it out, a party in the kitchen." Axl said as he took a  
seat down at the table. "Sup?" he asked.

"Talking." answered Ashe.  
"Tired." Said Grey.  
"With them." Said Model A.  
"Couldn't sleep." Answered Kass.

X and Zero also took a seat at the table.

"I guess that's a trend going on tonight." X said looking around at the  
group. "You know, it's still amazing how much the reploid design has  
advanced. I mean, if not for the mark, I don't think I could tell either of  
you apart from a human."

"If you didn't cheat and use your scanners that is." Axl pointed out.

"Think again." Said Model A, putting in his two cents worth. "Give Ashe  
a scan."  
"Hey!"

Axl did just that, and then frowned lightly.  
"Cybernetics?"

Ashe grinned. "Yup. Where we're from, Repoilds have artificial life  
spans, and humans get cybernetic parts to increase theirs."

"So we Lose life? What a rip off!"

"Zero keep your voice down."

X then glanced over at Kassie, to notice, while she looked tired yes, but  
she also seemed…distant. Not her usual cheerful self.

"Hey Kass, is everything okay? You look down."

Kassie didn't answer right away. Her mind still on that dream, on her past,  
in truth, she really didn't feel like talking about it.  
"It may help to talk about it Kassie." MD said, speaking for the first  
time since they came in to the kitchen.

"I don't know…" Kassie answered, her eyes dropping to the table.

"Whatever is bothering you, you shouldn't keep it bottled up. It's not  
healthy," said Model A.

"It's weird saying this, but he's right you know." Said Ashe.  
"Hey!"

Kassie remained quiet.

"Kassie, what ever it is, we won't judge you." X said in a gentle tone.

Kassie now looked up tears hinting in her eyes. Axl promptly got up from his  
seat and started raiding the freezer. Kassie spared one more look at Model MD,  
who bobbed once. The Biometal equivalent of a nod. She then took a deep  
breath, and then sighed.

"Alright. I was dreaming, about my past. It was…dark. But it wasn't  
always."

This time is was Grey's turn to get up from his seat. This was going to be  
one of those stories.

"I used to work as a secretary for this big name company. It was called  
Bio-Tech. They generally did a lot of research on the alternate Zones.  
Studying their technology for the benefit of our own. As I'm sure you've  
noticed from the way things work around here. I worked in the main office  
building over the lab. It was a good job. But well, one day, that came to an  
abrupt end. This was about… 5 years ago now."

Flashback

Kassie walked in to the main office with a folder full of documents in to the  
main office. For her, it was just a regular day. Nothing special.

"Mr. Stocks, we have some more documents that need your signature. And we  
have some new information on the new "Biometal Zone", as well as some info  
on the "Flood Zone". " She said cheerfully as she entered the office.

The man behind the desk looked up from his work, and he smiled sadly when he  
saw her. Oddly enough though, the sad smile didn't quite register. Kassie  
just assumed he was tired again because he was over working himself. Finding  
a new Zone did this a lot.

"Ah, yes, thank you Kassie. I'll take that." He said.

Mr. Stocks was not a big man, but he was of average size and build. His hair  
was short and brown, and he had brown eyes. His skin was ALMOST an olive shade  
of peach. Maybe he was Italian?

"I've been looking forward to this. We've been getting a lot of data  
out of the new Zone lately. And with it some pretty impressive technology."  
He said as he opened the folder and started looking over its contents.

"I know. Living metal? Who would have thought that it was even possible to  
make such a thing? It must be nearly impossible to make. I wonder how they did  
it?" Kassie mused.

"… It's good to hear your so fascinated by it. And it's funny you  
should ask. Because we think we did figure out how to do it. One of the  
reports came back with a document that seems to tell how to make one."

"Really?" Kassie spoke, now sounding rather excited.

"Yes… and unfortunately, the lab, wants you.." he said, now looking  
down.

"Huh?" Kassie said, looking confused. It was then she was hit from behind  
by something. What ever it was, it send several volts though her systems and  
then she fell to the ground shut down.

"Was that really necessary?" Mr. Stocks asked.

"Of course. If she knew what we intend to use the Biometal for, she'd  
never agree willingly." Said the figure that came out of hiding. His weapon  
smoking from the discharge it fired out.

"Dose it have to be her?"

"What afraid about losing your secretary? We'll higher you a new one. And  
yes, she's the only one in the database whose DNA sample was compatible for  
Biometal sub-model MD. Good thing she's a reploid. It will make it easier to  
get her combat ready."

Present day

"So they knocked you out in the main office building?" Axl asked as he  
put down a big tray of some tasty pizza bites.  
"Pizza bites? Come on Axl, is this your idea of comfort food?" Ashe  
asked. Though she took one anyway.

"No, it's my idea of Good food."

Kassie ignored the banter and nodded.

"Yes, essentially. I still can't believe Mr. Stocks just let it  
happen."  
"Maybe he didn't." said Zero, trying for once, to be optimistic.

"I'll probably never know." Kassie responded.

"Unless they are some how tied in to this new rash of incidents." Grey  
said as he started setting down mugs of Coco down in front of every one.

"Coco, now that is a comfort drink." Ashe said smiling.

"I found some marshmallows, too." Grey said smiling.

"Anyway, Kassie, what happened next?" X asked, trying to get the  
conversation back on track. It would have worked, too, if Will hadn't picked  
that time to enter the dinning room.

And End part 1. Will comes in just in time to hear the really important  
stuff. Second part coming soon. See yeah till then!


	17. Kassie's Past, Part II

Okay! I finally finished it! And I have to say, I think I'm fairly pleased  
with how it came out. It came out different than I expected, and longer to.  
Way longer. But I hope you like it just the same.  
Okay, story Start!

Kassie's Past Part 2

**He was a royal mess, covered in soot from head to toe due to his activities  
in the lab. He topped dead in his tracks, not really sure what to make of it.  
He glanced at the clock, and then back to the group. Save one, it was pretty  
much a…

"Reploid convention?"

"More like can't sleep because a certain brainiac and his friends had to  
get caught up in their work and blow stuff up at 1:30 at night convention."  
Said Zero.

"Oh, right, sorry about that… It will be worth it though, trust me."

"It better be prime zone versions of Ride Chasers."

"… Anyway, what's going on?"

For a moment there was silence.

"I was just talking about my past Will." Kassie answered.

Will promptly took a seat. Anything involving his girl friend, he figured  
he'd probably want to hear.

Kassie smiled at him as he took a seat. It was good of him to show up when he  
did.

"Anyway, you showed up just in time. Kassie was about to tell us what  
happened after her abduction," Axl said.

"Yeah, so what happened next, girl?" Ashe inquired.

"To be honest, I myself am not really sure." Kassie confessed.

"But I can fill in those gaps." MD spoke up. "It was not long, after  
that that I first met her.

I remember it all too well. When she came in, she was like some mindless  
robot. It's situations like this, that being a reploid has its drawbacks.  
Her personality had been suppressed, and she had no doubt been uploaded with  
all the latest combat programs suited to my style. Of course, at the time, I  
didn't care. I just wanted to get out of the jar."

Flashback

_MD stared at the girl who stood before him, who was accompanied by the man  
who ran the whole program. She was a petite pink haired girl._

_"You're kidding, right? She's my Bio match?"_

_"No Model MD, I'm not kidding. This young lady goes by the name of  
Kassie. And yes, she is your bio match, which makes her your partner, starting  
today. Provided the biomerge is successful."_

_Sub-model BioMetal MD looked at the girl skeptically. Her head was tilted  
slightly to her right side, and her eyes seemed glassed over and unfocused.  
She was wearing only a dark purple jump suit, which covered everything from her  
neck down. She just seemed so…lifeless._

_"So my Biomatch is a pink haired Girl, and a Zombie?" he asked again._

_The man placed his hand on Kassies shoulder._

_"This lovely little young lady is a reploid much like myself. She had been  
uploaded with no less than 5 styles of hand-to-hand combat so you'll have  
quite a bit to work from. In her current state, she's not likely to reject  
your megamerge, or actions. Or our orders for that matter."_

_"Oh, so Zombie was the wrong term then. So she's more like a Puppet?"_

_"Well, to put it mildly, yes I guess so."_

_"Mildly, huh?" MD said as he set his attention to the girl again._

_Something about this seemed wrong, but missions and jobs meant a chance to  
get out of this tube and outside. As long as he got out, why should he care?_

_"So, this little lady, she got a name?" MD asked._

_The scientist smiled. That was as close to an approval as he was probably  
going to get from the left over persona of the fighter Magma Dragoon. But, as  
to the answer to his question, the scientist merely shrugged._

_'Brain wash a girl, and not even take her name? Oh I get it.'  
"Okay then, so what do I _call_ her?" MD asked, stressing the word call.  
She was after all, going to be his partner._

_At this the girl's head actually slightly turned to view MD. He was taken  
by surprise. Up till now, the girl had made no motion or even seemed to notice  
that he had been speaking. Had she actually heard him? Perhaps she really was  
his bio match. After all, Mr. Scientific here was also a bio match with his  
own Biometal. That's how he could hear him._

_The scientist however, took no notice of the slight movement._

_"Well MD, she's just part of project 003. So that's what we call  
her."_

_"003, how cliché."_

_The man frowned._

_"Whatever. Let's give this a final test now shall we?"_

_The glass tube that confined MD was lowered.  
"Take MD in hand, 003, and say the words, "Megamerge"."_

_The girl did as told and casually took MD in to her hand, and held him up in  
front of her. In a dull lifeless voice she said the command._

_"Megamerge."_

_"Biolink established. MEGA system, on line."_

_There was a flash of light, and then he and the girl stood there, as one, his  
body becoming armor to cover her. He raised "his" hands and looked down at  
the clawed gauntlets._

_The Scientist started to laugh._

_"It worked, by thunder it actually worked!"_

_"This… feels weird." MD said, having Kassie turn to face the man._

_"Yes, well, that's probably because your host is a girl, and you are of  
the male persona, hm?"_

_"…Shut it."_

_MD had his host turn around a few more times. He noted a tail, and when he  
looked behind, he saw something that looked liked the stubs of wings. He  
quickly ran a systems check. Hover jets. Not quite enough for real flight, but  
it would do well enough. The tail, how he missed having one, he realized. But  
then, if he could have frowned, he would have. The girls face remained in a  
neutral expression. He reached back and grabbed at the long pink ponytail,  
pulling it over his or, rather, her shoulder._

_"Are you serious?" he questioned, turning to the man._

_"What? So you have a pink ponytail. I thought it might hide when you two  
merged to be honest, but it seems that your form takes the biomatch in to  
consideration when forming as well. What can I say, Girls like their hair.  
Would you like us to cut it?"_

_MD very nearly blurted out "YES" but stopped himself. The girl might  
never forgive him._

_"… No I'll deal with it."  
"Very good. Then if that's settled, we have the perfect warm up mission  
for you. A small case of espionage."_

Flash Back End

Kassie had buried her face in her hands by this point and looked like she was  
trying to hide under the table. Will patted her back gently.

"So, she was the puppet, and you where the puppeteer," Axl asked, making  
sure he was understanding things correctly.

"Basically, yes. It's because her own will had been suppressed. That  
mission went off without a hitch actually. We burned down the building of a  
rival company." Kassie groaned miserably.

"Did…anyone die?" X felt compelled to ask.

"… Yes, 5 people died in that fire. They were working after hours it  
seemed." Model MD confessed.

Silence drifted across the kitchen. Zero took a drink from his mug.

"So then what happened?" Ashe asked.

"Well from there, it was pretty standard. Mostly we attacked other  
factories and burned down buildings destroying all files and stuff like that.  
All the while, I was in control of Kassie about 80 percent of the time.  
Allowed to roam around when not working and all that. Unless you know, there  
were things she needed that I didn't."

"Like what?" asked Grey, who got clobbered by Ashe. "OW!"  
"Shush. Well, what happened during that time?"

"I learned her name. You see, without her own will to keep things focused  
and in check, I found I could go…poking around her memories. She was a rather  
non-violent person. Of course, I didn't tell Race any of this."

"Race?" Zero asked, voice the new question that was on every one's  
mind.

"Race was the head scientist and chief of the whole operation," MD  
answered.

"Ah, so the boss finally has a name," Axl said.

"Yes, and, I hate to say it, but there may even be a chance he's involved  
in all of this, given the fact that our old friend seems to have gotten his  
hands on some materials that for the most part are unknown." MD added. It  
wasn't a for sure thing, but a likely possibility.

"Well, what happened? If there were no problems, then, why and how did you  
two break free and leave?" X asked. "Not that it's not good that you  
did, but-"

"Yeah, I get ya. Well, one day we got a living target. A man who had  
apparently learned too much. Mainly about people like Kassie and where they  
were going. I tracked him down, and found him. When I found him, he was at  
home, with his family. I of course, was stupid and jumped the gun. But from  
there, things just went from bad to worse."

Flashback

_The intended target now lay dead on the floor, opposite end of the room. The  
family screaming in terror, and even running for the door. However, before MD  
even realized it, he had grabbed a nearby chair, and threw it at the door,  
causing the family to jump back from the door._

_"What the?" MD questioned. He hadn't meant to do that._

_A call came over the com-link._

_"They are all witnesses. Leave none alive."_

_It was then that MD knew he had stepped in it big time here. He looked behind  
him at the now cowering family._

_"Why did she kill daddy?"_

_"… But sir, they are a mother and 2 kids, probably no older than 6 or 7.  
I can't-"_

_"If you won't, then we'll have to do it remotely."_

_"What?!"_

_It was then that his body started to move on it's own. Turning toward the  
people. They had their own control over Kassie, and they were stringing her  
along like a puppet now themselves and him along with her. Damn it!_

_The mother tried to stop him of course. What mother would not die for the  
sake of her children? But he was forced to use his claws to cut her down. The  
kids of course screamed some more, and one ran away to another part of the  
house._

_MD slowly made his way over the child that had been paralyzed by fear. Taking  
one shaking step by shaking step, as he tried to resist. This was WRONG.  
Everything this whole time had been wrong, but it hadn't involved children.  
At least not directly…_

_"Kassie…" MD spoke using her name for the first time since they had  
met. "Kassie, you don't want to do this. This has finally gone too far.  
It's wrong and you know it. I can't stop them, but you can, you have to  
stop this!" A clawed gauntlet raised in to the air over the trembling child,  
the weapon shaking dangerously. It hovered there, far longer than it should._

_"Kassie, we have to stop this!"  
"I…" Her own voice passed through her lips. Just one faint word, but  
the feeling inside it told him she agreed with him. But then the claw sank  
down._

_"No!"  
Slash!  
"NNOOOOOOO!"_

_Kassie then fell to her knees in front of the child's fallen form,  
grasping her head and screaming at the top of her lungs._

_"What the hell?" came Race's voice over the com. "What's going  
on?" He was sounding frustrated._

_"You know what?! SHUT UP!" MD yelled back and cut the com-link. It was  
all he could do that this point. He then felt blow after blow on his head, and  
realized Kassie had started to hit her head on the floor, either an attempt to  
shake off what little control they had left, or a strange form of punishment,  
he didn't know. But out of the corner of his eye he saw the last living  
child rush out the door. Probably to the neighbors. They wouldn't have much  
time. As much as he knew He was guilty of all of this, Kassie had been a  
possessed puppet. But he could tell from the way her mind was racing,  
screaming, far as she was concerned, she had done it, and deserved to burn in  
hell for it._

_MD on the other hand, wanted justice for this. No, perhaps his main motive  
was revenge. These fights had no honor. He should have realized that from the  
beginning._

_'What a fool I was. And now, she's hurt and it's all because of ME.'_

_"Kassie…Kassie listen to me, I know you're hurting but we have got to get up  
and move. We need to get out of here."_

_"SHUT UP! DON'T TALK TO ME! THIS IS YOUR FAULT! IT'S ALL YOUR… MY  
FAULT! I DESERVE WHAT'S COMING!"_

_"No, YOU don't! You're right, this is all My fault. But we'll talk  
about this later. But if we're caught now, we won't be able to prove any  
of it. Where I came from, You've severed their link, so they won't be able  
to trace that.. Hell they probably cut us off by now themselves as a failsafe.  
But if you want to stop more things like this from happening, then you have to  
stand up, and Move!"_

_Kassie took in a few shaking breaths. Tears falling nonstop from her eyes.  
She took one look at the scene in front of her, and found herself blinded by  
tears. But, perhaps the armor was right. Shaking badly, she propped one foot._

_"That's it, now the other one." MD coaxed, trying to get her moving. She  
was putting up too much resistance now for him to carry her._

_She pulled her other leg upright under her and stood. Her whole body was still  
trembling badly._

_"Good. Now, let's get out of here."_

_With a little mental coaxing from MD, they both turned to a nearby window, and  
ran. The whole neighborhood was then filled with the sound of shattering  
glass, and police sirens._

_"From there, we managed to doge the police, and even make a getaway. Thanks  
to the design of my helmet, no one saw her face. But now, we had no place left  
to go. And, we still had to deal with each other."_

_Kassie threw the helmet across the alleyway with an angst filled scream. The  
dragon helm clattered on the other end, covered in blood from when she had  
been smashing her head on the ground. The boy's blood._

_"Gone! They are all gone, He's gone, they are all Gone! Put out by MY  
hand!" And then she cried._

_MD stayed silent. He felt it best to let her get it all out before speaking.  
He stayed that way for a few minutes. Then, when her tears and screams dulled  
down to mere sobs, he finally spoke._

_"Not your hand Kassie…mine. It's important that you understand this. You  
were made in to a mindless puppet, and I used you. Even though I knew it was  
wrong. All I cared about was getting to move around Freely. And you paid the  
price for it. If any one is at fault here, it's Me. And you didn't kill  
all of them. That boys sibling is still alive."_

_"And what's going to happen to them? Everything they had is now gone.  
Taken away, by, …Us."_

_"Me, and THEM."_

_Kassie sat down against a dumpster._

_"I was still unable to stop that last fatal blow." She said finally._

_"…" MD was silent._

_"What am I going to do now?" Kassie asked, looking down on the helmet.  
Even though when MD spoke, she heard his voice in her head, it still helped to  
have something tangible to look at._

_"At this point you probably want to turn yourself in. But I don't blame  
you. It's not the best chose at this time. We have no proof, and as far as  
feasible evidence against the organization, we have what? A missing person,  
who probably has no memory from the moment she was taken, to the moment she  
woke up, and me. A lump of talking metal, who they probably won't even be  
able to hear. And It's unlikely they will be able to track where I came  
from. It's enough to put doubt, but not enough to catch them."_

_Kassie rubbed a clawed gauntlet across her face, wiping her eyes. MD cringed  
inwardly._

_"So what do we do?"_

_"First off, can you trust me?"_

_"Huh?" Kassie looked up at the helmet, surprised._

_"Look, I possessed you and burned down just about everything in sight just  
because they told me to. Far as I can tell, they have no means of controlling  
me, but given the chance, I can still control you. But if you want to make  
them pay, if you want to make sure that no one else has to go through what you  
went through, you'll need power. I can give you that power. But all I can  
give you is my word that I won't help you unless needed. You've got some  
new skills downloaded in to your mainframe. But putting them to practical use  
in yourself is still going to take some time. I can help you with that as  
well. All I can do is give you my promise that I won't use you like that  
again. But only you can decide whether or not to trust me."_

_Kassie was silent for a long time. How long, MD didn't know. Mere seconds  
alone, felt like hours._

_"In the end, we're both on the run now. They can probably track both of  
us somehow. If we want to run, then we'll need each other to stay out of  
their reach, and capturing us again. I can't even go home now. I'll put my  
family in danger if I do. They need to be stopped."_

_Kassie walked over and picked up the dragon themed helmet, looking in to the  
glass eyes._

_"If we're going to survive down this path, we'll need each other.  
I've only known you for a short time, but you don't seem like an evil  
person. So I'll put my trust in you. But if you betray that trust, I'll  
never forgive you."_

_"Then let me give you this, as a sign of the trust you just gave me." He  
said. Then, the center green stone on her chest popped from its place, and she  
caught it in her hand._

_"What's this?" she asked.  
"A sign of our trust. Normally it would vanish once we de-merge, but now,  
it will remain with you. As will I."_

End

Kassie now sat upright as MD finished their story, but she continued to look  
down at the table. All other eyes, however, were on her and the BioMetal.

"A family…" X said quietly. Turning his gaze away and setting it to the  
table, at the empty plate in the center.

Kassie's eyes sank lower.

"As I said, it wasn't her fault. It was _mine_, and the business. She was  
just the puppet necessary for my power to be used."

"We've been through this. I've already agreed to take responsibility  
for my own actions."

"Being used as a puppet hardly qualifies the actions as yours."

"That's enough," said Will. "Kass, we don't blame you for what  
happened. I know you well enough to know you'd never do that willingly. Let  
alone even consider doing it in the first place."

"Let alone being used like some puppet. We should be in charge of our own  
destiny, but you just had yours stolen from you. So, now you fight to get it  
back," said Grey, who stood up from his seat. Grey knew very well what it was  
like to have someone else pulling at your strings, or at least trying to. It  
just wasn't fair.

"We said it before, we're your friends. You're trying to make things better  
now aren't you? It's your story. You're in charge. Not some bozo in a  
lab coat," said Ashe.

"Whatever happened to the surviving kid?" Axl asked.

"Well, he was sent to live with his grandparents. We actually had a run in  
with him about 6 months later. The kid had been mum for a while, but he  
started to open up a bit, and I guess they were afraid he would finally speak  
of the incident, so they sent another biomatch team to dispatch of him. We  
were wise, and put a stop to the attempt. But of course, the kid wasn't  
happy to see us. Even if we were there to defend him this time."

"He lived in a little town called Former town. The business Bio-tech, was  
located in a city called Transcity. We, actually kinda got caught on the  
rescue mission. A reporter was there. The story was on the front page of their  
newspaper the next morning," Kass confessed.

Will, pulled a laptop out of nowhere, and started typing it the information  
and looking it up.  
"How long ago was this?"  
"About 4 and a half years ago."

"Okay, let's see… ah, found it." From here, Will started to read the  
article's main imprint out loud. "Armored warrior fends off another in  
defense of a young boy, whose name we are asked to keep anonymous. It is  
believed that these warriors are either from the zone discovered only one and  
a half years ago, the 'BioMetal Zone', or some creations based off them.  
The battle was between a water-based insect like warrior, and a fire based  
dragon warrior. The dragon fought in defense of the boy and his  
grandparents. The fight was fierce, and the words I could write could not  
properly describe it. Oddly enough, when the battle was done, the boy called  
the victor, and also his defender, a murderer, and yelled at them to return his  
family. From here, I was close enough to hear the words the young woman (As I  
was now able to identify due to her sweet sounding voice,) said as she turned  
around to face the boy and his grandparents. I'll never forget them.

She said, "I'm sorry. I know I greatly wronged you, and I will not ask  
for forgiveness, for I know I do not deserve it. But I couldn't just let  
THEM kill you either. I wish I could return them, but I cannot. I can only  
promise you that I will not let what happened to you happen to anyone else  
again if I can help it. If you want vengeance when you are older, I will let  
you have it when I am done with my mission. You deserve that. Until then, live  
on, and try to live happily."

And with that the woman left. No one else besides the other warrior was  
harmed in the conflict. According to my sources, the warrior who was taken into custody, refused to let up any information as to who he worked for, or any  
motive in reasons for his attack, other than the fact that he was working for  
Someone. Someone is out there creating these fighters, and clearly, not all  
the fighters agree with the cause."

Will stopped reading the article aloud and just skimmed over the rest. "The  
man goes on to say he's going to start investigating the matter. So, you are  
raising suspicion about this place."

"Yes." Kassie said. "But in doing so, that man has put his life in  
danger more than once. As such, we've met more than once. Never has he seen  
my face, nor did I ever stick around any longer than to find out if he was  
okay. Even when I'm trying to help, I just keep on endangering people. The  
past year here, it's been wonderful. No worries, being with you Will… But  
I guess that means, I've been shirking my duties. I wonder, if that reporter  
is okay?"

"I'm sure he's fine Kassie. If a reporter is killed, all the papers  
print a story about it. So we'd know if he was dead." MD assured. "And  
there is nothing wrong, with enjoying a quiet life, once in a while."

"How old was the child then?"

"At the time we saved him from being attacked, he had just turned nine. So  
he'd be 14 now. About Grey's age." Kassie answered, looking toward the  
young reploid.  
Grey only responded by returning the look. Though the look on Kassie's face  
was clear enough for even him to read. "Too young to be fighting."

"Well, if you ever need help in bringing down Bio-labs, we'll be there.  
Just give us a call. As long as no one gets killed, I'm sure X won't have  
any objections," said Axl.

"You know, we really shouldn't be handling things outside our  
jurisdiction."  
"We're already doing that X."  
"I know Zero. So let me finish. Since we're here, we know about this  
place, you are our friend, and what's being done is clearly wrong, yes we'll  
help you. Just ask."

"Yeah, you're our friend. We said we wouldn't judge you, and we won't.  
But these Bio-tech guys need a beating. And we'll be more than happy to give  
it to them," said Model A.  
"What he said," Ashe said with a smile.

Knowing that she still had the trust of her friends, Kassie smiled.

"Thank you."

Not long after, they all made another attempt at getting some sleep. Except for  
Will, who took a shower first.

Chapter end

CSF777: Wow, I just realized how many changes I made from this and her  
original Bio. Not that that is a bad thing. I like this version better. Sry  
Max, I think I ended up giving you more work for your story! Well, that's  
the back story behind Kassie and Model MD, and a view into how fragile their  
bond of trust really is. I hope you all enjoyed.


	18. A Fighting Tournament!

**Hi ya'll. Hope you enjoyed those chapters by Shadowfox777. I know that I loved them. Now then, let's see what's in store for the team this time around. Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron, Apapa155's characters belong to Apapa155. Enjoy.

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**A Fighting Tournament?!**

"So, what are we going for today," Will asked, assuming his usual seat beside Kass.

"Well, this mission involves…Bubbleman," Max said.

"Oooh, no. I am _not_ leading another mission against Bubbleman," Will said, crossing his arms, hoping to prove his point.

"Actually…we aren't going to kick his ass," Max said, deflecting a book that had been aimed at the back of his head, "but we're actually going to help him."

"WHAT?!"

"Listen, I know it isn't the most normal thing, but he says he needs help. He's apparently gotten himself trapped in another zone."

"Alright, let's just go and get him," Jen said.

"Weeellll…"

"Well what? Max, what aren't you telling us," Lan asked.

"Well, the problem is that he's not allowed to leave. Actually, we've received an invitation from the…well, for lack of a better phrase, the leaders of this zone. They decided to use Bubbleman as bait, apparently not knowing our history with him."

"An invitation? For what?"

"A fighting tournament. It's an event in which fighters from different zones get together and battle each other. The actual fighters chosen were me, Megaman and Lan, Naruto and Kyuubi, Netto and Rockman, Will, Kass and MD, Grey and Ashe with Model A, Z and Jen with Sarah, Sasuke and Shinobi, Eva and Reaper with Yami, Rena and Angel with Awai, J, X, Zero, Solo and Laplace, and Geo and Omega-xis. Everyone else was invited as…oh, what was it called…oh right, assist trophies."

"Ok, this is starting to get confusing. And besides, what about our fight with Kalar," Z asked.

"Well, that's just it. The leaders have agreed that if one of us wins the tournament, they will give us the locations of the other fighters' zones, as well as guarantee help in our fight with Kalar." Everyone grew silent. "This might be our only chance of finding more help against Kalar. And even if they aren't willing to help, it will at least be good for training."

"Well…I suppose," Zero said. "But only because I'll get some prime training out of this."

Soon after, everyone else agreed to come as well. "Alright, we're set. So, all that's left to do is get packed. Bring all of your armor and weapons that you want to use. They said that food and rooming would be provided." With that, everyone walked out of the room, heading off to their rooms.

***

"Ok, I think we're set," Max said, looking around the group. Everyone nodded or gave a thumbs up. "Well then, let's get going." The group was surrounded by a flash, gone with the light.

***

"It's a good thing you set up a remote on that thing," Max said. "Who came up with the idea anyways?"

"I did," Sasuke said.

"Welcome, Maxwell Escal and friends," a voice said. Everyone looked around, but the only thing they saw was a statue that looked like a right hand.

"Who said that," Maylu asked.

"Ahem. The giant hand did." They looked at the hand, which they now saw was floating. All of the girls screamed, grabbing whatever was closest. The hand gave a sigh. "I really need to work on introducing myself."

Max stepped forward. "You must be…Master Hand."

"Yes. So tell me, what was your first clue?"

"Sorry. I didn't mean any offense."

"None taken. As I said, welcome."

"Well, thanks for the greeting. I would shake your hand but…well, you seem to be a hand."

"Yes, well, hopefully you will get used to it. Now then, come along. I will show you to where you are staying." Master Hand turned around, floating off and then stopping. "Well, are you coming along or not?"

"I…guess we're coming along," J said. They followed Master Hand, soon coming to a large mansion.

"Wooow. This place is even bigger than the HQ," Eva said, looking around the main foyer. "And much cleaner."

"INCOMING!" was heard from the top of a long set of stairs.

"Uh oh. You all may want to duck," Master Hand said, flattening himself along the ground. "Now." Suddenly, an object went flying over them, startling them. "That idiot. I have no idea what I'm going to do with him."

"Do with who," Max asked.

"My brother, Crazy Hand." The object, which turned out to be a left hand that was twitching, came floating up.

"Bro, you have got to try _that_," Crazy Hand said.

"I don't think I want to know."

"Oh, come on. It's all in good fun. Besides, it's not like anyone was actually hurt."

"True. But the foyer now needs some work." Everyone looked behind them, tables and fine crystal now laying on the floor, some broken, others chipped.

"Heh heh. Oops. My bad." Crazy Hand then turned to the group. "So, these are the noobies, eh? Nice ta meetcha."

"Uhh…hi," Max said.

"Anyways, I need to get going." Crazy Hand to Master Hand. "Let me know when the first battle begins. I'll be soaking in some whip cream." Crazy Hand then floated off, leaving everyone else with a dumbfounded look.

"Ummm…"

"I have no idea what's wrong with him and I have no idea how he's related to me," Master Hand said. "Now then, I need to find one of the veteran Smashers. Ah, there's one now." They all turned to look at who he was talking about. It was a woman wearing a blue jumpsuit, blonde hair in a ponytail. "Samus, could you come over here?" The woman turned and came over after seeing who it was that called her.

"What is it Master Hand," Samus asked once she had stopped in front of the group.

"This is Maxwell Escal and his friends," Master Hand said, gesturing his entire body towards first Max and then his team.

"Ah. So, these are the new Smashers? They don't look like much," Samus said, sounding disappointed.

"Now Samus, I wouldn't count them off just yet. Wait until you actually see them fight before you make up your mind. Now then, would you please show them to their rooms?"

"Sure thing. This way, quickly." Samus turned and walked away at a rather quick pace.

"I will see you all again soon. I hope you find the rooms to your liking."

"Hey, wait up," Z called after Samus.

"How about you speed up," Samus asked.

"Well, there's no need to be rude about it," Eva said.

"Seriously," Netto said.

"You got a problem with it? Then get over it," Samus said.

"You have a problem with us don't you," Max asked.

"Yes I do."

"What is it?"

"…You wouldn't get it. Here are your rooms." They looked down a hallway, doors lining it. Samus began to walk off, but Max grabbed her arm.

"_What _ is your problem?"

"You want to know? Fine. You seem to think that you deserve some kind of respect. But I'm going to let you in on a secret. You only get respect here by winning. And you don't look like you have much to you. _Any_ of you. And here's Master Hand, accepting you like you're more special than the rest of us here. And he hasn't even seen you fight."

"_That's_ it? _That's_ your problem," Zero asked. "That's pathetic."

"What did you say?!"

"Oi, what's all the commotion," a voice said. They turned to see a teenage boy with tipped ears, an earring in one of his ears. He was wearing an interesting looking green cap, his cloths all green. On his back was a shield with a triangle looking symbol and on his belt was a sword with a similar symbol, as well as what looked like wings on the hilt.

"Oh, Link."

Link noticed the group of people. "Are these the new guys?"

"Yeah."

"Hmmm…they don't seem very…skilled. Except for those two," he said, pointing at Will and Zero. "That's an interesting sword. Where'd you get it," he asked, his question aimed at Zero.

"My home," Zero answered. "What's the story behind yours?"

"Heh heh. Sorry, but I only tell that to people who beat me in battle." Link turned around and began to walk off, but halted. "By the way, Master Hand has called a meeting to introduce all of you to the veteran Smashers." Link then walked off, turning a corner.

"I think I'd like to fight that swordsman," Zero said. "What about you Will?"

Will nodded. "Definitely. By the way," Will said, turning to Samus, "what are Smashers? Are they the fighters in this tournament?"

"Yes they are," Samus answered, walking off.

"Well, that was something different," Sarah said.

"Oh, yeah," Max said. "Well, I guess we should figure out which way the meeting is after we drop our stuff in our rooms."

***

Later, Max and his team were in a large room, people from various zones were gathered, talking and laughing with each other, Master Hand at the front, with Max and his team behind him. "Ahem," Master Hand said, trying to get everyone's attention. However, everyone continued to talk.

"I got this bro," Crazy Hand said, appearing. "INCOMING!" Everyone in the room ducked, looking around. "Hey, everyone. Sorry, false alarm. Oh, while I have your attention, Master Hand would like to start the meeting. Thank you." Crazy Hand turned to his brother. "They're all yours."

"Thank you Crazy." Master Hand cleared his…throat…and began to speak. "Now then, as you all know, I have invited a rather large number of fighters and assisters to this tournament. I would like to take this time to introduce Maxwell Escal and his friends. The people who will fighting in this tournament will be Maxwell Escal, Megaman and Lan Hikari, Naruto Uzumaki Hikari and Kyuubi, Netto Hikari and Rockman, William Star, Kassie Haro and MD, Grey and Ashe with Model A, Zaria Celest and Jen with Sarah, Sasuke Uchiha Hikari and Shinobi, Eva and Reaper with Yami, Luna Rena and Angel with Awai, J, X, Zero, Solo and Laplace, and Geo Stelar and Omega-xis." As he called their names, they stepped forward. "The rest of his team will be assist trophies. Please make them feel welcome. Now then, onto other matters. In preparation for the tournament itself, I am leaving the Smash Room open for free fights. Anyone may challenge anyone, Smasher or assister. This does not mean that you have to accept. But the extra training will be handy for preparing for the tournament. You are all dismissed." Everyone dispersed, small groups going in one direction, some going in others. Master Hand turned to Max. "If you would like to use the Smash Room, feel free. It has some training programs, some of which were just recently added. Again, I hope you enjoy your stay."

"Thank you ," Max said. "Oh, one other thing. Where's Bubbleman at?"

"Who?"

"Bubbleman. About this tall," Max said, holding his hand at his waist. "Round. And extremely annoying."

"Oh, that one. Yes, well, we got tired of him. Something about conquering us, then whining for help, and eventually he just became too annoying to deal with. So we sent him back." Everyone's mouths dropped, their eyes wide.

"We come all this way to save that little bastard," Omega-xis said, "and you sent him back?"

"Yes. Although I don't really see the problem with that. At least you won't have to deal with him while you stay here."

"Weeellll…" Max said. "I suppose that is a bonus. I guess we'll just have to make the best of this trip."

"That's the spirit. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must meet with my brother to prepare the stages." And with that last statement, Master Hand floated off.

"Damn it," Max said, blocking a plate. "Came all this way to save someone who isn't even here now."

"Oh well," Will said, his voice full of fake disappointment. "Too bad." Will walked off, heading back to his room, whistling to himself.

"Wow. He _really_ doesn't like Bubbleman, does he," DC asked.

"Nope. He _really hates_ him," Max said. "I guess we may as well follow him and head back to our rooms."

***

Later that night, Max was pacing his room. "Damn it, why can't I get to sleep," he asked himself. He continued to pace for a few minutes. He sighed. "Oh well. I guess I may as well check out that Smash Room. I wonder what kind of training programs they have." He opened his door quietly, first making sure that his leg gear was strapped on, closing the door as gently as he could behind him. He made his way through the large mansion, eventually coming to the Smash Room. "Ok, let's see. How do I do this?"

"Need some help," a voice asked behind him, causing him to jump. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare ya."

Max turned around to face the voice and found it was a blue hedgehog that was only a head shorter than he was. "Who are you?"

"What, no yelling or screaming at the fact that I'm a talking hedgehog?"

"No, not really. It's easier than meeting a giant talking hand."

The hedgehog chuckled. "Granted. Name's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog." Sonic extended his hand.

Max took his hand, shaking it. "Maxwell Escal. But I prefer Max."

"Ah, so you're one of the new guys." Sonic stepped back, looking him over. "Well, ya don't look like much. But Master Hand invited you for a reason."

"Well, at least you don't seem to have a problem with me."

"Hmmm? Oh, the other Smashers. Yeah, well, that's just how they are. They didn't even notice me until I helped defeat Tabuu. And then there was Snake, who actually was here about a day longer. The only reason he got respect was because of his past. That and he managed to beat Falco."

"Who, who, and who?"

"Never mind. Anyways, do you need help?"

"Yeah." Max looked around the room. "How do I use training programs?"

"Well, that's easy," Sonic said, walking over to a pad. "Just stand on this." He pointed at the pad. Max followed the instruction and a holographic screen appeared in front of him. "Now, just take a look at what there is to do."

"Wow. This is easier than I thought it would be," Max said, moving his hands over the screen, icons following his hands, other screens appearing when he touched an icon. "Target Break?" He clicked on the icon and a description of the training appeared. "So, all I have to do is break the targets?"

"Yep. But there's also the record to beat," Sonic said. "It isn't just about breaking the targets themselves, but to improve in speed and agility."

"Ok. Let's give this a try." Max touched the START icon. The pad glowed and he was transported to the layout that he had seen on the screen. "WHOA!"

A sign appeared in front of him, red lights blinking. A green light then flashed, signaling the start. "Ok, let's go." Max used his leg gear, disappearing from view, targets breaking as if the very air had destroyed them. Max reappeared, the sign now flashing yellow. Max was transported back to the pad. On the screen were two words, NEW RECORD. "Huh. I beat the record. How about that?" He turned around to Sonic, but Sonic wasn't there. "Weird," Max said, turning back around. A keyboard had appeared on the screen. He typed in his full name and, on a whim, opened the records. He looked at the top to see his record, 9.5 seconds. "What?!" He then looked at the second record. "Sonic?! 10 seconds even?!!" Max took a look at both records to be sure that he had read them right. "There's no way I went that fast. And there's absolutely no way that any other being could. But…according to the program, there is." Max stood there, trying to make sense of this. "Man, I need to try and get to sleep. Maybe this is actually just a dream. Yeah, that's it. The only way I could have gone that fast was by taking off the fifth failsafe." Max walked out of the room, heading back to his bedroom.

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**Ha ha, done with that chapter. Hope you enjoyed. I figured that I may as well do an arc for one of my favorite games of all time. Anyways, Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron, Apapa155's characters belong to Apapa155. Please Review.**


	19. Proving Oneself

**Time for another chapter. Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron, Apapa155's characters belong to Apapa155. Enjoy.

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**Proving Oneself**

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK

"Go away," Will called, turning over in his bed.

"Will, you might want to get up," Kassie said from the other side of the door. "Max is about to fight one of the veterans."

"WHAT?!" Will jumped out of the bed, wearing a pair of shorts and a white T. He jerked the door open. "How's he already in a fight?"

"I don't know. It was someone named Sonic the Hedgehog. Apparently, Max decided to use a training program last night and he beat Sonic's record on the program."

"So, this is to prove who's top dog?" Will went to his closet and his drawers, grabbing a pair of cargo shorts and a green T, closing the door for a second to change.

"No. The other Smashers heard about it. They want to see them fight, to see if Max _is_ good enough."

"Well, of course he's good enough." Will opened the door and followed Kassie to the Smash Room. "Ya know, that really burns me. Just because we don't look like much doesn't mean we aren't good. I mean, we took on people like Kalar for the past three years and all in our teen years. You've been through worse." They arrived at the Smash Room and walked in to see that everyone, veterans, newcomers, and assisters alike, in front of a large monitor. "What have we missed?"

"Nothing. They've just stood there, looking at each other," Z answered. "Something's weird with Max. He hasn't used his armor yet." Will and Kassie looked at the screen to see that Max was still wearing only his silver jacket, jeans and a shirt. "It's almost like they're waiting."

"But for what," Sarah asked.

"To see what the other will do first," Sasuke said. "I took a look at the records for the Target Practice program. No one else has anything faster than two minutes. Those two, however, have ten seconds and less. Sonic has ten seconds even. Max had nine point five seconds."

"No way! You're kidding, right," Rena asked.

"He beat Sonic's record," a man with camouflage style clothes, face paint, and a bandana was standing against the wall, his arms crossed. "For all we know, it could have been faked by Sonic himself as a prank."

"I don't think so, Snake," a black hedgehog said, red highlights along his spines. "Not even Sonic would do something like that. Not when it comes to speed. He prides himself on being the fastest thing alive."

"Whatever Shadow," Snake said. "I still think it was a prank by Sonic."

"Hmph. Let me know when they actually start," Shadow said, closing his eyes.

"Hey, it looks like they're about to do something," Jen said, Shadow opening his eyes. Max's armor was now active. Suddenly, both Max and Sonic disappeared from view.

"What the fuck," Snake said, a book hitting him. "Ok, who threw that?" Rena dusted her hands, remaining silent.

"That's weird," Will said.

"What is," Z asked.

"I'm not sure why, but I think that Max is actually moving faster than he used to."

"What makes you say that," MD asked.

"He left an after image. It only lasted for a second, but there was definitely an after image." On the screen, there were shadows appearing in different places, after images left by the quick clashes between Sonic and Max.

"Well, I'll be," Link said. "Maybe there is more to these new fighters than we thought."

"As I told you before," Master Hand said, coming into the room. "All of these people that I invited have fought enemies of various natures, all of them harder than the last. Some started when they were only ten to twelve. Others have lost everything important to them, but found something new to protect."

On the screen, Sonic and Max had stopped temporarily, both looking as if they hadn't put any effort into the battle. "So," Sonic said. "How do you go that fast?"

Max chuckled, smiling. "Leg gear that I made from scratch. But there's something different about it here. What about you?"

"Born with it." Sonic took a deep breath. "It's been awhile since I had a fight like this."

"It's my first high speed fight. It's kinda fun." A gray ball with an X on it appeared, floating around the stage. Max looked at it. "What is that?"

"A Smashball," Sonic answered. "Break it and you get to use your Final Smash. It's basically the strongest move that you have while in this tournament." Sonic jumped at the ball, breaking it. He was surrounded by an aura of various colors. "I'll show you mine. My way of showing my respect for an equal fighter." Sonic's fur turned a golden color, an aura of gold light erupting from his body. Seven emeralds appeared, a different color for each, floating around him. "My Final Smash is a form that I call Super Sonic." Sonic flew at Max, his speed enhanced, now going fast enough to leave a golden trail behind him. "Only one person has ever dodged me while in this form." Max attempted to jump over Sonic, but Sonic changed direction instantly, flying at Max.

"Ok, this isn't good," Max said, jumping back and forth, doing his best to dodge Sonic. He dodged once more, almost losing his footing and falling off the edge of the platform they were on. He looked down, an idea occurring to him. "Man, I must be insane." He waited for Sonic to fly at him again, waiting until the last minute. Just before Sonic hit him, Max took one last step backward, falling off the edge. He grabbed the edge, hanging on, while Sonic kept flying past. Three seconds later, Sonic's fur turned back to its blue color, the aura and emeralds disappearing.

"Aw, shit," Sonic said, hanging in the air for a second before falling down, an explosion of light erupting straight up. At the top of the monitor, the words WINNER: MAXWELL ESCAL were visible. Max and Sonic reappeared on two pads. Sonic walked over to Max, extending his hand. "That was a good fight kid."

"Thanks," Max said, taking his hand. "We should do that again sometime." He then turned to the others to see that the veterans were looking at him and his team differently. "Uhhhh…" Max began to feel a little uncomfortable with so many eyes on him. "Is there any reason that you're all staring at me?"

"Yeah," Snake said. "Not only did you match Sonic for speed, but you also managed to beat him in a fight."

"All I did was dodge and hope that Final Smashes don't last long."

Snake gave him another look, this one of amusement. "So, you dodged on a hunch. I think you and your team are gonna fit in just fine around here." Snake walked out of the room. Soon, all of the other veterans were gone after giving their congratulations to Max. Except for Samus, who stayed behind.

Max looked at her, wondering what she wanted. She eventually looked up at him, her eyes going from him to his team and back. "I just want to say…sorry for the way I treated you on your arrival," Samus said. She then walked out of the room before anyone else could come up with a reply.

"Well, it would seem that you all have been accepted," Master Hand said. "And it took you less time than it takes most. Good job. I would suggest that you all get in some training. It would also be a good idea to go to the veterans for advice and matches." Master Hand left the room.

"Well, what do we do now," Tommy asked.

"I don't know about you, but I'm going to get something to eat," Max said. "Moving at those kinds of speeds makes a guy hungry."

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**Hope you liked it. Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron, Apapa155's characters belong to Apapa155. Please Review.**


	20. Sand vs Ice

**Another day, another chapter. Enjoy.

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**Sand vs Ice**

"Ok, let's see here," Tommy said, going through the training programs. "I need to find one to help me work on my sword technique. But of course, there's nothing here. I suppose I could ask Zero." He looked over at Zero, who was currently in the middle of an intense training program, his sword a blur. "On second thought, I like living too much to go through his training." He continued to shift through the programs before giving up. "Oh well. Maybe one of the veteran Smashers could help me."

"Don't worry about it Tom," DC said, clipped on Tommy's right front jean pocket. "You still have the pistol and sand to fall back on."

"Yeah, but I'm gonna need more than that if I want to be of any use to the team during a mission."

"Well, if it's bothering you that much, why don't you ask the two kids that have been watching you this entire time?" Tommy turned around to find the people DC was referring to, eventually seeing a boy and a girl, both in thick parkas, looking at him.

"Uhhh…hi?" The boy and the girl continued to look at him. "Ummm…could you two help me with some training?" The boy looked at the girl, who returned the look. They then looked back at Tommy and nodded. "Can I get your names?"

"Nana," the girl said.

"Popo," was the boy's reply.

"Well, Nana, Popo, which stage should we go to?" He stepped back and let the two onto the pad. They shifted through the stages before agreeing on one that resembled an ice cliff, walls and platforms all around the screen. "There?" They nodded. "Well, ok. Let's go then." Tommy stepped onto the pad and they were transported to the stage. "Megamerge." DC glowed before a small dust tornado surrounded Tommy. Once it was gone, Tommy was once again in his armor. "Ok, so what's the first piece of advice?" But instead of answering, Nana and Popo charged him, producing two large mallets, one for each of them. They swung at him, but Tommy jumped up, dodging the mallets. "What the hell?!"

Meanwhile, a small crowd was forming around the screen, consisting of Kassie and MD, Will, two smashers in plumbers uniforms, and Link. "What the hell are those two thinking," MD said. "They aren't gonna get anywhere by dodging those mallets."

"Well ah, right now, that's ah 'bout the only thing they can ah do," the shorter of the two plumbers said, dressed in red. "Name's ah Mario, by the way." He pointed to the taller, skinnier plumber. "This is ah mah brother, Luigi."

"Nice ah to meet you," Luigi said.

"If he wanted to train with his sword, he could have gone to at least five other Smashers for help," Link said.

At the stage, Tommy was still trying to dodge the mallets. "Ok, I've had enough of this." Tommy raised his hand in the air, forming a fist with it. "DESERT WAVE!" Tommy punched the ground and…

"Uh, shouldn't something be happening," Will asked Kassie.

"What the fuck?!" Tommy took a look at where his fist had hit and noticed something about the stage that would have saved him a lot of trouble. It was all covered in ice. "Damn it. No sand, no wave." Nana and Popo charged him once more, getting ready to swing their mallets. But they stopped short, which puzzled Tommy. Suddenly, snowflakes appeared in front of the two and two small icicles appeared. "Ok, this fight just keeps getting weirder and weirder." They hit the icicles, sending them sliding at Tommy, which hit him, knocking him back. "Alright, if that's how you wanna play." He tried to take a step forward, but couldn't. he looked down to see that his feet were frozen to the ground. "Oh, COME ON!!!!" A Smashball appeared, but unfortunately for Tommy, Nana and Popo got to it first. They suddenly gave a high five while jumping in the air. A large shadow fell over Tommy and he looked up to see an iceberg falling. "I hate this." The iceberg landed, Tommy in the center of it, frozen.

MD sighed. "Those idiots," he said. If he still had his body, he would have shook his head at the sight.

"Wait a second," Link said. "Something's making the ice crack." They looked at the screen to see that the iceberg _was_ cracking. When it broke, it was like an explosion. Tommy was standing there, his pistol in his hand.

"Phew," Tommy said, wiping his wrist to his forehead. "That could have been much worse." He looked around at the pieces of the iceberg and then looked at his pistol. "I wonder…" He began to charge up his pistol, Nana and Popo bracing for a hit, closing their eyes. They heard shots being discharged, but didn't feel an impact. They opened their eyes to see Tommy firing his shots at the stage itself, melting the ice. "And now that that's done with." He reholstered his pistol and drew his sword from its sheath on his back. A second Smashball appeared and Tommy made a grab for it, breaking it first, his body surrounded by a multi-colored aura. "Time to see what I can do with this." He made an impossibly high jump, more than fifty feet. "ULTIMATE DESERT STORM!" He fell back to the stage, plunging his sword into the ground as hard as he could. Unlike before, there was sand this time, sand that had been caught in the ice, but now usable after the impromptu thawing. However, his Desert Wave paled in comparison to this new move. Sand flew up, becoming a tsunami, which then crashed on the Ice Climbers, knocking them off the stage. "Alright, I won."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Link said.

Tommy stood there, looking around. "…Ok, why aren't we back in the Smash Room?" Suddenly, Nana and Popo appeared from the edge of the stage. "WHAT?!" He tried to get his sword back out of the ground, but it was stuck fast. "Come on, come on." He put all of his might into the task, but still couldn't get the sword out. "Screw it." Tommy took his pistol out and swung around to aim at the Ice Climbers.

WHAM

They hit him with both mallets at once, knocking Tommy off the stage, Tommy falling down, an explosion of light shooting up in a column where he had fallen. Tommy and the Ice Climbers reappeared in the Smash Room, Tommy now out of his megamerge.

WHACK

"OOWWW," Tommy said, holding his head. MD floated back to Kassie.

"You idiots," he said. "I can't believe you didn't think about the fact that the entire stage was made of ice."

"Did you have to ram my head?" Tommy was still rubbing his head.

"Actually, you did pretty well for your first time," Link said. "But if you're so desperate for training, why not find someone who actually uses a sword?"

"Yeah, well, I couldn't think of anyone."

"Ahem." Link crossed his arms, pointing his finger at the sword on his belt.

"Oh. Right." Tommy gave a small chuckle.

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**Well, that at least took up _some_ time. And for all intents and purposes, during these early battles, anyone can use a Final Smash, but only until the tournament actually starts. And then I'll use them only for the Smashers. And because I think that his talent was wasted as an assist, I have decided to make Shadow a Smasher. But I apparently forgot to do something. *ahem* I do not own, nor claim any ownership to, any characters used in the Super Smash Brothers games. But I can still wish that I did. Please Review.**


	21. Intermission Part I

**Intermission Part I**

**I can't believe this. I actually have a writer's block. So I'm bringing back the intermissions. I'm also giving the readers a chance to give me ideas for who they think should fight in the tournament. The final decision is mine, but your ideas may help me with chapters. I'll give this a little while and come back, hopefully with some chapters.**


	22. Intermission Part II

**Intermission Part II**

………**I don't know why I keep putting these on when no one really comments on them, but they do give me some time to figure out chapter ideas and take much needed breaks. So, anyways, let's continue with the story. I'll do my best to come up with ideas in the future. If I can't, feel free to whip me into shape, whatever the cost…as long as it doesn't involve my death or demise. A bat, fine. A rocket, I'm not so crazy about.**


	23. First Match

**Alright, let's get this started. Apapa155's characters belong to Apapa155. Enjoy.

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**First Match**

"Ahem," Master Hand said, trying to get everyone's attention. People stopped talking, moving their attention to the stage. "As you all know, we've have taken the last week to prepare the tournament itself, while you all trained, be it individually or as a group. As of today, we will be starting the tournament. Our first match will be the first of a new type of battle. The Trio Team-up. This will be a three on three match, the first of its kind in Smash Tournament history. The teams will be Eva, Luna Rena, and Maxwell Escal versus Link, Zelda, and Pit. Smashers, please step forward." The six stepped forward, climbing onto the stage. Zelda was wearing a rather antique looking dress, her hair placed into two loops, the rest falling down her back, her ears pointed like Link's. Pit was in a white toga, two blades, both blue in the middle with a gold outline, one in each hand, a set of wings on his back. He also had a bracelet on his right arm. "Because you three are newcomers," he said, turning to Max, Eva, and Rena, "I will allow you to choose the stage layout." He moved out of the way as a large holoscreen appeared on the stage.

Max stepped forward, his hands already cycling through the stage listings. He stopped at one that looked like Ground City. "Well, we do know the layout of the place," he said to Rena and Eva. "Should we?" They nodded and he clicked CONFIRM. They disappeared from the stage and reappeared on the screen.

"Smashers, are you ready?" They all gave their own confirmations, each different from the other. "BEGIN!"

***

"HAI!" Max's katana collided with Link's sword, both at a standstill. Max pushed off, both of them falling back.

"Hmmmmm," Link said. "You're don't seem as skilled as the other two. But you do hold more than I would have thought."

"Well, I didn't think _you'd_ be this good. You may even be able to give Will and Zero a run for their money," Max said, his grip relaxing only slightly. "Anyways, I'm more of a hand to hand kind of guy."

"Then perhaps Zelda should be the one to fight you." Link let his sword tip fall to the ground, obviously calling for a temporary halt. "Zelda!" Zelda was currently fighting Eva, who had her on the run with her scythe. Zelda looked over at him and asked Eva to stop.

"What do you need," she called to him.

"I want a switch off." Link ran at Eva, Zelda running at Max.

Max just stood there, dumbfounded. "Well….didn't expect that." As Zelda got closer, Max got rid of the katana, choosing to fight on equal ground.

CLANG

"Whoa," Eva said, her scythe just holding Link's blade.

"I apologize for the sudden change in opponent's, but your friend prefers hand to hand combat," Link said.

"No problem. I can handle my own." Eva stepped back, taking her scythe in both hands, her stance low.

"Let us see how skilled you are with that weapon."

WHACK

"Ow," Rena groaned, rubbing her head. "This guy's tougher than he looks." Pit was standing back, his blades in a reverse grip. "Alright, if that's how you wanna play." She charged him, swinging her sword down, but he dodged, slashing at her.

CHNK

Pit looked down at his blade in surprise, Rena's wrist holding it steady. She smirked, noting his surprise. "Guess what? This armor's near unbreakable." She let the blade slide off her wrist and continued her strike. Pit jumped back, his wings flapping to take him even farther away. "Hey no fair!"

"If you think that isn't fair, then you're really going to hate this," Pit said, his left hand going to touch his bracelet and pulling back, a bow of light appearing, an arrow of blue energy pulling back. He let it loose, the arrow flying at Rena, who jumped out of the way, the arrow flying through a window and shattering it.

"Ooohh, that was Beamer's," Rena said, recognizing the building. "It's a good thing we aren't in the real Ground City, otherwise yo-"

"DAMN IT!" A voice came from inside the restaurant. Beamer came out of the restaurant, charging at Pit, who couldn't get out of the way in time. Beamer grabbed his throat and lifted him into the air, slamming him into the nearest wall and then slamming him into the ground, disappearing afterwards.

Everyone else stopped to stare. "Ok," Max said. "I did not see that coming."

"Your doing," Master Hand asked his brother.

"Yep," Crazy Hand answered. "I couldn't resist adding a guy like him to the stage."

A Smash Ball appeared and Eva broke it first. She was covered with the usual aura, but this time had a speech. "You of strong heart, who have fought so gallantly," she began.

"Uh oh," Max and Rena said. They both ran to spots behind her, Max vaulting a small wall of brick, Rena running behind a corner.

"May now rest in flame," she said. "DRAGONIC PORTAL OF DRAKNESS!" She stretched both her hands out, a dark hole appearing in front of her. Three dragons without arms came out of the hole, still connected to it, wrapping themselves around Link, Zelda, and Pit and pulling them into the portal, the three struggling the entire time. They went into the portal and screams were heard, black flames leaping out of the portal for thirty seconds, the portal disappearing after the time limit, Zelda, Link, and Pit laid out on the ground, groaning. Eva began to fall forward, Max coming from behind the wall to catch her.

"Next time," Max said, "please warn us."

"Sorry." She stood back up, looking drained of energy.

"Are you okay," Rena asked.

"I doubt it," Link said, standing up with some difficulty. "First time use of a Final Smash puts an enormous strain on the body, regardless of one's endurance. It takes practice before you become used to it."

"And not every Final Smash involves that kind of energy," Pit said, still sitting on the ground. A second Smash Ball appeared, Pit breaking it with an energy arrow. "Mine, for example." A shadow appeared over the group and Max, Rena, and Eva looked up to see a woman in a toga. "Mine calls for assistance." Small cherubs dressed in togas and helmets came flying from seemingly nowhere, hitting Max and his teammates from every direction. They all fell down, Max only stopping on his knee.

"Damn it," Max said, Rena about to hit him with her sword. "Ok, do we really have to do this now?"

"Fine," Rena said, putting her sword down. "But when this is over, you better run fast." Rena stood back up. "Alright, let's get back to the fight." She charged at Link, who raised his sword to block the attack.

"Now you're just being desperate," Link said, throwing the sword back. He pulled a boomerang from his bag and threw it, but what was surprising about it was the small tornado around it. Rena dodged it, but was hit from behind as the tornado made its return trip. Link took the chance to knock Rena back with his sword as the tornado brought her within arm's reach.

"Ok, maybe it's time to take our fighting to another step," Max said. "Katana Battlechip, Download." He grabbed the hilt of the sword as it appeared. "This time, I won't hold back." He disappeared from view, reappearing behind Link to slash at him from behind, only to have Link block with his shield. Max once more disappeared from view, striking once more at Link, who, once more, just managed to block the shot. "This is where it ends." He reappeared just under Link, knocking him into the air with the flat of the katana, following him to slash him back towards the ground.

"UGH," was the only sound that escaped Link's lips.

"Bro, we got a weird thing happening here," Crazy Hand said, currently floating in front of a computer screen. "We've got a new item. The Secondary Block."

"What?!" Master Hand floated over to his brother, looking at the screen. He read the item's description. "A Secondary Smash?"

"Ok, that's gonna hurt in the morning," Link groaned, sitting up. Zelda ran over to him, kneeling beside him to help him up. "What the hell _was_ that?"

"I have no idea," Max said, looking at his sword.

"I think it's time that we ended this," Pit said, charging at Max.

"Oh, no you don't." Max blocked the attack and planted his foot into Pit's stomach, knocking him back and into a wall. "It isn't gonna be that easy."

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

A klaxon sounded and the six were suddenly back in the large auditorium. "Ok, now I'm really weirded out here," Max said. "What happened?"

"You went over the time," Master Hand said, floating towards them. "This was a timed match, due to the stage that you chose."

"Oh."

Master Hand turned towards the other Smashers and Assisters. "Ahem. It would seem that we have had an interesting development occur during the course of this match. Two items were created. The Secondary Block and the Team Ball." The veterans began whispering to one another, obviously confused. "The last attack that Maxwell used against Link created the Secondary Block, which unlocks a move known as a Secondary Smash. Its power is less than the Final Smash, but still just as dangerous. The Team Ball unlocks the Team Smash, which is only as strong as the number of people working together to perform it. We will look into these items to see how this is possible, but we will not hold the tournament. For now, let us take a break and meet again later for another match." The Smashers all dispersed, Max shaking Link's hand.

"Well, that was certainly fun," Max said. "Just wish I knew who actually won that."

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**Two new items?! What the hell, man? But you've gotta admit, the game definitely would have been more fun if a team could do a Final Smash together. Now we get to see what that looks like. Apapa155's characters belong to Apapa155. Please Review.**


	24. Clash of Swords Part I

**Hello and Happy Thanksgiving. Or Turkey Day, whichever you prefer. Anyways, I've got another match for today. Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron. Enjoy.

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**Clash of Swords Part I**

"INCOMING!" Crazy Hand came flying over the heads of the Smashers and Assisters, who all ducked. Crazy Hand himself crashed into the wall just behind the podium, falling to the ground, but getting right back up. "Alrighty then, bro's still working on those items, so yours truly will be in charge of the match today." Everyone groaned, all of them praying that they wouldn't be in the match up. Crazy Hand, oblivious to the noise, continued. "Let me see now, who did we have for today?...Ah, here it is. Zero and Link. Following them will be Will and Marth."

_I finally get to see what this guy can do,_ Link and Zero thought, their eyes locking for a second. They stepped forward to the pad and were teleported to a stage that was surrounded by clouds and stone columns.

"Smashers, are you ready," Crazy Hand asked. Zero and Link drew their swords, their minds already focused on the fight. "Well, I guess that's a yes. Begin!"

***

CLANG

SHINK

Zero relaxed his grip on his saber just slightly, his eyes serious. Link, on the other hand, tightened his grip. "Why are you going easy on me," Link asked.

Zero smirked. "Because you're going easy on me. Stop prancing around like an idiot and give me your best. _Then_ I'll show you what I can do." Zero readjusted his grip, taking his right hand off of the saber and took his left arm, placing the blade just behind him. "Raikousen!" He dashed forward, disappearing for a second, reappearing behind Link.

"What goo-" A bolt of lightning appeared, going through Link. Link gasped, going down on his right knee. Link stayed on his knee, panting heavily.

"Don't underestimate someone like me," Zero said, his saber held level with his face. "Unless you want to die early."

Link, still panting, got back to his feet. "The same goes for me. There's no way I'm going down in one hit." Link's eyes became like steel, an aura appearing around him.

"Finally," Zero said. He had an aura coming off of his own body now.

"What's going on," Kassie asked, looking at them.

"Their spirits are manifesting into a visible entity," Sasuke said. "This will probably one of the few battles in which we will see two swordsmens' fighting auras."

"English please," Jen said.

"Their auras. They're releasing them. Normally, a person would hold back their true fighting spirit, albeit subconsciously. But there are people who, through training, have managed to release their auras. Those people have proven to hold great skill in their area of combat," Sasuke explained. "It is rare to see a battle such as this. And between two opponents who are very equal in skill. I have a feeling that this battle will be decided by the fighter's moves rather than who is faster or stronger. Surprise itself will be the determining factor." Sasuke turned his attention back to the screen, his pen and notebook ready.

Link and Zero exchanged blows, their attacks being countered, repelled, and even redirected, moves flowing like liquid, one starting before another even stopped. The spectators could only look on in wonder, knowing that they may never get to see a battle like this one ever again. The second one of them stopped their offensive, the other went on the attack. This was a battle between two highly skilled swordsmen and it could last for an eternity. Suddenly, a gray box appeared, floating between the two, a diagonal slash from top left to bottom right on the front. Zero broke it first, a gold aura replacing his fighting aura. He smiled. "YAAH!" He ran at Link, using his saber to spiral upwards, catching Link and throwing him upwards. Zero then rolled in midair, his saber spinning with his body, hitting Link five times. Before either of them began to fall, Zero slammed his saber into Link's body, sending him into the ground, Zero landing on his feet. "Had enough?"

"Not nearly," Link answered, getting back up.

"Hmmmmm." Sasuke scribbled in his notebook. "It would seem that they have transcended beyond their bodies. This battle will be unlike any other that I have witnessed."

"What does that mean," Naruto asked, confused.

"It means," Kyuubi said, "that they can't feel pain at this point. Both of them could fall at anytime, but we're not gonna know who until it happens. But one thing's for sure. They're gonna wake up with one massive headache."

Link's fighting aura was replaced with a Final Smash aura after breaking a Smash Ball. He slashed Zero and a glowing symbol that looked like a pyramid made of three more appeared around Zero, who began to take multiple hits. "GAH" Zero managed to stay on his feet, his sword plunged into the ground, him leaning on it for a few seconds, Link mirroring his stance. He pulled his sword back out of the ground at the same time Link did and they went at it again. Both began to take even more hits than before, but both refused to go down.

The Smashers and Assisters continued to look on, worry written on both Layer's and Zelda's face. "I'm not sure how much longer they can keep this up," a boy with a blue bandana on said. He was also dressed in clothing that looked like it came from the medieval times and a cape. "I have never seen a sword fight like this." The boy, Ike, continued to look on, watching both of them intently. "If Will is anything like Zero, you're in trouble Marth." He turned to a boy in clothing like his, but was slightly purple in color and wearing a blue cape.

"Please, just shut up," Marth said. "You're not helping at all."

Another Smash Ball appeared and this time Zero got to it first. His fighting aura was replaced by the multi colored aura. "This has to be the final blow." He raised his saber, which had taken on a bright glow. He slammed his saber into the ground, a shockwave rolling up and out, going to both sides of the stage. Everyone had to shield their eyes because the move had been pumped to the max by Zero's fighting aura. When they could open their eyes again, they saw that the stage had taken a beating from the move, columns broken into pieces, craters everywhere. But Zero and Link were still standing there, armor and clothes rent and torn, gaps and holes everywhere. Now that there was a pause in the battle, the true extent of what they had put up with was visible. They were covered in cuts, both big and small, bruised all over their bodies. Zero smirked, looking at Link. "So, you still won't go down, huh?"

Link returned the smirk and the look. "Nope. I'm never going down," Link answered. "I refuse to go down."

"Then we'll be here awhile." Zero pulled his sword out of the ground where he had slammed it. "Shall we continue?"

"Let's." Link and Zero ran at one another, their dance once more starting. Their moves were beginning to slow and blows were becoming less frequent. They were panting heavily, sweat dripping from their bodies. They stopped for a few seconds and were about to go at it once more when a klaxon sounded. They were transported back to the auditorium, still in mid charge. They stopped when they saw where they were and their auras subsided. "Who won," they both asked at the same time.

"Well, considering the amount of damage that you did individually," Crazy Hand said, "the winner is…ZERO!"

Zero smiled, Link looking at him and extending his hand. "Well, the better swordsman won."

"Don't be so modest," Zero said, shaking Link's hand. "You were pretty good yourself. But next time," Zero looked at the screen, the stage still on there, "let's not destroy the stage."

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**Next up, Will and Marth. Two more swordsmen. But I don't think it's gonna end up like this one. I'm getting tired of paying for the stages. Gammatron's characters belong to Gammatron. Please Review.**


	25. Clash of Swords Part II

**I'm back and with more swordfighting. Hope you all enjoy it.

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**Clash of Swords Part II**

"Alright, Will and Marth, come on up," Crazy Hand said. The two made their way to the pad, standing on them. "Ok, let's get this party started." They disappeared, reappearing in a large room made of stone, a path at the top broken up, statues around the room holding up various platforms. "Smashers, are you ready?" They both gave nods, Marth drawing his sword, Will's armor forming his G Blade and K Shield. "Begin."

***

CHING…CHING…CHNK

Will and Marth were going back and forth, trading blows. Everyone watched, wanting to see what Will had to bring to the tournament. "Hey, where are Zero and Link," Z asked, looking around. "They aren't still standing around, are they?"

"Don't worry," Max said. "Zero's with Layer and Link's with Zelda. I think those two are just fine for now." He redirected his attention back to the fight, watching Will break a Secondary Block. He was surrounded by the golden aura and he drew his arm back, the shield spinning, the edges glowing. "Shield Hurricane!" He threw his arm forward, the shield flying off and at Marth, splitting into four sections, inner sections sliding out to complete the sections, making four shields which began to spin around Marth, slashing at Marth. "Wow. Didn't think that I'd ever see that move again." The shields began to lose speed after thirty seconds, dropping to the ground.

"Well, this gives me a rather strange weapon," Marth said, picking up one of the shields and throwing it at Will, who blocked them, knocking them off of the screen one by one. "Ok, maybe not." He ran at Will, once more starting a trade of blows.

"I'll be honest," Will said as their swords met repeatedly. "I never thought that someone would use my own shields against me. It certainly caught me off guard." A Smash Ball appeared and Marth broke it, the multicolored aura surrounding him.

"Thanks. I thought it would be interesting." Marth dashed forward, swinging his blade, a shockwave forming, hitting Will and knocking him back. He would have gone off screen if he hadn't used his sword to hold onto the platform on top of a statue. "Mmmmm." Marth frowned. "You managed to stay on the stage. Too bad. I would have won easily if you hadn't managed to plunge your sword in the platform."

"Yeah, well, I think you'll find I'm near impossible to get rid of." Will pulled his sword out of the platform, gripping it with both hands on the hilt. He let the tip drop to the ground, his arms relaxed.

"Do you wish to concede," Marth asked, letting his sword tip fall to the ground as well.

"Nope." He readjusted his stance, putting his right hand forward, his thumb, index, and forefinger straight out, his ring and pinky finger curled in. He moved the sword, now in his left hand, towards his chest, the blade close to his body, the tip pointing straight at Marth.

"What's he doing," Protoman asked.

"I don't know. Don't forget, I've been missing for more than a year, so I've never seen that stance before," Max said. "Z, have you ever seen it?"

"No," Z said, shaking her head.

"What about you, Kass?"

"Never," Kassie answered. "It's definitely new to me."

Will suddenly charged forward, the sword extending forward, Marth just dodging the strike. Will's sword hit a large statue, bringing it down, the statue in pieces before it even hit the ground. "Whoa," Max breathed, the only word that would come to mind. "When did he learn that?"

"Damn it," Will said, turning his head to look at Marth. "Missed my mark."

"And boy am I glad that you missed," Marth said. "That was much too close for comfort."

A Smash Ball appeared and both went for it. Will kicked Marth out of the way, reaching the Smash Ball first. He was surrounded by the aura, which soon began to dissipate as his armor began to morph. "What's happening here?" Spikes began to appear from the armor, all of them running backwards, covering his entire body. A helmet now covered his head, three spikes running back, one on the left side, one on the right, and the final on the top. A second blade formed in his free hand, this one with serrated edges on its back side, his g Blade itself changing, the blade taking on the shape of a flame. "Combat Systems, online."

"Well, it looks like Will just got an upgrade," X said, looking on in amusement. "Man, I have got to get armor like that."

On screen, Marth was having a difficult time trying to block Will, who was attacking relentlessly with both blades, never giving Marth a second's rest. "Come on, give me a break," Marth said.

"Nah, don't think so," Will said, continuing his attack. "Almost out of time. Let's try this." He took the stance that he had taken earlier, this time extending the serrated blade forward, the flame shaped blade held close to his chest, both blades pointed at Marth.

"Oh, shit." Will charged at him, extending the flame shaped blade, Marth just managing to dodge it, but then whipped around with the serrated blade, catching Marth in the back, knocking him off the screen, a column of light shooting horizontally where he exited. They reappeared on the pads, Marth looking somewhat downtrodden, Will still in his new Combat System Armor. "Damn it."

"Hey, what's wrong with you," Will asked.

"Dude, I lost. To a ridiculously simple move to dodge."

"No. It wasn't easy to dodge. Trust me, I've been hit with that. It is _not_ easy to dodge," Will said, extending his hand. "You did pretty good. I hope that next time we fight, it'll be just for fun." Marth took the offered hand.

"Alright. You're on."

Kassie came up, walking around Will, making him self-conscious. "Is it too much," he asked, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"Nope," Kassie answered, wrapping her arms around him, the spikes moving to avoid hurting her. "I like it."

Ike walked up to Marth, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Look on the bright side. At least you didn't end up like Zero and Link," Ike said, looking over to see how the two were doing. Both were currently lying down, Zero's head on Layer's lap, Link's on Zelda's. "On second thought, maybe it would have been better for you to end up in their condition."

"You know, sometimes I really, really hate you," Marth said.

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**Ok, that's over with. And Will gets new armor. Sorta. Anyways, I'm going to hold a little contest. Tell me where I got that stance that Will used that broke the statue and you get to write up a fight for this arc. But you've gotta get me the answer before the end of this arc, which I'm hoping to finish up at least a week before Christmas. That gives you less than a month. Please Review.**


	26. Laser Show

**Now, hang on a sec. If I told you where I got the stance from, it wouldn't be much of a contest, now would it? You'll just have to find it for yourself. Of course, if you were to look at my profile and see what one of my favorite manga series of all time is, as well as do a quick internet search, you'd find it in no time. Now then, on with the chapter. Enjoy.

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**Laser Show**

"Attention, attention, please," Master Hand said from the podium. "We have done some more research on the new items and have found more system anomalies. There are now new training programs, as well as new battle stages. As of yet, we are not certain as to how they were put into the system, but we have not seen anything harmful, so we will continue with the tournament. Now then, today will be the normal team battle, two on two. Today will be X and Samus versus Fox and Falco. The stage will be one that is familiar to our veterans, the Corneria.**(Side Note: Yeah, it's one of my favorite stages, but I can never remember the name. Don't know why.)** Smashers, please come forward." The four stepped up. Fox was a…well, a fox, wearing a white outfit, an earphone in his ear that had an eye piece attached to it, his cuffs rolled back, a pistol on his hip. Falco was a blue falcon, his outfit similar to Fox's, except that his cuffs were covering his wingtips. Samus was no longer in a blue jumpsuit, but now wore armor, a red helmet on her head, a green cannon on her arm. They stepped onto the pad, reappearing on a ship flying through a city, smaller ships battling each other, firing lasers at one another. "Smashers, are you ready?" They all gave an affirmative, eager to fight. "Begin!"

***

X started firing his buster, aiming for Fox, while Samus charged at Falco. When she got close to him, she curled up into a ball, jumping over him and releasing a small sphere as she reached the top of her arc, which was right over Falco. Falco held out his hand, catching the sphere, having never fought Samus, nor seen any of her fights.

BOOM

Falco gave a cough, his face covered in soot, smoke coming from his mouth. "Well," he said, wiping his face off, "at least now I know what those things do." He pulled out his pistol and aimed it at Samus, who was still in ball form. He charged it up and then fired, a fair sized laser bolt coming from the tip of the weapon, hitting her and knocking her out of ball form.

"So, you wanna play rough, eh," she said, aiming the cannon at Falco. She began to charge it up, but took slightly longer than Falco. When she fired, her laser was much larger than Falco's. Falco managed to just dodge it, but lost a tail feather in the process. He then proceeded to dodge a barrage of missiles, which proved to be quite difficult.

Meanwhile, Fox and X were now in close combat, their hands locked, pushing back and forth. This would have continued if not for a Smash Ball appearing just above them, at which time they broke off, both going for the ball, X breaking it with a shot from his buster. He was covered in the aura, which disappeared after his armor changed to a purple color, a small glow coming from it, a collar of armor now covering his neck as well.**(Side Note: Bonus points to anyone who can tell me which armor it is.)** X charged up his buster and let the shot fly. The laser ball was as big as he was and three times as long. It hit Fox dead on and left small electrical discharges, which caused even more damage. The shot itself had enough power to make its way to Falco, hitting him as well, leaving small electrical discharges as it had with Fox. "Damn, I love this armor," he said, the armor disappearing after thirty seconds, during which he pummeled Fox into the ship, leaving a small crater.

"Mmmm, not bad," Samus commented, looking at his work. She continued to fire missiles at Falco, who was, quite frankly, getting pissed. He started running at Samus, still dodging the missiles. He formed a shield of energy in front of him, which he then threw at Samus, the shield rebounding off her, knocking her back, and returning to Falco. Once he was close enough, he began to rain blows on her, spinning, punching, and kicking, driving her towards the edge. A second Smash Ball appeared, Fox jumping up to break it before X could get a chance. Once he was covered in the aura, he jumped off the screen and in his place was a very large, very armored, and very armed tank. Fox himself was sitting in the cockpit. He began to move around the stage, activating small boosters in the bottom of the tank to make it jump, doing his best to smash X and Samus, Falco moving out of the way to enjoy the show while it lasted. The tank went away after thirty seconds, during which Fox fired and jumped at X and Samus, the two managing to dodge the jumps, but weren't so lucky when the shots were fired.

"Nice job," Falco said.

"Eh, I thought I could have done better," Fox replied, looking around the stage, which was somewhat damaged by the tank's rampage, the smaller ships in flame and pieces, the ship itself chipped and missing part of its tail.

X and Samus picked themselves up from the ship, Samus popping her back. "Ok, next time, don't let him get the tank," Samus said, groaning.

"I'll try to keep that in mind," X said, running a systems check, making sure that there wasn't anything too fatal to worry about for the time being. "Let's just try to get the advantage for now." X jumped back onto the top of the ship. "Green Spinner." He fired a large green missile at Fox and Falco, missing them by a foot. Unfortunately for them, the explosion had a blast radius three times that size. They both charged up their pistols, firing at the same time. "Crystal Wall!" X moved his hand up, a wall of crystal growing from the ground, stopping the shots dead in there tracks. "Flame Creeper!" X fired his buster into the ground, a flame leaping up and heading towards Fox and Falco, who dodged, just avoiding getting a singe on their bums. "Shining Ray!" X clapped his hands over his head, small ball of light shooting up and spreading apart into six individual beams of light, four of which made their way towards his opponents.

"Damn it, how many moves does this guy have," Fox said, dodging the light beams.

"Oh, you have no idea," X said, smirking. He was about to use another one of his moves when a small glass jar appeared, a gold bottom on it. "What's this?" He touched it, the jar breaking and Sonia, now as Harpnote, appearing from the jar. "Oh, Sonia."

"Hi X," she said, smiling. "Need help?"

"Well, I guess if you can give it," he said, gesturing towards Fox and Falco.

"Alright, let me see what I can do." She strummed her guitar, two amplifiers appearing, one on each side. She strummed once more, three large music notes flying from each amp into Fox and Falco, paralyzing them temporarily. "That oughta help things along a bit. Bye." Sonia disappeared, leaving X somewhat confused.

"Ok, what just happened?"

"That was an assist trophy," Samus said. "Break it for an ally to bring help." A white Smash Ball appeared, Samus staring at in confusion.

"Uh, what's wrong with that Smash Ball," Falco asked, his paralysis now gone.

"It must be a system glitch," Fox said. "But I don't want to find out what happens when we break it."

"Then I will," X said, hitting it with another shot from his buster. However, unlike the previous Final Smashes, both X and Samus were covered with the aura. "Oh, I think I see where this is going." The auras disappeared, X disappearing and reappearing on the other side of the stage, behind Fox and Falco, while Samus remained in front of them. They both raised their weapons, charging up. When they released their lasers, they were sustained beams, holding out for ten seconds, hitting Fox and Falco from both sides. When the lasers finally dissipated, Fox and Falco were launched upwards, flying off the screen and then reappearing in the back of the stage, growing smaller until they disappeared. X and Samus disappeared and were brought back to the auditorium, Fox and Falco already there.

"The winners are X and Samus," Master Hand said, applause ringing through the auditorium for both teams. "We'll have another round in about three hours. Please make sure that you are in here in time."

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**Now you all know what the Team Ball looks like. And I've changed my mind on the second side note. I'll make it another contest. That means you have not one, but **_**two**_** chances to make up a fight for this arc. The armor has two different names and I will accept either. Please Review.**


	27. Chapter 27

**GammaTron: Hello everyone. *bows* It appears that I have won the contest. I'll try my best. Please enjoy.**

'Another day, another dollar' is the motto of many, but at Smash Manor, the motto is 'Another day, another Brawl.' Take today for instance.

-Greeting everyone- Master Hand said as he appeared –For the next battle, we will have Netto and Rockman against King DDD-

A fat, blue penguin in red and gold robes laughed.

"I can't waits ta beat youse both!" DDD laughed.

"Likewise," Netto bowed.

Rockman nodded.

"So where is today's battlefield?" Rockman asked.

-A place I told Crazy NOT TO GO TO!- Master Hand barked.

-What?- Crazy Hand asked as he made circles on the floor with his pointer finger –I got curious about what that big thingy was-

'_Why do I get the feeling this won't end well?'_ Netto, Rockman, and DDD asked.

The stage was large and a bit creepy. In the background was a giant being made of trash in a wasteland of different climates with a red full moon illuminating it. DDD came onto a platform made of stone and trash as he rode in a throne carried by ten peach spheres with stubby arms and legs with little eyes and no mouth. DDD jumped off and the place rumbled. Rockman appeared from a beam from the sky as Netto appeared in a plume of smoke.

"Ooh…Now I see why Master Hand was mad at Crazy Hand," Rockman blinked, "Ready, Netto-kun?"

"Ready," Netto nodded.

"FULL SYNCHRO!" both shouted.

There was a flash of light and Rockman was the only one there when the light faded. He sported cobalt and sky-blue ANBU armor. His eyes were orange with a slit in each one.

"What did they just do? Where's Netto?" Geo asked.

"They preformed a powerful technique known as 'Full Synchro,'" Sasuke explained, "This power is obtained once the Network Navigator and the Network Operator are synchronized through the Network Navigator's form and the Network Operator's cerebral cortex."

"WILL YOU SAY IT IN ENGLISH, PLEASE?!" Naruto screamed.

"He means that Full Synchro happens once NetNavi and NetOp are 'fused' in a way. Kinda like a reversed CrossFusion," Kyuubi translated, "The mind of the NetOp is fused with the mind of the NetNavi, but there are repercussions. When the NetNavi is hurt, the NetOp is inflicted with the same injuries."

Crazy Hand appeared.

-Ready, you guys? Hey, where'd big Lan go?-

"Right here," Rockman said in Netto's voice.

-Really? AWESOME!- Crazy Hand exclaimed –Okay, ready?-

"Ready," Rockman replied.

"Y'all bet yer sweet dinners I'm ready!" DDD nodded.

-OKAY! START!- Crazy Hand shouted before vanishing.

DDD took out a giant mallet with stars on the faces. He charged at Rockman with surprising speed and swung it. Rockman jumped over it and made a few hand signs. He in took a deep breath and exhaled a tiger of green flames. DDD opened his mouth and swallowed the attack. He then shot it back out and sent Rockman near the creature. The creature began to laugh and sing.

"_Well, well, well! What a pest you are! Still around, huh? Ooh…Can't say I like that! So why don't you give up? You know, SURRENDER!"_

The monster began to throw giant balls of garbage at them. Rockman made a few hand signs. Tendrils of the Earth shot up and blocked the garbage.

-Did you really have to record the song?- MH asked –Hm? Crazy Hand?-

Crazy Hand appeared in the moon.

_-It's over! It's over! Your scheme was bound to fail! It's over! You're finished here! Your next stop will be jail!-_"IDIOT!" the veteran Smashers and Master Hand barked."This is getting annoying," Rockman sighed as the monster and Crazy Hand continued to sing while the monster threw garbage and steel pillars. The monster stopped after a few moments, but the two kept on singing. The back of DDD's mallet opened up to reveal a rocket engine. The engine glowed before turning red. He swung it and sent Rockman flying. Rockman threw a kunai at the ground and the rope it was tied to quickly helped Rockman recover. A Smash Ball appeared and DDD ate it.

"FINAL SMASH! Y'ALL BETTER GET 'ERE RIGHT NOW! WADDLE DEE ARMY!" DDD roared as an army of the creatures that carried him onto the stage appeared.

They charged and began to pummel Rockman until they vanished, leaving a pill of pebbles that were once a single boulder.

"Too slow," Rockman said as he appeared behind DDD.

He kicked DDD five yards away. His left hand was engulfed in silver Chakra before it reformed into his Rock-Buster.

"CHAKRA EXPLOSION!" Rockman shouted as he fired a beam.

DDD inhaled a ton of oxygen before he began to float out of the way of the attack. He screamed as his stomach was burned.

"Why you no good varmit!" DDD snarled as he tried to strike Rockman with his mallet.

A Smash Ball appeared and Rockman shattered it.

"FINAL SMASH! PERFECT SYNCHRO!"

The was an explosion of light. It faded to reveal Rockman in his normal armor, but appeared older and wore armor in the colors of various shades of green. The bars on his helmet sparked with electricity as his hawk-like green eyes glared at DDD and shaded by the helmet.

"Who are you?" DDD asked.

"I am…ROCKMAN: HUB STYLE!" Rockman roared as he unleashed a giant sphere of energy around the entire stage, "Power…pouring out…ULTIMATE POWER!!!"

Within seconds, the entire stage except for the spot Rockman and Netto were on. Netto was puking over the side as Rockman looked as if he were about to pass out. DDD landed as soon as the monster threw a large cube of rubbish that acted like a platform.

"Y'all is strong, I'll gives y'all that," DDD panted.

Rockman and Netto nodded. Netto bit his thumbs until they bled. He put them on the ground.

"I hope you're ready, DDD," Netto said, "Cause this time we're going to show you something powerful. SUMMON!"

There was a pillar of smoke and a grey wolf with falcon wings appeared.

"Hello, Netto-kun, Saito-kun," the wolf said.

"Silverbolt-sensei!" Rockman gasped.

"Who and who?" Lan asked as he tilted his head.

Sasuke sighed.

"You see, our NetNavis are more than just NetNavis," Naruto explained, "They each contain DNAData."

"DNAData? You mean like Megaman?" Lan asked, "Wait! That means that Rockman is…"

"That's correct," Kyuubi confirmed.

"So who is that?" Omega-Xis asked, "I feel as if I've felt his power before…even now…"

"That's because he is from Mu," Shinobi replied, "He has the power of Shinobi."

"He's from Mu?" Solo asked.

"Ready, Netto-kun, Saito-kun?" Silverbolt asked.

Both nodded and entered Full Synchro.

"COMBINED TRANSFORMATION JUTSU!" both shouted.

A plume of smoke erupted off them. The smoke cleared to reveal Megaman now wearing green ANBU armor with eagle wings, wolf ears, a wolf tail, and his eyes were now emerald with the slits still in them. In his left hand was a wolf-theme forest-green katana.

"ROCKMAN: KONOHA SHINOBI!" Rockman shouted.

DDD turned completely red as he roared.

"It seems they're going all out now," Sasuke said, taking notes.

"POYO!" Kirby exclaimed as he waved a banner with Rockman and Netto's face on it.

"He doesn't like DDD, does he?" Maylu asked.

"No, he does not," Metaknight replied, "He was whacked by his mallet on the first day he was in Dreamland and then his ship was shot out of the sky by his tank just a day after."

DDD made an impressive jump and slugged Rockman five yards and almost off screen. Rockman flew back at DDD.

"LEAF STORM SLASH!" Rockman shouted as he swung his katana and released a vortex of leafs as sharp as a finely-crafted katana.

DDD countered this with his rocket mallet. And explosion rumbled the area as the monster began to throw even more garbage and steel pillars. Rockman swiftly avoided the trash and DDD just punched them away. He jumped in front of Rockman and ate him. He then spat him out and almost off-screen. Rockman managed to stop by spreading his wings.

"I guess it's time for you to find out what my fused bloodline Doujutsu can do," Rockman said.

"Uh oh…This won't end well," Naruto said.

"Why?" Yai asked.

"Kaa-san is an Uchiha while Tou-san is a Namikaze," Naruto explained, "Tou-san had a bloodline that allows one to see at high speeds and even control the wind with their eyes while Kaa-san has the Sharingan like Sasuke. But Lan's eyes are different. They have both abilities of both bloodlines, but…it's much different."

Everyone noted the four from the reality Netto and Rockman were from shook.

"First Realm: Hell," Rockman said as the slit shifted into the kanji for one.

The trash around him came to life and turned into trash serpents. They shot at DDD only to be crushed by his mallet.

"Third Realm: Beast," Rockman continued.

Wolf and eagle summons appeared. They all attacked in perfect unison before vanishing when DDD managed to use his Final Smash once more.

"Fourth Realm: Asura."

He flew at DDD and easily kicked him through five hills of trash. DDD roared as he got up and dashed at Rockman.

"Sixth Realm: Heaven. Punch yourself in the face seven times after you trip yourself," Rockman ordered.

DDD tripped and punched himself in the face several times.

"How is he doing that?" Lyra asked.

"It's his eyes," Naruto explained, "We call them the Eyes of the Six Paths, or Los Ojos De Los Seis Caminos."

"He has two minutes left" Shinobi said.

"Two minutes?" Luigi repeated.

"He can only keep it up for six minutes," Naruto explained, "Once that happens, he loses consciousness."

"I guess it's time for the Fifth Realm: Human," Rockman said as he held his katana to his eyes, "You know…out of my eyes' powers, this is the one I despise the most."

He sliced himself in the eyes. DDD felt his jaw drop at that.

"WHY'D Y'ALL JEST DO DAT?!" DDD demanded.

A giant black aura erupted off his body as he looked at DDD, his eyes perfectly fine with the kanji for five in each of them.

"Shall we?" Rockman asked.

He vanished from sight.

"One's aura measures their strength and power," Rockman's voice said, "The bigger the aura, the stronger one is. But if it's visible…"

DDD was assaulted with multiple strikes at high speeds before being sent flying into the moon.

"…It means they are stronger than anyone one has ever faced," Rockman finished.

The two appeared in the Waiting Room and Rockman separated from Netto and Silverbolt. Netto and Rockman passed out and Silverbolt caught them.

"It was an honor to fight you," Silverbolt spoke as he walked out with the two on his back.

DDD just nodded before following out.

"Lan, just so you know;" Naruto said, "That day you and our bro fought when we got back together in the Prime Zone was the last day Chaos Lan and Professional Lan were 'alive.'"

"Huh?"

"Kaa-san told us that when he gained his Kekkei Genkai, his two personalities were slowly vanishing," Sasuke explained, "She explained to us that in one year's time, they would be gone for good. At least you gave them a great fight."

Lan and Megaman nodded as they looked at Netto and Rockman being taken to the medical ward by Silverbolt and Mario in a doctor's outfit.

-We will be taking a quick break so I can scold my brother- Master Hand said as he pulled Crazy Hand out by the pinky.

-OUCHIES!- Crazy Hand exclaimed –THIS IS WORSE THAN THE TIME I HAD TO GET THAT ROSIE THE RASCAL TROPHY!-

(Cutscene)

_Crazy Hand slowly aimed a glowing finger at… well… a crazy Amy Rose in her old outfit…_

_-Easy… easy…- Crazy Hand whispered –Don't let her get scared…-_

'_WHO'S THERE?!' 'Amy snarled, pulling out a green mallet with spikes on the ends, as she turned to face Crazy Hand._

_-FIRE!- Crazy Hand screamed in fear as 'Amy' threw the mallet._

_A blue laser came out of his finger and hit the pink hedgehog, making a life-sized trophy of her appear beside her, the hammer she was throwing attached to it with her in the same pose she was in as she threw it. He grabbed it and screamed as he ran away._

_-HOWARD STERN'S PENIS!- Crazy Hand screamed as he vanished, leaving the crazy pink and rabid hedgehog confused until a green blur shot by._

'_SCOURGE-KUN!' the girl roared before chasing the blur._

(End Cutscene)

The Newcomers were speechless at that.

"…What just happened?" J asked.

"Crazy Hand has this weird ability to create cutscenes," Luigi explained, "You get used to them."

The Newcomers nodded as they stared at the whining Crazy Hand.

**Me: I hope you all enjoyed it.**


	28. Biometal Smackdown

**Ok, I'm scrappin that last chapter. I admit that it wasn't the best chapter I've ever written. So, like I said, I'm gonna scrap it. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

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**

**Biometal Smackdown**

"As you all know, we have instituted a new battle type, the Trio Battle. Today's first match will be such. The first team will be Ashe, Grey, and Kassie. They will be facing Bowser, Pitt, and Ganondorf," Master Hand said. The six stepped forward. Bowser was a rather large turtle with a spiked shell and Ganondorf was large as well, his skin pale, and dark clothes. "Today's arena is fairly new. Be wary of the inhabitants of the environment."

"Umm…that doesn't sound good," Grey said. "You guys have any idea what he's talking about?"

"Nope," Pitt answered. Bowser and Ganondorf both shook their heads.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Ashe said as they stepped onto the pads and soon reappeared in a forest, except that there were rather strange trees around them.

"Smashers, are you ready," Master Hand asked. They all gave some form of confirmation, to which Master Hand started the battle.

***

"AAAAHHHHHH!" All six smashers were running from a Tyrannosuarus Rex, who they had accidentally woken. "RUN FASTER!" Grey yelled, somehow, impossibly, managing to find an extra boost of speed.

"BOWSER, WHY DON'T YOU TALK TO HIM?!" Ganondorf yelled.

"ARE YOU INSANE?!" Bowser replied.

A Smash Ball appeared, which Kassie broke. "Alright, I've had enough of this," Kassie said. "Try this, you prehistoric bully." The aura disappeared as her right fist ignited. Unlike the other times she used her flame manipulators, this time the flame seemed to glow brighter than normal, the flame turning to white hot. "LAVA GEYSER!" She punched the ground and a geyser of…well, of lava, sprang up with the force of a small volcano. The dinosaur stopped and ran away as more geysers soon followed. However, the other five smashers had to dodge as well and Grey ended up landing on some.

"HOT, HOT, HOT, HOT!" Grey ran around, trying to extinguish the flame on his bum and managed to jump into a small pond that was nearby. Everyone heard a sizzling sound, followed by a sigh of relief by Grey. "Oh, that's much better." He came back out from behind the tree.

"Sorry about that Grey." Kassie was rubbing the back of her head. "Can't exactly aim that."

"It's ok," Grey replied. "Now then, how about we actually start this fight."

"Let's," Ganondorf said, running at Grey as he drew his fist back, a dark purple energy building around it. He swung the fist at Grey, who tried to dodge, but was still grazed by the fist and knocked back.

"Damn. If just a nick does that," Grey said, a dent in his armor where the blow had grazed, "I _really_ don't want to see what a full on hit can." He jumped back from Ganondorf, aiming one of his guns, a laser appearing from it. He let go of the trigger and eight purple beams shot out and went behind Ganondorf.

"Ha. Missed."

"That's what you think." Ganondorf suddenly fell forward, the beams having turned around and hit him in the back, their movements very similar to a boomerang.

Meanwhile, Ashe was trying to dodge Bowser's fists, firing at every opportunity, but Bowser's shell stopped all of them. When she tried to go in for close combat, Bowser would turn his back to her, forcing her to stop short of impaling herself on the spikes on his shell. "No fair," she complained, once more sidestepping to avoid the spikes.

"Get over it," Bowser replied. "Ya gotta use what you're givin'." He made a grab for her, but she dodged it again. An Assist Trophy appeared and Kassie was the one who managed to break it. This time, it was Desert Coyote who appeared.

"Tommy," Kassie said. "Hi."

"Hi," Tommy said. "What can I do?"

"We need a little help," Ashe said back, once more sidestepping Bowser. "Maybe with this guy."

"Hmmmm…well, I have an idea, but…I can't do it. DC, you take over for this," Tommy said.

_Are you sure,_ DC asked.

"Yep."

"Alright then," DC's voice now came from Tommy's mouth. He walked over to Kassie and whispered something in her ear, pointing at Bowser, who was looking at Desert Coyote suspiciously.

"He WHAT?!" Kassie turned to glare at Bowser, death in her eyes aimed at him.

"I've got a really bad feeling about this," Bowser said, slowly backing away from an advancing Kassie.

"GET OVER HERE!" Kassie jumped on him, knocking him into the jungle. The others stopped what they were doing as they heard Bowser screaming for mercy and what sounded like bones crunching. After a few minutes, Bowser literally came flying out of the bush and off the stage, a column of light appearing where he disappeared. Kassie walked back out of the jungle, dusting her hands. Ganondorf and Pitt were now looking at Kassie with a look on their faces that said they wanted to give up.

"What…did you do," Pitt asked, scared to learn the answer.

"I just taught him a lesson." A Team Ball appeared and Grey shot it with three Homing Beams.

"Aw shit," Ganondorf and Pitt said at the same time as Ashe and Grey leaped into the air, Kassie with her right fist, now on fire once more, in the air.

"GIGA GEYSER!" Grey, Ashe, and Kassie yelled. Kassie punched the ground once more, a geyser of lava shooting up. Ashe and Grey shot at the geyser's base, knocking off large chunks of the surrounding rock, which was shot upwards by the lava, now coming back down as molten meteors.

"Oh, shit," Ganondorf and Pitt said. They tried to dodge the first few and succeeded, but then rocks started to find their marks. Pitt was the first to go, which was slightly embarrassing for him, seeing as he never even got in a single hit. Ganondorf took a little while longer, now at the edge of the stage, just balancing. His arms were pinwheeling as he tried to move his weight forward. Grey came walking up after the barrage of molten meteors. He leaned forward and exhaled a breath on Ganondorf, forcing him to fall back and off the stage.

***

"Very good, all of you," Master Hand said as they appeared on the pads. "Now then, onto the next match of the day."

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**Hope this was more enjoyable than the other chapter. I've decided that I may just do some heavy re-editing to it and repost it. And yes, I realize that I made a mistake on Gemini, which is really embarrassing for me, considering that they're one of my favorite characters. Also, here's a little riddle, which, if answered first and answered correctly, will win someone a fight to write. Here it is: There was a man who shot, drowned, and hung his wife. But later that night, he went on a date with her. How in the world is this possible? Give me the answer in a review or a PM.**


	29. Special Intermission

**Ok, well, 2bblue101 is the winner of the contest. So, 2bblue101, send me your fight and I will place it in the story post-haste. I wonder if anyone knows what that means?(*cough* contest *cough*) Anyways, here's a Christmas Chapter for today. May or may not have a second part. Which brings me to my next point. This the first and probably only Special Intermission. This chapter takes place after the Smash Arc, so try not to confuse things. Now then, read on.

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**

**Special Intermission: Christmas in the Prime Zone**

"OWWW!" Lan walked into the main living room, holding his eye. "Ok, whoever hung up that wreath needs to hang it higher. I almost lost my eye."

"Sorry about that," Tommy said, walking past Lan with a ladder. "I had to go find a higher ladder. By the way, you may want to duck before you head through the kitchen door."

WHAM

"Never mind," Tommy called to Lan as a string of curses came from the kitchen. "Jeez. Some people are just so grouchy during the holidays."

***

"Ok, is he ready," Max asked.

"Yep," J answered, looking up from the console of the teleporter, currently set to its Zone Mode.

"So, why am I here," Eva asked, currently blindfolded.

"Well, this is kind of an early Christmas present," Max answered. "Alright, bring him here."

FLASH

Now standing on the teleporter pad was…Solo? However, something was different about him. His clothes were much more modern, but that wasn't the most striking difference. His eyes no longer had a glare, but rather a smile in them. Where once his eyes were hard and glaring, these were soft shining. He himself was also smiling.

"Ok, now you can take off the blindfold," J said, as…Solo walked in?! "Oh, hey Solo." Solo, the one who had just come in, was currently looking at the one they had just transferred.

"SOSO!" Eva exclaimed, tackling the Solo on the pad.

"Hey Sugar Reaper," the one who had been tackled answered. "I missed you."

"What the hell is going on," the one in the doorway asked as the one who Eva was attached to held his hands over her ears. "Why would you bring a zone double of me here?"

"So, you're the Solo that they decided to bring onto the team. Hmmmm…hard to believe I was such a stick in the mud at one point in time," the one on the floor commented. "And you can just call me Sol. At least that way we can avoid some confusion. Even if it is just one letter."

"This is kind of Eva's Christmas present from me and J," Max said.

"Why," Solo asked, still not catching onto the obvious just yet.

"We're kind of an item," Sol answered.

"….."

J walked up to Solo, whistling and waving his hand in front of Solo's face. "Hello? Anyone in there? Ground City to Solo…Wake up." J tapped his index finger to Solo's forehead.

CREEEAK…WHUMP

Solo was stiff as a board, his eyes staring straight ahead. "Ok, if anyone asks, he was like this when we got here," Max said.

***

Geo was walking through a door, passing Sonia, who was heading the other way. "Hang on, you two," Omega-xis said, halting Geo, while Lyra stopped Sonia.

"What," they both asked. Omega-xis pointed at the top of the door frame. Geo and Sonia looked up to see the mistletoe that someone had put up. They both blushed, realizing the trap that their EM partners had set for them.

"Come on you two, you know the rules of Christmas," Lyra said, smirking.

"Tell ya what," Sonia said. "We'll do it if you and Omega-xis do it."

"Not in a million years," Lyra said, while Omega-xis gagged, a paper bag held over his mouth. Sonia and Geo pointed above them, upon which the two looked up to see mistletoe hanging over head, Gemini and Taurus on the end of a fishing pole, laughing like a couple of hysterical maniacs.

"I'M GONNA KILL THEM," Omega-xis yelled, flying after the two, who made an impromptu escape, slowing Omega-xis down with a mettena, which was mercifully knocked unconscious rather than torn to shreds.

***

DING-DONG

"I've got it," Will called, although no one was really listening, as they were all doing some last preparation of some kind for tomorrow morning. He opened the door to see a rather large crowd of people, a netnavi with each of them. Will just stood there looking at them.

"Are you going to let us in or not," a boy with long black hair, tied into a tail, a Konoha band on his head and eyes that did show any pupils asked, somewhat annoyed.

"Uh…sorry for being so rude, but what the hell are you all doing here?"

"Naruto invited us," a girl with pink hair answered. "He said that it was okay for us to come."

"I'm gonna kill that short punk," Will grumbled under his breath.

"I'M NOT SHORT!" Will was tackled from behind by Naruto and brought to the ground, a cloud of dust popping up around them.

"Umm, we'll just let ourselves in," the pink haired girl, Sakura Haruno, said. "We'll meet you two inside once you've settled your differences."

***

"Out, out, OUT!" Jen slammed the door in Kyuubi's face after he had tried to sneak a peek at who would be getting what for Christmas the next day. Most of the girls had locked themselves in the room to wrap presents, while only a handful of the boys opted to wrap for the girls. Or, to be more accurate, Sasuke, Netto, and Shinobi, who used various jutsu to get the job done quickly.

"Jeez, she didn't have to slam the door on my _nose_," Kyuubi muttered, nursing his nose, checking to make sure that it wasn't bleeding.

"That's what you get for trying to sneak peeks at gifts," Kassie said as she walked into the room that Kyuubi had just been kicked from, making sure that Kyuubi was far enough away so that she could close the door. Kyuubi put his ear to the door and heard five clicks, a padlock being locked and three slidebolts closing on the door. Then someone slammed their fist against the other side of the door, a ringing sound now in Kyuubi's ears.

"One day, I'll learn to not stick my nose where it shouldn't be," Kyuubi said, his head spinning from the ringing, "but I don't think that day is today."

***

Everyone was gathered in the main living room, a large Christmas tree in one corner of the room, people mingling, the newcomers meeting the individual members of the team. "Wow. I didn't know we could fit this many people in here," Max said, walking into the room. All of the newcomers stopped mingling and came over to Max, greeting him, some with tears, others with smiles, but all elated that he was apparently alive.

"Do you have that twenty bucks," the boy that had greeted Will earlier, Neji Hyuuga, asked as he walked up to Max.

"Ummmmm…" Max just stood there. "And you are…?"

"Very funny," Neji said. "I'll let you off this time, since it is Christmas Eve."

"Thanks. Sorry, but I don't have anything for you."

"How about a sparring match later?"

"Ok. Tomorrow afternoon then."

"That works for me."

"Well, if you two are done with this…conversation, I think it's time that we all got some sleep," J said. "Christmas is in about an hour."

"Is it really that late," Megaman asked, taking a look at the wall clock.

"Yep."

***

The next morning, there was some yelling, rumbling, and an explosion in the lab. Not different from any normal morning in the lab, except that this explosion was followed by the smell of peppermint and some hacking and coughing. "Ok, we are _never_ making peppermint bombs again. Unless you want to use it as a weapon. But other than that, never again," Will said, leaning against the wall.

"Well, we could use them to wake everyone up," J said, coming out of the pink smoke with a box full of small round glass balls, each of them only half an inch in diameter, and pink smoke swirling in them.

"Ok, we can also use them for wake up calls. But how long does the smell last?"

"Only about five minutes," Sasuke said. "Now then, give me some of those peppermint bombs. I would like to see other people's reactions to these."

The three then split up, taking separate halls, but they did find that some people were already up. J would be inches from being skewered by Solo for the impromptu wake up call, Will would have to deal with another fight with Naruto, and Sasuke would have a very difficult time explaining what the hell they were all doing. An hour later, everyone was finally back in the main living room, exchanging gifts, laughing together, trying out new gadgets and gizmos, some trying on new clothes, but all were having a good time. Even Solo seemed a bit more relaxed than normal, although he seemed somewhat sad, as if remembering something painful in his past. Max looked around him at the large group, thinking back to his own parents. Z walked over and joined him, resting her head on his shoulder, her own thoughts on her parents. "You know," Max began, catching Z's attention, "if you ask a hundred people what they think this holiday is about, of course you'll get a hundred different answers. But if you ask them a very specific question, few will disagree with you. And I think…I think that the question is whether or not you should spend it with loved ones."

"That was close to being poetic," Z said. "But I do agree with you."

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**I know that it's late and all, but I wish a belated Merry Christmas to everyone out there. I hope you got what you most wished for and I hoped that you were able to spend it with the people that you love most. And you already know what characters belong to what characters. I also hope that you enjoyed this special intermission. And as to the reason that I took so long with this is that I've been caught up with family.**


	30. Intermission 2

**Intermission 2**

**Hey, look everyone. It's the first intermission that doesn't come in two parts. Now then, I've been getting questions from a certain contest winner and I have one thing to say to that. ENABLE THE PRIVATE MESSAGING! I can't answer if you don't allow incoming private messages. Also, is anyone planning on answering last chapter's contest question? Anyways, please bear with me as I am having some difficulties, especially in chapter ideas. It's rare for me to have writer's block and believe, I don't have it. But I seem to be in some kinda funk. I get ideas, but then…well, I don't know how to explain it. I guess you could say that I can't get it written down for some reason.**


	31. J's New ArmorPlus a Malfunction

**Sorry I haven't done anything with the story in so long. I feel like a jerk for doing to my readers what I hate the most when it comes to people being late with updates when they don't have a good reason, but school does get in the way just a bit. Anyways, I am doing my best to get these chapters out, but it's getting difficult with school taking almost all of my brain power. But enough about me, let's move on to the story.

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**J's New Armor…Plus A Malfunction**

"Our next match shall be J versus Pitt," Master Hand said.

"Are you ready for this," Max asked, looking at J.

"I guess. Though I haven't had any practice with this armor since I got it back from Wily," J answered. His armor had been slightly altered after Wily had volunteered to fix it for him. Now the blades on his wrists seemed to be attached to small launchers, a second set of launchers on the opposite sides of his wrist as well. The shoulders were slightly bulkier, with two small sticks, about a foot long each and less than an inch in diameter, hanging from his belt. He still had no idea what they did or what the launchers were for, but for him, now was as good a time as any to find out. He stepped forward to stand beside Pitt. They disappeared from the auditorium, reappearing on a stage that seemed to resemble the area that Kalar's fortress had first stood, albeit in a wrecked state. "This place…"

"Is something wrong," Master Hand asked.

"…No. Nothing's wrong."

"Then the battle shall commence now."

***

"Hey, watch where you're aiming that thing," J said, dodging another of Pitt's blue energy arrows. He rushed him, only to have Pitt fly over his head and start shooting again. "And stay in one spot, dammit."

"No way," Pitt said.

"Fine then, be that way," J said, running behind a part of a metal wall that had managed to stay standing. He took a look at his wrists, trying to figure out what Wily had upgraded. "Dammit, why didn't he give me an instruction manual for this thing?" A voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

"Manual accessed. Please choose content type."

"Ok, so maybe he did give me an instruction manual…ok, let's see now…alright, how about weapons?"

"Accessing weapons data…" DING "Weapons data accessed." A stream of blueprints appeared on J's visor, showing him how the weapons worked and the most effective use for them.

"I could used to this," J said, giving his wrists a quick jerk, making the blades spin so that they now pointed forward. He stepped out from behind the wall, facing Pitt.

"Ya done hiding," Pitt asked, drawing back to create another arrow.

"Yep." J waited until the Pitt released the arrow. As the arrow made its way to him, he threw his left hand forward, the blade shooting from the launcher, attached to the chain. The blade made contact with the arrow, dissipating it and kept on going, forcing Pitt to dodge. "Not so fun being shot at, is it?"

"Not if it's just one." Pitt then unleashed a barrage of arrows, aiming at different parts of J's body.

"I expected that," J said, this time throwing both hands forward. However, along with the blades, the extra two launchers released chains with small weights at the end, all four of the weapons blocking most of the arrows, although two still made it past, forcing J to dodge.

"Maybe I should go in for close combat." Pitt detached the top part of the bow, now holding both of his blades in a reverse grip, then switching to a normal grip.

"Alright, what do these sticks do," J asked, taking them off of his belt.

"Do you mean the Conversion Copiers," the electronic voice asked.

"Uh…sure, let's go with that." More blueprints appeared on his visor, giving a better understanding of how to use them. "This is so fucking _awesome_!" He gripped them tighter, holding them in front of him. "Bring your worst."

"Alright. If you're sure." Pitt charged, striking the Conversion Copiers.

"New conversion data acquired," the electronic voice said. "Would you like to use the new data?"

"Yes, please," J said.

"Uh, who are you talking to," Pitt asked, confused.

"My instruction manual." The Conversion Copiers began to glow, their shape changing. Pitt watched in amazement as his blades replaced J's Copiers. Pitt even looked down into his own hands to make sure that J hadn't switched their weapons somehow.

"How the hell did you do that?"

"With a little help from a friend." He began to strike at Pitt, who blocked each blow, even adding a few of his own aimed towards J. A Smash Ball appeared and J was the one to break it.

"New data acquired," the electronic voice said. "Would you like to channel this into the Conversion Copiers?"

"No. I think I'll do this myself." J took the Copiers, attaching them to the spare launchers on his wrist, the Copiers turning back to their normal form. "Umm…I need a name for you. For now, let's just say Mally. Now, what spare weapon data do I have on the Copiers?"

"Here is a list," Mally said.

"Hmmmm…I've gotta say that it's quite amazing that you've managed to compile so much in so little time. Let's go with wills Combat System Swords."

"Applying to Copiers. Would you like me to apply this data to the your wrist blades as well?"

"You can do that?"

"Yes."

"Then go for it."

"Data transfer done." J's Copiers and wrist blades began to change shape, turning into perfect copies of Will's new Combat System Swords. "Here we go." The aura disappeared, the launchers firing, all aimed at Pitt. At the last second, they veered off, two of them wrapping themselves around Pitt, the other two swinging around to hit him with the flats of the blades. J then gave his wrists two hard jerks, throwing Pitt off of the stage. Or at least, he would have, if not for the stage suddenly changing to the prehistoric jungle from the first match that day. Instead of falling into the moat that J had been aiming for, Pitt ended up hitting a tree.

"What the hell? Not fair. I call interference."

BEEEEEEEP

J and Pitt reappeared in the auditorium, annoyance written across J's face. Crazy Hand was the first to speak. "Whatever the hell that was, it was totally not me," he said.

"Nor me," Master Hand said. "I am afraid that we will have to put the rest of today's matches on hold so that we can figure out what happened. We shall call you all back here within the next two hours to determine if it safe to go on."

***

"You failed," a dark figure said on a screen. "I warned you of the consequences, Tabuu."

"I am sorry, sir," a blue figure said. He had no mouth or nose, but two wings that were multi-colored and two eyes. "It took me longer than expected to find the correct algorithm. By the time I found it, the timer was nearly up."

"Hmmmm…I shall give you more time then, now that you were able to get into the system itself. In fact, I will even give you until the end of the tournament."

"Oh, thank you Kalar. Thank you." Kalar hung up, leaving Tabuu to sigh and wipe his forehead. "That was way too close for comfort. Better make sure that I don't fail." Tabuu turned his attention back to the screens surrounding him. "Now then, let's see what kind of havoc I can wreak."

***

"Mr. Race, do you have the report," Kalar asked, turning to face him after he dropped the call.

"Yes, I do," Race said, moving forward to place a small packet of sheets in front of Kalar. "It has taken a while, but I believe that we can find more of what you need. We have just discovered a very rich vein of it in a zone that we have been watching for some time now. It is in a relatively unpopulated area."

"Relatively?"

"Well, the only thing living there is a few small animals and plant life. However, I believe that we can get to the vein without attracting too much attention."

"Good. Anything you need, I will provide for you. Start when you feel is best." Kalar turned away, signaling that the meeting was over.

Race walked out of the room and once he had turned a few corners, he leaned against a wall. "What does that man have to hide?"

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**Don't you just hate it when bad guys come back? I mean, it's Sidious from Star Wars. Anyone who's read the comics or books knows that no matter how many they tried to kill the guy, he kept coming back. Granted, it was a clone each time, but still technically Sidious. Anyways, please review.**


	32. Noise and Chaos

**Early morning seems to be the best time for me to write. No idea why. I just seem to get ideas quicker. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

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**Noise and Chaos**

"My, we've had some very interesting battles today," Master Hand said as everyone met up for the third and final match of the day. "For the final battle of the day, we shall have Shadow the Hedgehog fighting Geo Stelar." The two stepped forward, coming to stand on the pads. "This battle shall take place on a new stage as well." They disappeared from the auditorium, everyone's attention shifting to the screen. The stage was a familiar area to those from the same zone as Geo.

"That's Vista Point," Sonia said. "At night."

"Oh boy," Luna said. "Geo had better not stop to admire the stars for this fight." However, on the screen, Geo was doing just that. "That idiot."

"Smashers, begin," Master Hand said.

***

"Geo, look out," Omega-xis said.

"What," Geo asked, looking around, before seeing Shadow charging him. "Shit!" He crossed his arms to block the punch from Shadow, sliding back a few feet.

"You don't have any hope of winning against me," Shadow said. "You may as well give up now."

"Yeah, right. Long sword." Geo's left hand turned into the green battle card. He ran at Shadow, who lowered his stance to the ground just a bit, his fists held up towards his face. As Geo started to slash vertically, Shadow used the back of his left hand to redirect the blade down his side, his right fist smashing into Geo's gut. "Ugh!" Geo flew back. As he got up, he held his gut. "Damn it. How can someone so small hit so hard?"

"The same way that you can hold up a train," Omega-xis said. "Although…well, I'm not really sensing any EM waves from this guy."

CHK-CHK

Geo looked at Shadow to see that he had pulled out a small gun. "I don't like the look of that thing," Omega-xis said. Shadow lowered his aim at Geo. "SHIELD, KID, SHIELD!" Geo raised his hands, a shield appearing in front of him just as Shadow pulled the trigger. The gun was apparently a full automatic, releasing a steady stream of bullets at Geo. After a few seconds, the shield began to crack. "Shit, shit, shiiiiit!"

"Aura," Geo said, an aura now around his body, stopping the stream of bullets. "That should buy us some time." The bullets stopped coming, the gun's muzzle smoking.

"Hmph. Looks like I'm gonna have to find a way past that forcefield if I'm gonna get to you," Shadow said. A Smash Ball appeared and Shadow shot it with a quick stream of bullets. "This should more than suffice." The aura disappeared as Shadow took off the rings that were on his wrists. A red aura began to build around him, his quills starting to move up, as if a wind had picked up. "CHAOS…BLAST!" The red aura erupted out, blocking out the entire screen. When everyone could see again, they saw Geo on the ground, Shadow standing over him. "As I thought, my Chaos Blast was more than sufficient for that force field." Shadow then stepped back a bit, surprising Geo. "Get up. I'm not going to fight an enemy in a formal battle who can't at least defend himself." Geo got up to his feet, albeit with some difficulty. A Secondary Block appeared just behind Shadow, so Geo was the only one to see it.

"Cannon." Geo's arm turned into the weapon and he shot just above Shadow's shoulder, who had braced for the hit and was therefore surprised that it had missed. He then heard the Secondary Block breaking and understood what had happened. Two cards had now suddenly appeared in front of Geo, a black ace and a red joker. Geo touched the latter and strange red blobs began to appear that looked like static. "Finalize." The blobs began to surround him, swirling to form a ball around him. "RED JOKER!" The circle exploded outward to reveal Geo now in red armor. There were yellow stripes that ran down his body, two pieces of armor moving straight up in a curve on his back. There were what looked like two disks now floating behind him. The most striking feature was that his eyes no longer had pupils, but still had irises, the irises a rather shallow color of red.

"Hmph. Looks like I finally get some competition." Shadow smiled, a hungry look in his eyes. "Someone other than Sonic." His hands began to glow green. "Chaos Spear." He held up his right hand and the green energy slowly formed into a spear, which he then threw at Geo. Geo stood there and then held up his hand, stopping the spear in its tracks.

"Red Gaia…" The disks were now floating just above Shadow. "…ERASER!" The disks fired a laser each, moving back and forth in a pattern. Geo then fired an even larger laser from his right hand and then disappeared as an explosion rocked the stage, after which Geo reappeared.

Shadow stood up slowly, grunting as he stood up fully. "Good. You're even stronger now." He charged at Geo, ducking under the kick that had been aimed at him, landing an uppercut with his right hand. While Geo was still in the air, Shadow jumped up, kicking him in the gut, sending him off the stage.

"Finalize," Geo said as he began to fall. Once more, the strange red blobs appeared again. As he fell from Shadow's view, he then said, "BLACK ACE!" He suddenly appeared over the edge, his armor having changed. His armor was now black, a small blade on his helmet pointing up. He had two wings, a light red energy flowing between the spaces in the wings. His eyes looked the same as when he had been in the Red Joker armor.

Shadow charged up more of the green energy that he had used earlier. This time, however, he didn't use it to make a spear, but instead used it to add more force to his punches. He jumped up to meet Geo, grabbing his arm and throwing him with as much force as he could muster. Geo slammed into the ground and Shadow landed on him a few seconds later, leaving a small crater. Geo kicked Shadow off of himself and stood up. He held up his right hand, a black orb of energy appearing around it. "Black End…" The orb suddenly appeared around Shadow, growing larger. Geo held up his right hand once more, a light red energy sword appearing. He dashed at Shadow, bringing the sword down. "…GALAXY!" The black orb exploded after Geo had sliced through it, leaving Shadow in the middle of a very large crater. After the explosion, Geo was back in his normal armor. He put a hand to his head, wincing. "Why do I have such a massive headache?" The stage suddenly began to crackle like static, convincing Geo that he had suffered some sort of head trauma. Until Shadow stood at his side, looking around at the stage.

"It's happening again," Shadow said. The stage then disappeared completely, a lakeside setting replacing Vista Point.

"Smashers, I think it best that you two work together for what is about tohappen," Master Hand said from nowhere.

"What about the battle," Geo asked.

"I'm afraid that the battle is the least of your worries now." As if in answer to that last statement, something roared, a shadow falling over Geo and Shadow. They looked up to see what looked like a large green dragon.

"Reyquaza," Shadow muttered. "I thought this area looked familiar. Prepare yourself, Geo. We've just invaded this thing's territory and it wants us out."

"Then let's just leave," Geo said, his knees quaking somewhat. Fighting a giant robot, a monster EM being, and a giant noise dragon to defend your family, friends, and pretty much all of your world's population was one thing, but fighting a pissed off dragon that looks hungry is another thing entirely.

"It's not that simple." The dragon landed, roaring once more. It lashed out with its tail, smashing the tail into Geo, which sent him flying backwards into a tree. Shadow managed to jump out of the way as the tail came towards him, firing a few of his Chaos Spears as it passed underneath him. The creature roared, bringing its tail back.

"I think you just made it angrier." Geo stood up slowly, feeling somewhat unsteady after being smashed into a tree. "Is there any weak points on this thing?"

"None that I can remember at the moment." Reyquaza suddenly inhaled deeply and when it released the breath, it came out as a beam of energy, the beam tearing into the ground. Shadow and Geo began dodging, just managing to avoid the beam whenever it neared one or the other. A Smash Ball appeared just above Reyquaza, Geo shooting it.

"Finalize." For the third time since he had gotten there, the red blobs appeared. They began to swirl, but unlike the other two times, they were joined by even more, swirling faster and faster. "DECK MASTER!" When the blobs exploded outward, they sent out an aftershock, Shadow ducking it, but Reyquaza taking it full on. Geo's armor had changed oncer more. He had the Black Ace wings, the Red Joker disks now floating just at his knees. The helmets had fused into one, the blade from the Black Ace helmet still present, but it was now a swirl of red and black. His eyes were like the previous two forms, but this time, they didn't seem to hold anything in them. While the other two had held no emotion, they did seem to have life in them. But this form's eyes held nothing. **(Side Note: As far as I know, I own the Deck Master idea. The best part is that it still sticks with the Starforce 3 theme of cards.)** Reyquaza inhaled once more, releasing the beam again. The right disk suddenly intercepted the beam, splitting it apart into six individual beams, which seemed to bend and flow into the Deck Master's wings. As it flowed into them, they seemed to grow brighter. As Reyquaza continued to fire the beam, Geo's head turned to look at Shadow. "If you wish to remain intact, I would suggest that you stand behind me. _Now._" Shadow nodded, moving to stand just behind him. When Reyquaza finally stopped firing the beam, both of Geo's arms raised up to point at Reyquaza, the disks following his hands. He gave a slight twitch, the disks moving towards Reyquaza, now spinning over it, facing inward. "Galaxy…" The disks shot out lasers, the lasers a swirl of energy, an orb of red and black energy swelling up even as Reyquaza roared in pain. Once more, both of Geo's arms raised up, this time to cross his chest, a sword of dark red energy appearing on each hand. When the lasers stopped firing, his body moved forward, the swords slashing diagonally, one of the disks slicing vertically, the other horizontally. "…Eraser." As the final word was uttered the orb exploded, blacking out the screen that everyone had been viewing in the auditorium. Shadow was the first to appear, holding his arm, which looked to have taken a beating. Geo was next, now in his normal human form, looking just as beat up as Shadow's arm.

"I believe that the winner of this match is quite obvious, seeing as who was the first to appear," Master Hand said. "This match goes to Geo Stelar and Omega-xis." There was applause from the audience, both for Shadow and Geo. Geo tried to walk, but started to fall. Shadow caught him, helping him off the stage and to the infirmary.

***

"Damn it all," Tabuu said. "That stupid creature should have finished them off." He began to take a look at the screens, looking for what had gone wrong. "Hmmm…" His eyes scrolled down the lines of text. "The thing doesn't even register on my screens anymore." He moved his eyes to the screen that was hooked directly into the arena views. "And yet it appears here." After studying the data from both screens, he reached a conclusion. "Now I understand. It must have been that strange red static that appeared. Perhaps I can find some way of counteracting that phenomena." He went to researching right away, closing down the arena and system screens until the matches that would resume the next day.

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**Hope that was enjoyable. Here's a little trivia that I want to see if someone can answer. These are three questions. If you can answer all three correctly, I will allow you to write a fight. It is preferred that you have an account, as it is easier to transfer chapters and other such documents. First one: What is the original name of the Life Sword in the untranslated Megaman NT Warrior anime/manga? Second: Name the virus(and by virus, I mean the big bad boss) from the Megaman Battle Network Transmission game for Gamecube. Third and final question: In Megaman Zero 3, who is the final boss?(Hint on this: it's the kind of thing that leaves you somewhat shocked.)**


	33. Intermission 3

**Intermission 3**

**Well…I seem to have a tie for first. The alert that I set…well, it reads at the same time. But the tie…well, both of you got the last question wrong. The actual final boss is Omega, who turns out to be the 'true' version of Zero. But, I'm still gonna give Apapa155 and Gammatron the chapter. You two can write separate chapters or do a cooperative chapter. Whichever you like. Oh, and Apapa155, use the DocX feature to send your work if you do separate chapters.**


	34. Chapter 34

**GammaTron: Hello! Guess I tied this time, huh? Oh well, here's Megaman against the Legendary Blue Blur/Knight of the Wind/King Arthur/Fastest Thing in the Universe/Yatta-yatta-yatta, Sonic the Hedgehog. Boy…Sonic sure has a lot of nicknames, doesn't he?**

The wind…it represents freedom. Yet it can also call forth terrors beyond anything one has seen. The wind is both a blessing and a curse, but one must look at it from both sides to truly understand it.

-Attention, the next battle will be between Sonic the Hedgehog and Lan Hikari and Megaman- Master Hand announced.

"Good luck out there, Lan, and beware," Sasuke advised, "That Erinaceus Europaeus appears to have the power to achieve speeds that surpass the sound barrier. I can also feel something strange within the ring upon his left index finger and from…somewhere else upon him. I am not sure, but it may be a type of storage scroll."

"Watch who you're calling names, pal!" Sonic glared at Sasuke, "You're talking to Sonic, the fastest hedgehog on planet Mobius!"

-Sonic, I believe you may hate Crazy Hand and I for the stage, but you will be permitted, if you forfeit use of Items save for the Smash Ball, to utilize Shahra and Caliburn- Master Hand proposed.

Sonic's jaw dropped. He quickly looked at his side and then his ring before giving a grin. He faced Lan and Megaman, who shivered a little at the grin.

"I hope you're ready, Lan, Megaman, 'cause I won't lose!" Sonic declared before the two walked out.

"Who are Shahra and Caliburn?" Lan asked.

"You'll see…" Sonic replied.

"You get the feeling we're going to regret calling him 'Mr. Needlemouse' with Crazy Hand on our first day here soon?" Megaman whispered.

"Yep."

"Hot! Hot! Hot!" Lan, CrossFused with Megaman, yelped as he ran around in a circle as he tried to pat out the fire on his rear, "Evil Foundry! Evil, evil foundry!"

"Ahh…I love the smell of stupidity in the morning," Sonic stated as he sniffed the air, "Oh, wait, that's just a blueberry on fire."

"Blueberry?!" Lan growled before he fired his MegaBuster at Sonic…only for a blade to come half an inch to his neck, "Ulp!"

He looked down to see it was a broadsword with a gold hilt with two 'wings' on the sides. The ornament in the middle was risen to reveal sea-blue eyes and a mouth. Holding the red hilt was a silver and obsidian gauntlet with a gold bracelet at the end that had a ruby embedded within it. Wearing the gauntlet was none other than Sonic.

"Allow me to introduce you to my friend and Master of the Sword, Caliburn," Sonic introduced.

"…Your master is a sword?" Lan asked.

"I taught him everything he knows about chivalry, boy," the sword replied.

"Ahh!! Ghost sword!!" Megaman yelped.

Everyone watching the battle sweatdropped.

"…Did that sword just talk?" Max asked.

"Yes. That is Caliburn, Sonic's personal sword," Metaknight explained, "I have fought Sonic when he wielded Caliburn once…"

"And…" Naruto pushed.

"…I was defeated within moments of drawing my blade," Metaknight finished, "He moved as if he were dancing and was as fierce as a hurricane."

"Improbable," Sasuke stated, "To move at such speed and grace would require tech…"

"Or Chaos Energy," Eva interrupted, causing everyone to stare at her, "I…kinda spied on one Zone when I was going home. Kinda cool one, too. Then I got lost for a bit and was found by this guy that reminded me of Naruto except he called himself Zaruto. He said he was a Zone Cop or something and took me to my Zone. Anyway, I saw this turtle explaining something about Chaos Energy and that some people unconsciously use it all the time in an area of their body, improving the skills in that area to superhuman proportions."

"…And I thought Sasuke could give headaches…" Shinobi and Naruto said in unison, earning a fist to their heads by said genius.

Lan grasped an Assist Trophy. He quickly activated it and released an army of miniature 18-bit motocross racers. Sonic smirked before sidestepping and letting the racers go over a circle pad and were then crushed by a metal pillar.

"That the best you got?" Sonic asked.

"AreaSteal, Download," Lan replied before vanishing.

Sonic chuckled as he closed his eyes. For a few moments, everything was quiet sans the hissing of steam and the sounds of metal crushing upon metal. Sonic opened his eyes and swung Caliburn, nicking Lan's nose. Lan yelped as he held his nose. A Smash Ball appeared and Sonic got it with a kick.

"I'll show you!!!" Sonic roared as seven different colored emerald surrounded him, transforming his quills into gold and his bright emerald eyes into deep crimson ones, "Super Sonic!"

"…For some reason, I want to complain about copy-cats," Lan and Megaman stated before Super Sonic began to clobber them at light speed.

After a few moments, Sonic returned to normal with the fighters standing on a large metal ring platform in a pit of lava within Evil Foundry. Lan and Megaman were sprawled on the floor, covered in various bruises and wounds. The two got up and reactivated CrossFusion. A roar rumbled around the area.

"Oh no…" Sonic paled, "Shahra, Caliburn, please tell me you two heard that and please say that was one of you."

"Not I, Knave," Caliburn replied.

A small pink light came out of his ring before transforming into a floating girl…with pointed ears. The girl appeared modestly dressed. She wore long, billowing cream harem pants, that seemed to float with her form. Flowing from the fine, rose-colored belt around her hip was a translucent cloth, reminding the hedgehog of a skirt that wasn´t quite there – it too, was moving in an invisible breeze as if it didn´t quite belong into this world.

Her sleeveless top was a lighter, pastel-violet color, made from some smooth, thin material. She had a faintly apologetic expression on her face along with a shy, unsure smile, and along with her clothes, it made her seem oddly fragile and almost ethereal, as if the smallest gust of wind could blow her away and change her course. That girl seemed to have less substance than a normal person, almost if something had been sucking it away from her…

The only other thing notable about the stranger was probably her hair. It was shaped like a permanent copper question mark above her head, giving her a slightly confused and curious look and also the only thing on her that seemed like a firm constant in comparison to her wavering body. Her skin was a lot darker than that of the majority of humans Lan and Megaman had seen, olive-colored, but somehow she still managed to look a little pale underneath it. The face of the girl was thin and slender with high cheek-bones, giving her a faintly exotic look. She also wore a little bit of jewelry, but like the rest of her person it wasn´t very showy and you only actually noticed it if you looked twice. All in all, she didn´t seem like someone anyone could be afraid of or worried by.

"I am sorry, Sonic, but it wasn't me," the girl apologized.

"Then that means…" Sonic began.

_Ifalas zaraz i is zarak. Ifalas zaraz i is zarak._

"Who's saying that?" Megaman asked.

"No…It can't be!" Sonic gasped.

"Sonic!" Shahra cried out in fear.

_Come forth from the fiery depths of __Jahannam__, ye condemed by Iblis!_

"Oh no! What is that voice triggering?!" Lan asked.

Everyone was silent for a few moments for some reason. The room began to quake a bit, yet none of them noticed. Sonic then turned to Lan and Megaman.

"For some reason, your comment annoyed me," Sonic stated, "Hey, anyone want to make a crack about 'Waiting Times?'"

_Iz Afrit!_

The molten metal in the center of the lava pit exploded. Sonic looked at a nearby exit to see the flash of a cloak vanishing. He narrowed his eyes at it in a glare and turned back to the lava.

"Holy…" Kyuubi began.

"What is _that_?!" DDD gasped.

"…The Ifrit Golem," Roll gasped, "I once read this book about dark spirits back at the base and it talked about this thing. It's a fire genie possessing a mechanical body, making it even stronger than before, yet it is cursed to remain within the armor for eternity and destroy anything and everything in its path."

"Did it tell you how to beat one?" Zero asked.

"Yes; run far away and seal it up," Roll replied.

"Anyone could have thought of that," Axl-R said.

Roll slugged him between the legs with her foot. Axl-R fell over with a squeak of pain as he held his 'coin purse' in agony. Everyone took two steps away from the pink NetNavi.

-I will be right back- Master Hand said as he floated off.

A huge head and torso emerged from the lava, letting it stream off its body. It looked like the roboticizer and Darth Vader had had a sudden and fatal meeting. It looked like King Kong's outer hull had melted to reveal the gleaming metal of the Terminator mark two underneath and this time it wasn't Schwarzenegger. It looked, in Sonic's opinion, also like the biggest rip-off of the Egg Golem you could do if all your mechanics had suddenly gone mad.

"That's…" Sonic mouthed, unable to find words for the monstrosity.

Its head was of cylindrical form, almost five times as tall as himself. It seemed almost to be wearing a helmet, on top of which a huge red button-like excrescence was mounted. In its head were two red-glowing lights like holes into an eternal furnace. Wires and circular plumbing around these eyes, and a thick tube leading downwards where one would have been looking for a nose, gave it a mechanical face of sorts, appearing like a mechanical simian or human skull stripped of its skin. The torso underneath was even more artificial skeleton than the head. Without covering, spare parts had been carpentered together so haphazardly, one could wonder why there wasn't duct-tape poking out somewhere. In comparison, the arms appeared much too bulky to be lifted at all, since they and their crude hands with glowing knuckles where actually furnished with plating, huge, nut-like hydraulic contraptions screwed around the upper parts. All in all, the creature was more than thirty feet tall, and had a reach as if its ancestors had been orangutans.

"It…it's the mechanical Golem King they tried to melt down in here…And which I clobbered good…" Sonic stuttered, taking an awed step back with his head craned to take in the entirety of the huge robot, "And something gave it life again!"

"What is that?!" Megaman gasped.

"It is a spirit that controls fire!" Shahra substituted, the presence of the powerful creature making her tremble "It's called an Ifrit!"

"Aw man…I just had to forget to bring my Water-Blue World Ring of Sadness…" Sonic muttered.

"Your _what_?" Lan asked.

"I'll tell you later," Sonic replied, "Right now, we need some rain…a tsunami more likely. The flames this guy's coated in won't let us touch him."

A ring clonked Sonic on the head and fell into Lan's hands. He grunted as blue lightning roared off it. It soon died down and Lan panted as he held the ring with both hands. It was water-blue and covered in black patterns.

"This ring…" Megaman grunted, "…It's filled with…no, it's made of Sadness…"

"The World Ring of Sadness!" Sonic gasped, "Quick! Use it!"

"Right!" Lan nodded, "…How do I do that?"

Sonic facepalmed. He grumbled as he stomped over to Lan. He took the World Ring from the two fused warriors and held it high.

"Ring of Sadness, I call upon thee! Bring forth a mighty storm!" Sonic called out.

The World Ring erupted in a blue, unearthly light. The light collected high above them and transformed into pitch-black clouds. Within moments, the area was drenched with a heavy downpour. The Ifrit Golem cried out in pain as its flames dispersed.

"Alright! That worked!" Lan cheered.

"Sonic, that was amazing…" Megaman awed.

"Thanks," Sonic chuckled.

A flash of light came by and a Smash Ball appeared. Lan shot it and it shattered. His body was coated in the Final Smash Aura.

"Final Smash! Hub-Beast!" Lan roared.

Lan was engulfed in a pillar of emerald flames before it parted. Lan emerged from the flames in gold armor with triangle marks that had emerald and jade data patterns in them. His helmet was larger and now resembled more of a wolf head with five spikes upon it. He now wore bulky gold gauntlets that revealed his clawed gloves with two large emerald 'claws' protruding from the front of the gauntlets. His gold boots had the fronts gone to reveal three emerald claws and a fourth at a spot between the calf and ankle. Over his torso was sleek gold armor with the same data-pattern triangles on it along with his NaviMark. Around his neck had gold and emerald fabric that resembled the top of a jacket. The Ifrit Golem roared before throwing large burning containers.

"Incoming bombs!" Sonic yelped.

"I've got this. These hands of mine roar with the fury of the CyBeasts!" Hub-Beast roared.

His left hand held a sphere of crimson energy as his right hand held a sphere of emerald energy. The wolf-life mouth guard over his face widened as if the helmet was opening its jaw as a gold sphere of energy formed in front of it. The three energies collided into a large white sphere of energy.

"Their eternal rage combined with the Ultimate Program demand your obliteration! Here I go!! Yajuu Hakaisha!!!" (Beast Destruction)

He let out a roar as the sphere transformed into a powerful beam resembling the head of a wolf with falcon wings. The beam ripped through the explosives and struck the Ifrit Golem. The Ifrit Golem roared out in agony as its left arm was obliterated. Final Smash ended and Lan fell to his knees, panting.

"You know, you're not so bad either, you two," Sonic chuckled, "That was pretty awesome."

"Thanks, Sonic," Megaman said.

Suddenly, Megaman's NaviMark began to glow and Sonic's body erupted in a blue light.

"What's going on?!" Sonic gasped as he turned into a large blue sphere of light.

Lan lost CrossFusion as Megaman transformed into a light-blue sphere of light. The two spheres fused into one and released a blast of light. The light faded to reveal Megaman. His sky-blue left glove went up to his wrist and was pure white with a stone bracelet on it that had a green orb embedded in it. His right glove resembled the gauntlet Sonic wore. Over his upper body was a blue baggy jacket with a white stripe going down the front that was open, revealing a red undershirt with Megaman's NaviMark bore proudly upon it. His lower body had baggy blue pants and his sky-blue boots were now red running shoes with a white stripe and gold buck on each. His helmet was gone and replaced by green visors that connected to the NaviMarks still covering his ears. His hair was set back and spiked to resemble Sonic's quills. His left hip held Caliburn.

"Double Soul: Sonic-Soul!" Megaman shouted.

"What just happened?" Shahra asked.

"It's called Double Soul. I'll explain later," Lan replied, "Right now, we've got to get out to a safe place in the area."

Shahra nodded before turning to Megaman DS and asked, "Do you have my ring?"

"I think," Megaman DS replied as he checked his fingers, "Yep! Um…Shahra, right? Can you get Lan to a nearby safer location?"

"But of course. Just rub the ring."

Megaman DS rubbed Shahra's ring, causing it to glow gently. Shahra held her hands out and a flying carpet appeared. Lan quickly got on and the carpet flew out of the Ifrit Golem's range.

"Go get that hunk of junk!" Lan cheered.

"You know, I let you play around more than enough for one day!" Megaman DS scolded.

"Be careful, Megaman!" Lan advised.

"The Ifrit is no child!" Shahra added as Megaman DS began to run around the Ifrit Golem on the ring platform, "I sense a strange power coming from the light on the Ifrit's head. Is there a way to lower the Ifrit's head into range?"

Megaman DS jumped over a series of lasers the Ifrit Golem shot out at him before he noticed the remaining arm of the Ifrit Golem was holding onto the ring with three glowing capsules on its knuckles. He smirked before slicing them off with Caliburn. The Ifrit Golem roared out in pain before he sunk down enough to let only his head and arm stick out of the lava. Consequently, this caused the lava to start rising and for Megaman DS to jump onto a higher part of the platform.

"Megaman, aim for those floating bombs! If you get to the arm, maybe you can run up it and nail him!" Lan advised.

"On it!" Megaman DS nodded before performing a Homing Attack on a floating bomb and landing on the arm.

He dashed to the head and preformed a series of homing attacks before the Ifrit Golem rose up once more and let the lava sink back down to reveal the ring platform. Megaman DS landed gently on it with a smirk.

"All right! It looks like that was its weak spot after all!!" Shahra cheered.

"You're pretty stubborn for something so big!" Megaman DS taunted before performing the stunt once more and inflicting more damage upon the summoned beast, "Looks like it's almost lights out for you!"

"Let us put an end to this," Caliburn said, "Knave, look up!"

Megaman DS ignored the 'Knave' comment and looked up. Floating above him was a Smash Ball. He looked down at his sword and back up at the Smash Ball before jumping up and slicing through it. He expected for the Final Smash Aura to erupt from his body, but it formed around Caliburn. He aura engulfed Megaman DS and turned into a gold aura. Suddenly, gold armor snapped on his body starting from the feet up. A crimson cape fluttered out of the back of his armor before the gold front of a helmet formed over his face. He closed the visor and gold armor shot out of the back, resembling Sonic's quills. He swung Caliburn to his side and the blade transformed into gold. He swung it to face the Ifrit Golem and grasped his sword with both hands. The wings went down to his hands as a blast of gold light roared out of Caliburn. The light parted to reveal Caliburn now had rubies adorning his new golden hilt that resembled a three-pronged crown as glowing gold energy outlined his blade.

"Whoa…" Lan and Megaman DS awed.

"Amazing…" Kyuubi awed.

"What the naraku just happened?!" Naruto demanded.

"That's the-a greatest of-a the sacred swords-a, Excalibur!" Mario replied, "I've-a seen Sonic use-a it once by-a accident. It was-a super powerful!"

"Indeed. On me," Metaknight winched as he recalled the event.

"At least now we know why Master Hand doesn't let Sonic use Caliburn," Max said.

"Impossible. The sword Excalibur should not exist," Sasuke scoffed.

"What the heck does that even mean?" Shinobi asked.

"Excalibur means 'Cut-Steel' when translated," Sasuke said.

"And if you're oh-so-smart," Eva said, "Then what was Excalibur's original name before the English changed it?"

"I do believe that it was known as…" Sasuke's eyes widened as his jaw dropped, "…Caliburn. Well…It appears that I have miscalculated myself…"

"That you did," Omega-Xis agreed before he laughed and pointed at Sasuke, "Nerd!"

"Heh! Let's do this!" Megaman TS (Triple Soul due to it being a fusion between Excalibur, Megaman, and Sonic) declared as he began to float.

He flew towards the Ifrit Golem as it launched a flurry of bombs at the gold knight. He began to evade them as if he were a simple gust of wind. A gold seal floated in front of him before engulfing him and transforming Megaman TS into a giant gold sphere of light.

"There is nothing Excalibur can't cut through," Excalibur declared as he sliced through the Ifrit Golem.

Megaman TS landed before the Ifrit Golem. He changed back into Sonic-Soul and then back into Megaman and Sonic. The Ifrit Golem grasped its cranium as it roared out in pain over the explosion erupting from its structure.

"I see why you shouldn't play with fire!" Sonic joked.

The Ifrit Golem released one final roar of agony as it sunk below the lava with a pillar of light coming before an explosion. A crimson sphere landed before the two as Shahra and Lan got over. The sphere pulsed every few seconds with a glow accompanying the pulses.

"What's this…" Lan awed.

"What is that thing?" Megaman asked as Lan got on his knees and put an ear close to the sphere, "Is something…about to hatch?"

"Beating…I hear something like beating…almost like a heartbeat," Lan spoke.

"Ah! Don't tell me that's a bomb about to explode!" Sonic gasped.

"It's started to beat faster!" Lan gasped as he shot up.

"No!! This is bad!" Sonic exclaimed as he grabbed the sphere, "We have to get it out of here!"

Lan and Megaman nodded before reactivating CrossFusion. Suddenly, they were all in the waiting room of Smash Manor with Sonic still holding the sphere. They all looked at it and screamed.

"This thing has to explode out in the open!" Sonic shouted.

"Right!" Shahra, Caliburn, Lan, and Megaman agreed as they dashed out, almost running over the others as they stood outside the waiting room.

"Dammit! We're not going to make it!!" Sonic shouted as they dashed outside.

Lan grabbed Sonic and threw him high into the air before Sonic kicked the sphere even further up. The beating got even faster before the sphere erupted in a bright light. An explosion rumbled around the area as it nearly nicked Smash Manor. Lan and Megaman released CrossFusion and the five let out a relieved sigh.

"What was that about?!" Ike demanded as the others ran out.

"Okay…These glitches are getting way too annoying!" Lan barked before he calmed down and held up a BattleChip with the image of Sonic's head completely blue on it, "But at least it gave Megaman a new Double Soul. See?"

"You dummy!" Maylu barked before tackling Lan into a hug, "I was so worried about you…"

"Maylu…" Lan whispered.

"Lan and Maylu sittin' in a tree…" Naruto began before Eva whacked him in the face with a frying pan.

Lan and Maylu separated and looked away from each other, blushing. Naruto walked back inside, grumbling as he rubbed his sore nose. Sonic gave Master Hand a look and the floating hand simply 'nodded.' The two, along with Shahra and Caliburn, walked away from the others. The four soon entered a large room lined with various book-filled shelves on various volumes. Master Hand floated behind a large desk while Sonic and Shahra sat down in one of the chairs in the room.

-You saw him?- Master Hand asked.

"Yeah," Sonic replied as he unconsciously rubbed the area over his heart, "He was the one who summoned the Ifrit Golem…again. But I thought he was sealed away in the Evil Foundry."

-Yes. But stories can always change when you do not notice- Master Hand replied –I will try to figure out how he escaped and how he managed to enter the system. In the meantime, I give you permission to use everything you have in trade of you losing permission to use various Items in the battle except for the new Items, the Assist Trophy, and the Smash Ball-

"Thank you, Master Hand," Sonic bowed, "I don't want him to hurt Shahra…not again."

Master Hand nodded before Sonic stood up to leave followed by Shahra who floating behind him. He turned and flew up to the highest shelf and pulled out two books. He gently placed them upon his desk and opened them both.

-If Erazor managed to free himself, then what chances are there of Arthur or even the Dark Queen to return? Even if those happened, the chances of others such as Andross, the Titan Dweevil, or even…Dimentio are very high- Master Hand murmured as he flipped through the various pages of the tales –Just what is happening to the tournament if dangers such as these are reappearing?-

A pink mist appeared before Tabuu before forming a figure. The figure was impressive. He also looked rather human, with the exception of his pointed ears and his charcoal black eyes. Red points of light were glowing in them like holes into a furnace and a set of shining teeth was bared in a leering grin. His crimson hair, tied into a pony tail, was swaying overhead wildly, rather like Shahra´s, but while her whole being seemed to radiate gentleness, modesty and shyness, this was pure rage and chaos unleashed. His dark brown leather cloak was flaring behind his bare, muscled chest as if caught in a violent storm and the purple lights encircling him were being reflected in the huge metallic buckle of the belt around his waist, on the brass large cuffs he wore on both wrists…and, of course, on his giant curved sword. It was kind of hard not to notice that. They went nicely with his dark violet trousers, too, the fabric of the material stretching over the bulging muscles in places. All in all, from his leather shoes with the curly tips on to the broad face with the massive brow and chin, he was probably more than seven feet tall. The figure´s face and body also were decorated with blood-red, tattoo-like lines, giving the impression of scars in places or tribal signs. To top it all off, he had a vermillion goatee, too. This was someone you did _not_ want to come across in a dark alley.

"Well?" the figure demanded as his eyes narrowed at the figure made of simple ones and zeroes.

"You did well, Erazor," Tabuu chuckled, "I am glad I took time to study them all and their histories."

"Yet you allowed a foolish sorcerer to fight?" a voice scoffed.

The two turned to see another figure approach from the darkness, yet it did not help much to reveal his figure. He wore malicious obsidian-infused golden knight armor adorned with gold bits of armor embedded in. Adorning his black helmet was a three-pronged gold crown. The faded light shimmered upon the various rubies and sapphires adorning his armor and crown. Though one could not see his eyes, the white in them were as clear as day. A gentle wind blew upon his violet jagged cape.

"You dare call me a sorcerer?! I am the Djinn of the Lamp! I am immortal unlike you!" Erazor laughed.

"Thou forget thine scabbard," the black knight replied as he held up a crimson and gold scabbard coated with a ominous violet and obsidian aura.

He grasped the hilt of the sheathed blade and slowly unsheathed it. Surprisingly, his sword was thrice the size and length of the scabbard. It had a malicious aura coating its jagged plated blade. In truth, it resembled more of a dragon-like tail of a deep vermillion than anything. He aimed the blade at Erazor who retaliated with his own blade. Before either could try to fight, a bolt of crimson and obsidian lightning struck the ground between them.

"Arthur, Erazor, cease thine foolish actions," Kalar ordered as he stepped out from the shadows, "I revived you, Arthur, as I released thee, Erazor, and I can simply reverse what I have done with equal ease. Is that clear?"

The two glared at Kalar for a few moments. They snorted before turning away from each other and sheathing their weapons. Kalar nodded to them both.

"Arthur, when the foolish rat takes the stage once more, you shall head out there to do battle with him," Kalar ordered, "Tabuu, when that happens, you better make it so that the stage will change to Faraway Avalon. It is, after all, a fitting grave for the King of Camelot."

Tabuu whimpered with a nod. Erazor just scowled at them all before vanishing in a plume of violet smoke. The Black Knight kneeled to Kalar before walking into the darkness once more. Kalar soon left, a deep ominous laughter echoing from where he last stood.

**Me: Eh-heh-heh…Maxforce thought up of the Megaman Final Smash, but I came up with Sonic-Soul's design.**


	35. Lakeside Dragon

***Peeks around corner* Anyone out there? *Steps around the corner* Hi there. Sorry I haven't done anything in so long. I've had other things taking up my time, school chief among them. Anyways, I'm gonna try to keep up with this story, even though school is kinda sapping my time. Now then, here's another chapter.

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**Lakeside Dragon**

"Alright, your 'majesty'," Tabuu said, saying the word like it left a bad taste in his mouth. "I've managed to hack into the schedule for the fights for the rest of today. I've set up the next fight to take place in a location I'm sure that you'll recognize. The Mysty Lake."**(Side Note: I bet I got that wrong, didn't I?)**

King Arthur looked up at the name, staring hard at Tabuu. "And what is thy wish," he asked, glaring at Tabuu with a hatred and contempt that Tabuu had never before seen in anyone. And that was saying a lot, considering who had hired Tabuu himself.

"Find a way to get rid of Solo. He is part of that group that Kalar wants us to destroy. I don't care how its done, as long as you don't reveal yourself. We cannot afford mistakes, not when all of our lives are on the line." Tabuu looked between King Arthur and Erazor as he said this, putting emphasis on the word 'our'. "I do not know about you two, but I would prefer to be free from my prison."

"As do I," Erazor said. King Arthur only continued to stare at Tabuu. He felt no contempt towards Erazor, but only because the djinn had done nothing to earn that contempt. Yet.

"Do you understand, Arthur? Or shall I repeat myself?"

"I understand," King Arthur said. "And do not presume to tell me what my job is. Only concern yourself with your own problems." With that, King Arthur turned and left the small room that Tabuu had set up as the access way to the Smash System.

"What the hell is his problem," Tabuu asked.

"Perhaps it is the lack of respect that is in this group," Erazor said, walking out of the room to see to his own needs.

***

"Attention please, attention," Master Hand said, standing in front of everyone in the room. The audience today was smaller than usual, with only a handful of the new people and a quarter of the veterans. "Due to today's lack of participants, we shall only hold three more matches."

"Hmph," Solo grunted, already losing interest. He turned to leave the room just as Master Hand announced the next match.

"Solo and Laplace versus Metaknight. Will the participants please come forward?"

"Damn it," Solo said, turning back to the stage, Laplace following him up the steps. "Let's just get this over with." They disappeared from the stage, reappearing beside a lake, mist hanging in the air.

Master Hand turned to Crazy Hand, who was currently spinning in place, bored out of his mind. "I thought that we set the stage for this match to Metaknight's Halberd," Master Hand said to his brother.

Crazy Hand stopped spinning and looked at the screen. "I guess not," he said and then went back to spinning.

Master Hand sighed and turned back to the screen. "What am I going to do with you?"

***

Metaknight charged Solo, swinging his blade down at him. A blue barrier appeared in front of Solo, effectively blocking the yellow blade. "What trick is this," Metaknight said, jumping back from Solo.

"It is no trick," Solo said. "The barrier of Mu is impenetrable."

"Mu? That is impossible. That is only a myth, mere legend." Metaknight circled Solo, trying to find a blind spot.

"A…myth?" Solo's fist tightened over the handle of his blade. The mention of his home brought back some memories. But hearing about his home was one thing. Calling it myth and a mere legend was something else entirely. "You dare call my home a 'myth'? Only a 'mere legend'?" Solo turned to look at Metaknight. "You will pay for those insults, bastard."

Off screen, everyone watched this small conversation. "Oh, boy. Metaknight's in for it now," Geo said. "That was the worst choice of words he could have used."

"What do you mean," Samus asked, who had chosen to stay to watch the rest of the day's matches.

"Well, Solo is the last survivor of Mu in our zone. As such, he's rather…sensitive about it. It's the only subject that I know of that can put him in a rage or make him quite somber."

Back on screen, Metaknight was desperately blocking Solo's blade, his defenses growing weaker with each strike. "So tell me, am I just a 'myth'," Solo asked, his rage evident in his tone. "Would you call me just a 'mere legend'?" He kept up his attack, his rage growing. Metaknight continued to back up, desperate to get away from Solo, even if it was just a single second. Because all he would need is a second. Metaknight waited for a chance to run, seeking that one opening that would let him get away from this raging Murian.

In the background, King Arthur stood under a tree, watching the battle. "Hmph. So, the one called Solo is rather sensitive to the legend of Mu," he said to himself. "But, from what that worm, Tabuu, has researched, he is indeed a child of Mu." King Arthur continued to watch. "He is an honorable fighter at least, defending what is dear to him." With that, he turned, heading toward a cave just beyond the wooded area. "It is now time for me to intercede in this farce."

"What say you now, you bastard," Solo said. "Is Mu really just a legend? A myth?" Metaknight didn't answer, instead choosing to concentrate on defending. Solo suddenly stopped his attack, an opening which Metaknight made good of. Wings unfurled from his cape, lifting him off the ground to hover just out of Solo's reach. "So, you choose to be coward?"

"I am no coward," Metaknight said. "I only wish to regain my breath." Metaknight stayed in his spot for a few more minutes, Solo glaring at him the entire time. "Now, we fight." Just as Metaknight began to dive, a roar was heard just beyond the hill, causing Metaknight to stop and Solo to stare in the direction of the sound.

Off screen, Sonic actually paled, his expression one of shock. "I know that roar." He ran onto the stage, turning to Master Hand. "You have to get me there. There's no way those two can handle that thing."

"Yes, that is a good point," Master Hand said. He turned to the computer, somehow typing in commands.

"Oh no you don't," Tabuu said, his eyes on the screen showing the room. He quickly connected a data tendril to a seemingly random stream of data bits. "You won't be interfering in these matches."

"Come on, what's the hold up," Sonic asked impatiently.

"I don't know," Master Hand answered. "The system is not responding to my commands."

"Damn glitches," Omega-xis said.

Back in the arena, a dragon had appeared over the hill, lumbering across the landscape. "Oh, shit," Metaknight said. He turned to Solo, who still had his eyes on the dragon. "We must work together if we are to leave here alive."

"No," Solo said, putting his eyes back on Metaknight. "First, I make sure that you suffer for your insults. Then, I will get rid of this beast myself."

"You can't be serious."

"But I am." Suddenly, before Metaknight could react, Solo jumped over him, slamming his sword hard into Metaknight's back, slamming him to the ground. Once he landed, he kicked Metaknight into the lake, sending him back to the auditorium.

"That fool," Metaknight said, getting to his feet, every movement sending pain lancing through his body. Solo had apparently broken a couple bones.

Solo turned to the dragon. "Do you wish to be next?" The dragon answered with a roar. It snapped at Solo, who chose to stand there as the dragon's jaws closed around him. As the dragon went to bite, it suddenly stopped, trying to figure out why its mouth had suddenly started to ache. The pain finally registered in its brain, to which its body reacted by throwing its jaws wide open, jerking its head away from Solo, and releasing a roar of pain. The tip of Solo's blade was covered in blood, the blood dripping off of it. "Not even you jaws could break the barrier of Mu. Simply pathetic." A Smash Ball appeared and Solo leapt to it to break it. "Such a creature should not be worth even this effort." Solo leaped over the dragon's head, bringing his blade down to smash into it, purple tongues of flame spreading out and down the dragon's body. The dragon gave one final roar, this one of anguish and defeat, when suddenly it began to depixalate around Solo's sword. "So, it was nothing more than a scrap of data."

***

"Well, I believe that it is obvious who the winner of this match was," Master Hand said as Solo reappeared in the room, his armor now gone and Laplace floating beside him.

"Not even worth my time," Solo said, walking out of the room.

Geo sighed. "I wish that guy wasn't so frustrating."

***

"You failed," Tabuu said, getting right to the point.

"It was not I who failed, but the beast," King Arthur said, currently searching through the library as he had neither the time nor the interest to learn how to actually use the cyber data system. "I only did what you asked me to do. Find a way to destroy the one called Solo. It is not my fault that the beast could not perform such a simple task." Tabuu was about to say something else, but King Arthur stopped him in midsentence. "And I would like to bring to the surface that you said to not reveal myself. By awakening the dragon, it becomes a coincidence, a fluke in the system. No one, not even that annoying blue hedgehog, will realize that it was I. Now then, I would request that you leave me to my studies. I have much to learn if I am to continue in the service of Kalar."

Tabuu just stood there for a few seconds, stunned at what King Arthur had just said to him. He then turned and left, fuming and mumbling as he made his way back to his small access room.

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**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please Review.**


	36. Feelings Revealed and a Meeting of Plans

**Ok, it's time for another match. Let's get started.

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**Feelings Revealed and a Meeting of Plans**

After Solo had left the room, a very tense silence fell over the room. After a bit, Master Hand announced the second match of the day. "Zaria Celest and Jennifer will now be facing Pikachu. Unless," Master Hand said, turning to Z, "you would also like to fight with Sarah at your side."

"Uh, Master Hand," Samus said. "Is that really fair?"

"Yes, actually. Young Zaria here is very much like Geo and Solo. Except that she can merge with multiple wave beings at once. So, it is, in its very essence, fair. As long as neither Jennifer nor Sarah choose to become tangible during the match." He turned to look at Jen and Sarah to make sure that his point came across.

"No need to worry about that," Sarah said, as cheerful as ever. "We won't interfere like that. Right, coz?"

"Right," Jen said.

"Alright then. Please, step onto the pad." The Smashers did so, reappearing on a stage that seemed to be floating in space. There were two columns in the center of the stage, stone platforms around the stage, as well as a lower level, and had a very creepy feel to it.

"This stage gives me the creeps," Z said, now in her multi form armor. Or at least her armor that she wore when wave changed with Jen and Sarah.

"Pika? Pi pika," Pikachu said.

"Ummm…" Z just looked at Pikachu, then to the Jen in the scope of the rifle. "Either of you have a translation for that?" Jen shook her head and Sarah appeared in the visor on her helmet to do likewise. "Yeah, didn't think so."

"Are the Smashers ready," Master Hand asked from the auditorium.

"PI," Pikachu answered, jumping up and down.

"Sure am," Z said, switching her rifle out for the star on her back.

"Then begin," Master Hand said.

***

THUNK

Z landed back on the ground, dodging a bolt of electricity and dashing for her star that she had thrown at Pikachu, who just missed out on having her tail lose two inches. Off screen, Max and Eva had decided to watch the match when they heard who was next, stopping their training to give her support. "When did Z's armor change," Eva asked, looking at Max.

"Remember when Sarah joined us," Max asked, using the question to begin his answer. "Well, there's something about Jen and her cousins that, until recently, was not known to them. There were only four people who knew about it. Me and the three uncles. Jen and her three cousins all share the same frequency."

"That is unheard of in our zone," Reaper said, her eyes on the match still. "Is it common here?"

"No. I think this is only the second case of such an event. Anyways, because Jen shares the same frequency with her cousins, Z can wave change with them as well. Either individually or in combination. A.k.a., the multi wave change. Her powers also change with each cousin." Max went quiet for a bit, then suddenly spoke the thought that had just occurred to him. "It may be worthwhile to find Z's other two cousins."

"The multi wave change," Eva said, looking back at the match. "It sounds kinda like the dragon harmony that Rena and I can do with Yami and Awai. Except that-"

"Yami and Awai are digimon, not wave beings," Max finished.

"Yeah." Eva seemed to ponder something for just a bit and then focused on the match. "It looks like fun."

"I'm sure it is." Max returned his attention as well, in time to see Z get hit by one of the earlier bolts of electricity, stunning her for just a bit.

"Ow!" Sarah exclaimed, wincing in the visor. "Man, that hurt like hell. I think that's the one downside to wave change. What one feels, the other does too." Suddenly, an item appeared that none of the new Smashers had seen before, but the veteran Smashers recognized it in a heartbeat. Pikachu broke the item and promptly turned invisible.

"I feel sorry for your friend," Samus said, walking over to join Max and Eva. "Pikachu visible is trouble, but an invisible Pikachu is absolute mayhem."

"I wouldn't count on that to save Pikachu," Max said, a smile touching his lips.

"Alright Sarah, time to get some more time in with this visor. Switch it to infrared," Z said, pulling her rifle from its spot on her back and putting the star in its place. She brought the scope up to her right eye and began tracking Pikachu with the muzzle. "Alright, let's see you dodge this one." She pulled the trigger, hitting Pikachu dead center, knocking her toward the edge. Pikachu managed to grab onto the ledge, just saving herself from a defeat. She started pulling herself back up, her invisibility wearing off as she pulled herself all the way onto the stage. "Darn. Should have followed with a second shot."

Off screen, Max was smirking and all of the veteran Smashers were getting out their wallets, grumbling. "Max, won't Z be angry that you ran a pool on her being able to hit Pikachu while invisible," Eva asked.

"Naw," Max said, then seemed to change his mind. "Well, it might be a good idea to give her half the money."

"Pika…PIIIIIIIII!" Pikachu closed her eyes, hunching over as electricity began to build around her body. Z heard what sounded like thunder, looking up in time to see a bolt of electricity coming down at her. She jumped to the side, just dodging it, but was still singed on her leg.

"OWW!" Z yelled, holding her leg. She took her hand off of the burn to get a look at it, discovering the armor had been turned black in that area. Her skin had a burn blister rising quickly on it.

"Pi?" Pikachu came closer to look at the wound and Z raised her rifle, thinking that Pikachu was going to attack again. "Pika?" Then Pikachu realized what Z had planned and quickly began waving her two front paws. "PI, PI! PIKA PI!" Even if Z couldn't understand what she was saying, she got the gist of it and lowered the rifle. Pikachu then stepped the last few feet between them to take a look at the wound.

Master Hand turned to Crazy Hand, who was sleeping. He knocked into him to wake him up. "Crazy, have you been tampering with the controls again," Master Hand asked his brother.

"Nope," Crazy Hand answered and promptly went back to sleep.

"Hmmmm." Master Hand turned to the computer, looking over it. "Everything seems to be normal. But with all these malfunctions, I can't be too sure anymore. And this very well may be the work of Erazor." He turned back to the match and spoke to the fighters. "I am going to call this match in Pikachu's favor for now. The system seems to be experiencing some difficulties with the environment of the stage. We will set up a bed in the infirmary for you, Zaria." He hit something on the computer's keyboard with his index finger, but nothing happened. "Uh oh," he said, turning back to the screen. Over the fighters, dark clouds had started to gather. Rumbles began to spread out from the cloud and lightning strikes were now hitting everywhere, but seemed to be getting closer and closer to the fighters.

"Shit," Max said, vaulting himself up onto the stage. "Can you still send people in there?"

Master Hand checked the screen. "Yes, I can."

"Hang on, I'm coming, too," Eva said, joining Max, who was in armor. She did a quick wave change. Both of them disappeared and reappeared on the stage.

"Max!" Z exclaimed, wincing as she moved her burnt leg. "What are you doing in here?"

"Helping you," he said, picking her up, trying to avoid the burnt area.

"How can I help," Eva asked.

Max looked at the strikes as they came closer and then looked at Eva's scythe. "You know how a lightning rod works?"

"Oh, duh," Eva said, smacking her forehead. She took her scythe in both hands and jammed it into the ground as hard as she could.

"Blade Fusion." Max was surrounded by a glow and when it was gone, he was in armor that resembled Blademan's. Readjusting Z to his left arm, he drew his katana, the katana morphing into a naginata, this time with a spike at the other end of the staff. He jammed it into the ground a little ways from Eva's scythe, looking at the lightning strikes once more. "We may need a few more metallic items." One of the strikes hit one of the two columns, snapping it in half. "And maybe a couple of barriers." He tried to think, which wasn't easy when you're racing against the clock. He then got an idea and for a second, a lightning strike fell at just the right angle, looking to the other three like a very strange substitute for the proverbial lightbulb. "Eva and Pikachu, I suggest you get closer to me." The two did so, Eva picking up Pikachu, now standing right next to Max. "Electric Aura, download." A yellow aura appeared around the four of them, just managing to cover them. Trying to use an aura with two people was difficult, but to get four in there proved to be easier if two of them held the others. A lightning strike suddenly hit them and Eva shrieked, effectively deafening Max partially in his left ear. When she noticed that no one was hurt, she noticed that the outside of the aura seemed to be wrapped in electrical currents. "Please don't scream in my ear like that."

"Sorry." They all stood there for what seemed like hours, but was really only a few minutes. Off screen, Master Hand was trying his damned best to get them out, but the system was glitching again.

"Damn it," Tabuu said, watching from his access room. He had hoped that by using the electricity from that electric mouse, he could cause a chain reaction in the stage, setting off a sudden electrical storm. But he hadn't counted on Master Hand actually sending people in to help.

"Having trouble," Erazor asked, coming in.

"What do you want, Erazor?"

"Nothing much. Just coming to check on your progress. But it would seem that there isn't much progress to speak of." He looked at the screen, smirking at Tabuu's failure. "Master Kalar won't like that."

Tabuu just glared at him. Erazor returned the look and then left. Tabuu turned back to the screen to see that the scythe and naginata were now taking most of the lightning strikes. "I really hate those people." He began to type furiously, seeing if there were some way he could get rid of the aura, when two roars made him look up. "Uh oh."

"What was that," Max asked, looking for the source of the two roars.

"Pi…" Pikachu began to shake, obviously scared of something. Suddenly, between the two columns…or rather, the one and one half columns…two much larger and definitely more intimidating pokemon appeared. The first one was a blue and silver color, standing on four legs. The second was more of a light red and silver color, standing on two legs, with a tail and two arms. They looked around at the sky, roaring once more.

"This can't be good," Z said, her leg still in pain. The two pokemon suddenly looked at them, as if just noticing them. They then turned their attention back to the sky, opening their mouths. A ball of energy began to build up at their mouths and they suddenly fired them, the balls releasing beams of energy that lanced into the clouds. The clouds seemed to change color and suddenly began to dissipate. "Or maybe it is." When all of the clouds were gone and the pokemon were sure they wouldn't return, they suddenly disappeared.

"Well…that was…," Max said, not able to finish the sentence. Suddenly remembering that they were in an aura, he released it, going over to pick up the naginata and reverting it back to its katana form. He then switched back to normal, Eva picking up her scythe. "What the hell was that?"

"Those were Dialga and Palkia," Master Hand said, his voice seeming to come from everywhere at once while they were still in the stage. "But those weren't the data versions. I am not sure how or much less why, but the actual pokemon came to fix the glitch somehow."

"NO!" Tabuu yelled, slamming his fist down in frustration. "Damn those two legendaries. Damn them. I was so close!" Tabuu slowly began to calm down, his fist relaxing, slowly, but still relaxing. "Ok, I can fix this. I can fix this…How do I fix this?"

"Ok, the system seems to be back to normal. I'm going to try bringing all of you back."

***

"Thanks again," Z said, reclining in one of the Smash Manor's infirmary beds, her leg wrapped in bandages. When they were brought back from the stage and Max brought her to the infirmary, the medic who treated her discovered that the burn had been much more severe than first thought. It had done a fair amount of damage, even with the armor protecting her. She would be out for the remainder of the tournament, as well as have to use a wheelchair for about a week before the medics would even consider giving her crutches.

"It wasn't a problem," Max said, sitting just to the side of her bed. Z looked at him and gave a small laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing," she answered. They remained quiet for a bit, a somewhat awkward silence filling the room. Z was the first to break it. "You know, you always seem to be there for me when it really counts." She looked at Max, who just returned the stare. "Ever since the first day I met you, you've been saving my ass when I'm close to death."

"That's no-"

"It is true," she said, interrupting him. "Don't you remember the first time we met? I would have been killed if you hadn't shown up when you did. And then, more than a year ago, before you disappeared, there was the thing with Mr. Meda before he broke Kalar's hold over him. And just now, when those lightning strikes could have killed me. And I don't know how many other times there have been." Max looked down, not offering any reply. "I owe you my life I don't know how many times over. And there's no possible way you can deny it." Another silence filled the room. It was fortunate that the room was empty, because this conversation would have been very difficult in the company of others. Even those who they knew very well.

"Z," Max said, breaking this silence first. "You're right. I can't deny it. It would go against every fiber of my being to let a person die, even if they're someone who doesn't deserve to live. And when I think about it, maybe it was that weakness that allowed Kalar to survive that blast. Maybe it was my lack of killer instinct that weakened the Forbidden Advance's power. I don't know. But like I said, I've never been able to go against that little voice in my head saying save them." He stopped for a bit, perhaps to let what he just said to sink in or perhaps to figure what he was going to say next. After a bit, he began speaking again. "But whenever I see you in trouble…I can't really explain it, but seeing you in that kind of trouble…it awakens something in me. But the first time I was sure of it was when Mr. Meda nearly killed you. I'd been angry before. I've gotten stronger with that anger, but that was adrenaline. When you nearly died that day, it was more than just adrenaline. It was the suit itself. It was…a different power than I had ever felt before. But like I said, I can't explain why." He looked at Z, who was just…staring at him. She suddenly leaned closer to him, embracing his neck, which surprised him.

"I'm pretty sure that I know," she said, her head resting on his shoulder. She then moved her head back to look at him. "And deep down, I think you do, too." She then closed the gap between their lips, which surprised him even more. Poor Max wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. But suddenly it didn't matter. In his mind's eye, he was watching fireworks. But if the kiss itself was surprising, the broken contact a few seconds later was just depressing.

"Uh…" He couldn't speak. Z giggled at his expression.

"Hey, Max," Sonic said from the doorway, making Max leap. Max looked down from the ceiling, his hands currently holding onto the holes that his fists had made in the ceiling, his armor now up out of reflex. "Master Hand wants to talk with you. Come on."

"Alright, just let me get down," Max said, releasing his hold to land in a crouch. He stood up, dusting his arms and legs off, his armor still in place, partially because he wanted to absorb as much of the shock of the fall as possible and partially because he was blushing. "Anyone ever tell you it's rude to sneak up on people like that," he asked, following Sonic out of the room and down the hall. Z listened as they walked down the hall and when she couldn't hear them anymore, she lay back, gave a content sigh, and tried to go to sleep.

***

When Max arrived in the study that doubled as Master Hand's, he saw that Sasuke, J, and Will were also there. "Ah, here is the final person," Master Hand said. "How is Zaria?"

"Mending," Max said. "Turns out the only thing that saved her leg was the armor. But she's gonna be out the rest of the tournament."

"Hmmm…a shame really."

"So…why did you call us here?"

"Because of these glitches," Master Hand said, getting straight to the point. "I highly doubt that these glitches are random. They are much too…coincidental, shall we say?"

"I agree with Master Hand on this," Sonic said, Shahra appearing from her ring. "The match that I had with Lan. You remember it, I'm sure. Well, let's just say that I saw someone who I recognized from my past."

"His name is Erazor, a djinn. An extremely dangerous, very powerful djinn."

"Hold on," Sasuke said. "Am I correct in assuming that you have called us here to discuss the possibility of this…djinnn…tampering with your system?"

"Yes, you are. That is why I have called you here. You, William, and J are the technical geniuses in your group, as I understand it.

"Well, yes," Will said. "But what are you suggesting?"

"I am not suggesting anything. Rather, I am asking for your help in discovering how he did this. My skills are rather limited when it comes to technology. I can give you access to the system. But that is the only help I can offer."

"Then why am I here," Max asked. "I'm not exactly genius material."

"Oh, but you are. That leg gear of yours is nothing short of a technological miracle."

"But that was when I was Walter, not Max. I don't have access to that kind of knowledge. And I'm pretty sure that I got lucky with this stuff anyways. No, I'm not the one that you want." The room went quiet, the other three considering. Suddenly, Max remembered someone that he had met over a year ago, someone who may be willing to help. "I do know someone who may have the technical know-how. Two, actually. We can bring them here." He turned to Sasuke. "If that remote is still working, that is."

"Yes, I believe it is," Sasuke said.

"Alright then. I'll give them a call."

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**Phew. That was a long chapter. I threw in the thing with Z because I felt guilty about not doing anything for Valentine's Day and because I felt guilty about setting up most of the other characters. Anyways, you know who belongs to whom. Please Review.**


	37. Back Up and Max's Past Meetings

**Ok, now you get to find out who Max was talking about.

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**Back Up and Max's Past Meetings**

"Max, other than Wily, who the hell do you know who would have this kind of tech know-how," Will asked.

"You'll see," Max said, setting up the coordinates of the two zones for the remote. "Alright, you go ahead and bring them here. I, uh, have something…to think over." He handed the remote to Sasuke and promptly left the room.

"Maybe we should move to a more open area," J said. "We don't want to have to pay for damages." They walked out of the study into the foyer and then went outside.

"Alright, this'll take a bit," Will said. "Trying to pull them from there to here is really gonna tax the teleporter."

"We may have to rely on you and Max to get us home after this, J," Sasuke said.

"Yeah. Damn, it's been a long time since I've had to do a zone transfer. Max and I may not even be able to do it," J said, kicking a clod of dirt. A flash suddenly lit the front of Smash Manor, blinding those present. Once it was gone, standing there was Wily and beside was a red robot. The robot looked strangely familiar to J and then he remembered. "You're the robot that tried to kill us at Beamer's."

"Ah. You must be J," the robot said. "Name's Packer. It's nice to meet you on better terms." He looked at Will and J, Will with his G Blade at Packer's neck, J with his right wrist blade at Packer's gut. "Um…we are on better terms, aren't we?"

"Will, J, I do not believe that this being presents any threat to us," Sasuke said. "If Max asked him to come, then he can obviously be trusted." Will and J finally lowered their weapons, their armor returning to its spot.

"Alright then," Will said. "First sign of trouble…"

"Come on. Do I really look like a trouble maker," Packer asked, holding his hands palm up. He then looked at his claws. "Ok, ignoring the claws, I don't really look much like a bad guy…do I?"

"I don't think so," Master Hand said. "Now then, if you'll all please follow me, I will show you to the main computer server. Feel free to make yourselves at home." He headed into the building, the others following him.

***

"What's this," Tabuu said, looking between computer screens. One showed data for tomorrow's line up. The other was the newcomers. He opened a third screen, playing back the scene from Master Hand's study. "So, those fools plan to stop me. Or rather, Erazor, as they believe it. Well then, I suppose I'll play along for a bit." He started extending data tendrils from the fingers on his right hand to various data streams. "Let's see how they handle my tests."

***

CHINK

A robot split in half, Max panting heavily. He had come to the Smash Room and set the survival mode to its hardest setting, changing out his aura fusions from time to time. He was currently in one of his first ever fusions, Kendo Fusion. He looked back on memories as the training program ran through a list of possible enemies for him to fight. "Program end," he said aloud. He had come to this room to sort through things, thinking that strenuous exercise was just the thing he needed. But all it did was to help bring other things to the surface. He went back to his room, jumping onto the bed, sighing to himself. "Why does everything have to be so damn hard?" He just sat there, thinking back to the conversation that he and Z just had no less than half an hour ago. "Am I really always saving her from death's edge?" He thought back to the first time that they had ever met.

-Flashback starts-

"_Maybe you need to learn some manners," a rather large, heavy set man said to a young girl with purple hair. Max was just walking by, on his way to pick up some things that Will claimed was necessary for that defense system of his and happened to be in the right place at the right time._

"_Just…leave me alone," the girl said, trying to run out of the alley, but another goon had blocked her._

"_Oh no. You don't get off that easy, ya little bitch," the man said. He drew a knife, stepping towards her. "You need to learn some manners. And we're going to teach you some." He laughed, wheezing as he did so._

"_You know, from where I'm standing, you're the ones who need to learn some manners," Max said, causing the goon to turn around and face him, the man with the knife to stop his advance temporarily._

"_Rod, take care o' the punk," the man with the knife said Rod advance towards Max, smirking. He took a swing at Max, but was surprised to find his fist had been caught. If he had still been conscious, he would have been even more surprised by just how hard the uppercut hit. "Why, you little!"_

"_You're next, piggy boy." Max held up his hand, flicking his fingers towards himself, telling the man to bring it._

"_You're gonna wish you had stayed outta this." The man swung with a speed that surprised Max, who managed to dodge just enough to avoid getting grazed with the knife. The man took another swing, missing once more. But this time around, Max waited until the blade was completely over him and then brought up his head, hard, into the man's chin. The man coughed a bit and then spat, blood coming out with it. There was also a small white object that seemed very familiar to the man. "My tooth. The little bastard knocked out my tooth." He suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Max with his right fist drawn back. "This is gonna hurt, ain't it?" Max just nodded before his fist hit the man's nose dead center._

_Max rubbed his knuckles. "Damn. Shouldn't have done that without armor on." He turned around to see if the girl was okay, but she was nowhere to be found._

"_Is it safe to come out," a voice said from behind three trashcans. Upon closer inspection, Max saw that the girl hadn't quite ducked far enough beneath it, seeing as how her hair was visible._

"_Unless there's a third guy who's invisible, then yes, it's safe." Max went over to the trashcans, looking at the girl. He offered his hand and she took it, using him to pull herself up._

"_Thank you."_

"_No problem. I'm Maxwell. But just Max is fine. And you are…?"_

"_Ummm…Zaria. But please just call me Z." Max felt a pain in his arm and looked down to see that Z had apparently latched onto his arm with her free hand, gripping tightly. _She must have been really freaked out_, he thought to himself._

"_Would you like to come with me?"_

"_Huh?" She then noticed that her one hand was still holding his and her other was gripping his arm tightly. She hurriedly let go. "Oh, sorry!"_

"_Again, no problem." He suddenly felt like someone was watching them and he began to look around. "Anyone there?"_

"_Um…me," Z said._

"_No, I meant…" He then noticed the purple flames at the corner of the alley, the end that was away from the street. "Hey!" The flames moved a bit. _Ok, now I know it's either a navi or wave being_, he thought. "Come on out. I'm not gonna do anything." The flames moved once more._

"_Jen, it's ok to come out," Z said. The flames moved fully into view this time._

"…"_Max just stood there, trying to understand how his day had taken such a strange turn._

-Flashback ends-

"Huh. Guess I did save her from certain death that time." He continued to lay there, thinking over other meetings he'd had in the past. "There was the first time I met Beamer. I remember thinking how crazy strong he was, wanting to be as powerful as him."

-Flashback starts-

"_OW!" A thirteen year old Max jumped at the sound as he walked past the old pizzeria. He stared in wonder at the restaurant, which had been closed for a couple years now. "Damn movers. Can't pack anything right." Whoever was in there continued to say a few choice words about the movers, getting louder as the owner of the voice came back out. It turned out to be netnavi with what looked like bat ears and a trench coat on his body. His navimark was visible, which looked like a lower cased f, except italicized. "What do ya want, kid?"_

"_Um, nothing," Max answered. "Just wondering what you're doing at this old pizzeria."_

"_I own this place now." The navi turned to look at the building, a hint of pride on his face. "First thing in my life that is truly mine. Gives me a warm feeling, ya know?" He turned back to Max. "May as well introduce myself, since you'll probably be hearing about me around town. I'm Beamer."_

"_I'm Max. It's nice to meet you." Max looked around the boardwalk. "Uh, do you need any help?"_

_Beamer followed his eyes, seeing the piles of boxes. "Sure. Just grab what you can carry."_

"_Ok." Max bent down to pick up a box and was surprised at just how heavy it was. He turned around to ask Beamer what it was, only to find he had disappeared and a couple of piles of the boxes with him. Beamer then came back out the front door, dusting his hands. "Did you just…move all of those boxes at once?"_

"_Yep. Thought it would be more of a workout, especially with my limiters. Damn things must be broken again. Shouldn't have been that easy to move those three ovens." He went over to another pile of boxes, picking them up with ease. He looked at Max. "Well, don't just stand there gawking, grab something. If you can't pick it up, then find something else you can carry."_

"_Oh, right." After a couple of hours, all of the boxes were inside and another three hours passed before they were all unpacked. Max and Beamer were sitting at one of the tables that they had set up, drinking tall glasses of ice water._

"_Thanks for your help kid." Beamer leaned back, noticing how Max was looking at him. "Something bothering you?"_

"_Well, no. It's just…well, you moved most of those boxes like they were nothing. How did you get so strong?"_

_Beamer chuckled. "You don't remember me complaining about limiters?" He took something off of both wrists and ankles, setting four large rings on the table. "These are why I'm so strong. These limiters normally suppress my true strength to a tenth of its potential. But they've been acting up lately. I need to get them checked."_

"_I know someone who could help you with those."_

_Beamer looked surprised. "Really? I didn't think that there were many people outside of my home town who could work on these kinds of things." He sat there, looking at the limiters and at Max. "Tell ya what. I send you to this guy with my limiters to fix 'em up and you come back with them once my restaurant is officially set up. I'll make you guys my top priority as customers. Sound fair?"_

"_Sure." Max tried to pick up one of the limiters, but couldn't. "Uh…I can't move it."_

"_Sorry. Should probably turn these things off." Beamer picked one up, doing something on the inside of the ring, putting it down and repeating the process for the other three. "There you go."_

"_Alright. I guess I'll be back at opening time." Max left the building, going home to the HQ to see what Will and J could do with the limiters._

-Flashback ends-

"I remember all too well how they fixed those things. They ended up making them too good, enough that they were forced to add an adjustment switch to the limiters." Max laughed at the memory of Beamer pinned to the floor by his own limiters. "Now that I think about it, he's probably been increasing the strength of the limiters over the last three or four years. I wonder just how powerful he's gotten."

***

Packer and Wily were furiously tapping at individual keyboards, Sasuke, J, and Will staring at the individual screens. "So, this Erazor," Packer said, his tone of voice very casual. "He's supposed to be from the book _Arabian Nights_, right?"

"Yes," Shahra said, trying to understand the 1s and 0s on the computer screens. She looked at Packer, who returned the look, his fingers not once slowing down. "But how did you know about that book?"

"Well, I did research zones and zone portals. So it was only a matter of time before I accidentally fell into a few of them. Yes, I remember falling into a zone that seemed to be more of a desert. I later learned that I had ended up in a book by that title."

"But how did you…," Sonic begin, trailing off.

"Ah, I thought I recognized you two. You were running by when I first arrived and I remember overhearing your conversation. Although I doubt you would remember seeing me. I was half buried in sand." He returned his attention back to the screens and the keyboard. "I must admit, for a djinn living in such a…technologically challenged environment such as the _Arabian Nights_, the little bastard certainly knows his way around binary code. Perhaps I should try using tertiary."

"You can use tertiary code," Wily asked.

"Yep. All my computer systems back in the Prime Zone are mostly based off of the tertiary code. I can also use hex decimal, which is no mean feat for me."

"Very impressive. And you may have a point. Why not try to combat this djinn with hex decimal right now? I'm sure he'll get a kick out of it if he really is the one doing this."

"Isn't hex decimal used for game programming," J asked Will.

"Yeah. These guys are crazy. Good," Will said, "but crazy."

"We heard that," both Packer and Wily said.

***

Tabuu was trying to keep up with the two tech enthusiasts, but was on the verge of admitting defeat. Or at least, he was willing to switch to something much harder. "I may have some fun with these two," he said, a smile flashing across his lips. "Hmmm…it seems they've switched to hex decimal. What kind of idiot uses a code used for game programming?" Suddenly, Tabuu's arm jerked. "Oh, shit." His body began to go into spasms, forcing him to disconnect from the system. He stood there, gasping. "Damn it. Didn't think that would happen."

***

"Hell. Looks like our little hacker suddenly logged off," Wily said, stopping his typing, Packer following suit. "Well, that was certainly fun." He turned to Master Hand. "But there is definitely something in your system. There were doors all over the place, although they were incredibly hard to find. And that was just in the item storage alone. There could be more in other sections of the system."

"We can try to set up some safeguards, but they won't hold up for very long," Packer piped in. "Whoever is in your system, and I highly doubt that it is Erazor, they know their way around your system intimately. I would suggest postponing this tournament." Master Hand was about to say something, but Packer held up a hand. "Now, let me finish. Normally, that is what I would suggest. But Max told me what's at stake for them. Instead of suggesting postponing, I'm going to suggest that you put me and Wily at a terminal whenever you have a match. We may not be able to stop the hacker, but we can at least slow him down."

Master Hand considered and agreed. "Alright then. As I said, I can give you free access to the system. But that is all."

Wily turned to look at the three boys who had just stood there and watched. "You boys can move along. Concentrate on the tournament. Packer and I can handle this much," he said.

"Well, if you're sure," J said.

"I'm absolutely sure. Now, go on. Get back to the tournament." The boys left, still unsure if the two men could really do it by themselves. "I know that look. We can do it. Now, keep your mind on this tournament and do the best you can."

***

Tabuu was rubbing his temples, sitting at the table in the common room that he had set up for the three of them. "Those two are much better than I anticipated. I never would have thought of using a hex decimal based defense. But next time," he said, his tone one of determination, "I won't be caught off guard like that again."

"So, the great blue data scrap was beaten," Erazor said, walking into the room. "This is so very interesting. How will Master Kalar feel about this?"

"You breathe a word of this to him, you half time magician, and I'll make sure that you end up back in that prison of yours. Got it?" Tabuu was now standing, face to face with Erazor.

"I would suggest you back up," Erazor said, malice in his voice. "Lest I show you what kind of 'half time magician' I really am." Even with that threat, Erazor was still the first one to leave the room. Tabuu sat back down, planning out he would deal with the two computer specialists.

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**Well, that was rather interesting. And from my limited knowledge, I'm fairly sure that computers can't read tertiary code. But that's just how good Packer is. You know who belongs to whom. Please Review.**


	38. Break Day

**You ever try typing while eating popcorn with chopsticks? Cause that's what I'm doing right now. It ain't easy. Anyways, let's move on to the story.

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**Break Day**

"I apologize for summoning all of you so abruptly," Master Hand said, "but I needed to let you all know that we will not be holding any matches today."

"You had to wake us up at four in the morning for _that_?" Naruto asked, peeved at missing his sleep.

"Again, I apologize. Now then, the reason that we will not be doing any matches is because we have brought in two computer specialists to try and fix the glitches." Master Hand had not exactly told everyone else that the glitches were actually hacking attempts, but he thought that it wasn't really necessary at the moment. "They believe that it will take a good portion of the day, so we will begin again tomorrow…we hope."

***

A few hours later, everyone was back up, trying to find things to do. Most of the veterans went off in groups, while most of the new people stayed at the manor. J was currently waiting for Jen, who should have met with him an hour ago. He heard footsteps and looked up to see Jen, in human form, finally coming up to him. "Hey. Where have you been," he asked.

"Checking on Z," she answered. "You know how it is."

"Yeah, I do. How is she doing today?"

"Oh, she's doing pretty well." Jen smiled, acting as if she knew something that J didn't, which she did.

"What?"

"Nothing," she said, her tone suggesting otherwise.

"Come on, what is it? I know what that tone means." J looked at her, determined to find out what she knew.

"I promised I wouldn't say anything just yet." And with that, she latched onto his arm, steering him to the door of Smash Manor.

_Sometimes I wonder why I even try,_ J thought to himself.

***

"I sure hope Jen will keep quiet," Z said to herself, leaning back.

"Keep quiet about what," Sonic asked, startling her.

"Well, if I want someone to keep quiet about it, I'm obviously not going to tell."

"You and Max, right," Sonic said, smirking because he already knew the answer.

Z froze, her face going pale. "Just how long were you standing in that doorway yesterday?"

"Long enough." Sonic looked at the wheelchair beside her bed. "You plan on using that thing at all?"

"No," Z said rather hastily, more than happy to change the subject. "I figure that it would be better to just stay in here till I can use crutches at the very least."

Sonic just stood there staring at her for a bit, then shrugged. "Eh. Whatever." He then turned around to walk out of the room.

"Sonic?"

"Don't worry," he said, walking out the door. "I won't tell anyone." Then, almost as an afterthought, he popped his head back in the door. "By the way, since we have the day off, the veteran Smashers are going to hold a special lunch at about one today. Feel free to come." He then left again, his footsteps fading. Z looked at the wheelchair.

"Well, maybe just this once."

***

"Off," Will grunted as he landed hard on the ground. He had agreed to spar with Tommy, but this friendly match had turned into a full blown fight. "Alright, let's see how you handle this. Combat Systems, Online." Will's armor began to shift, his new armor sliding up, the second sword forming.

"Hey, we agreed no new moves," Tommy complained.

"Yeah, we also agreed no sand based moves, but you broke that rule." Will slashed at him with the left sword, holding the right sword just behind his body. Tommy blocked, only to find the right sword now slamming into his side, knocking him away from Will.

"Are you two done," Kassie asked from the Smash Room, her voice piped in through the intercom.

"Yes," Tommy groaned out, waving a small white flag on a twig. "I give up." Tommy and Will disappeared from the virtual stage they had set up, reappearing on the training pad.

"I thought it was supposed to be a friendly sparring match."

"Well, it started out that way," Will said.

"And went downhill from there," DC finished, floating beside Tommy.

"So, was there any special reason you interrupted our match," Tommy asked, holding his side where the sword hit.

"Dude, are you okay," Will asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've taken worse."

"Ahem," Kassie coughed, getting their attention. "Anyways, the reason I interrupted was because the older Smashers are having a lunch at around one for everyone. Which is in about two hours."

"Two hours? Damn, we could have finished that match," Will said.

"No, no, that's alright," Tommy said hastily.

"Well, if you're sure."

"Yes, I am completely sure. One hundred percent."

"Alright then. Guess I'd better see what I have in the way of lunch occasions."

***

"Hey, Z," Max said, walking into her room, only to find it empty. But the wheelchair was still in here. "Uh…"

"Right here," Z said, Max turning to look and then abruptly turning away. She was still throwing a shirt on, making him blush.

"Could have told me you weren't decent."

"And you could have knocked. Alright, now I'm decent," she said.

"Maybe I'll just wait for you outside." Z sat down in the wheelchair, rolling over to turn him around.

"See? I'm decent. Jeez, you'd think that's your first time seeing a girl in her delicates."

"Yeah, well, seeing my sister is one thing. Seeing a friend is another."

"You have a sister?" Z was rather surprised by this news.

"Yeah." Max reached into his pocket, pulling out his wallet. He opened it up, showing her some pictures. In the one that he pointed out specifically was a five year old Max and a girl who looked to be around eleven, holding him tightly. She had silver hair, obviously taking after her father in hair, her eyes a jade green. "Haven't heard from her in a long time."

"She's beautiful."

"Thanks." He put the wallet back in his pocket. "She'd be around twenty one now. I really should try and get in touch with her. Hey, are you going to that lunch?"

"Yeah." Max stepped behind the wheelchair, taking hold of the handles. "You don't have to-"

"We're both going the same way. It's no problem." He steered the wheelchair out of the room, moving at a leisurely pace. "Damn, now that I think about it, Taly's probably been worried sick about me and J for the past few years."

"Where did she get to?"

"Well, she was a certifiable genius, much like Sasuke. She went to college a few years earlier than most would. She chose to live on campus, so J and I weren't able to see her as much as we used to. We did manage to keep in contact, up until we lost mom." He grew quiet for a bit, trying to calm himself down. "Anyways, she didn't know what had happened to me and J. I wonder what it would be like to see her again. Fuck, I don't even know if she married. I may have a niece or nephew now."

"You really should track her down when this is over with."

"Yeah, I suppose I should." Max continued in silence, which made Z feel a little uncomfortable. Suddenly, he spoke. "Why, Z? That kiss yesterday…what brought that on?"

Z reddened, her hope that he wouldn't bring it up now shattered. "Well….I….that is to say…."

"Never mind. We'll talk about it later." Z relaxed again, happy that he was so willing to place the subject aside. "Wonder what kind of stuff will be at that lunch."

"I hope it's at least edible. Although I could eat just about anything right now. I haven't had anything to eat since yesterday afternoon."

***

Max and Z ended up being the last ones to arrive. Just about everyone, even Solo and Shadow, had showed up to the lunch. There was a huge buffet table set up, surrounded by several smaller tables with more food and tons of desserts. "Wow," Z said. She grabbed hold of the wheels. "I think I can manage from here."

"Alright," Max said, letting go of the handles, Z rolling off to the table. Max looked around, taking in the surroundings. He noticed that Zero and Link were staring each other down, two bottles of some type of sauce between them. He walked over to find out what was going on. "What's up over here?"

"These two idiots are going to have a drink off with hot sauce," Zelda said, standing beside Layer.

"This isn't going to end well," Layer said.

"What sauce is it," Max asked, trying to get a better look at the label as the two drinkers lifted the bottles.

"Dunno. Something called Volcanic Meltdown."

"Uh oh," Max said, paling. "We may want to step back."

"Why," Zelda asked, her tone changing to suspicion.

"Because that's one of the main ingredients of Beamer's flamer," Max said, backing up.

"Oh boy," Layer said, grabbing Zelda's arm and pulling her back.

"Five, four, three, two…one." At the end of Max's coundt down, Link and Zero's faces both turned red, steam shooting from their ears. They both yelled, flames leaping from their mouths. "How the hell did they get their hands on that stuff?"

"I don't know. They just found them in the kitchen at Smash Manor." Link and Zero were currently gulping water, drinking pitchers at a time. "Try milk, honey." Zero ran to the drink table, grabbing a milk bottle from one of the many coolers, drinking it as fast as he could. He gave a sigh of relief and then threw a bottle to Link, who caught it and began to chug it.

"Give me these," Max said, snatching the bottles from the two swordsmen before they could try that again. "The stupidity of people today," Max grumbled, walking away from them. He suddenly had a thought and turned around to snatch the two spare bottles they had brought. "Next time, I'm gonna kick your asses, got it?" They both nodded, suddenly sullen. Considering the look in his eyes, that was the smartest thing they could do. He walked off, throwing the little bottles into a pouch on his belt.

***

"Well, glad to see you about," Jen said, walking up to Z with J in tow.

"Hey guys," Z said, offering a smile. "Yeah, heard about the lunch. Decided to grab some food."

J and Jen stared at her plate, which was piled high with foods. "Got enough there," J asked.

"Hey, I haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon. I'm starving."

"Alright, alright," J said, throwing up his hands in mock surrender. "No need to get defensive."

"Better keep you beau in line, Jen," Z said. "I might just end up beating him up." She smiled, laughing, Jen laughing with her. J, however, didn't, because he's seen what a pissed off Z is capable of. She was on par with a pissed off Kassie, just not as scary. "Come on, lighten up J. This is supposed to be a relaxing lunch." She rolled off with her mountain of food, leaving Jen and J to themselves.

"We have some really weird friends." J and Jen then walked away from the table, seeing who they could talk with, when they noticed Lan, Maylu, Geo, and Sonia all sitting by a pond. Maylu and Sonia both had their heads on Lan and Geo's shoulders, respectively. "Did that just happen or was that during the year that Max was gone?"

"J, take a look at everyone else," Jen said. J did so and noticed that he couldn't see anyone else from the lunch. "I think this is supposed to be a private moment."

"Yeah, guess so. Let's go ahead and get back to the lunch before they notice us." They turned around, leaving the two couples to themselves.

***

"Well, you seem to be enjoying yourself," Eva said to Yami, who was wolfing down a mountain of food that he had managed to talk one of the many attendees into getting for him.

"This food is great," he said, looking up. "Almost as good as those fish viruses."

"Just don't overdo it," Awai piped in. "If you end up getting sick tomorrow, we won't be able to care for you."

"Please. I have an iron gut." Yami returned to filling his "iron gut," Eva walking off to find Rena.

She moved through the lunch, eventually finding Rena with a plateful of vegetables and fruits. "There you are Eva," Rena said, noticing her friend. "I was wondering if you had come or not."

"Yep," Eva said, grabbing an apple from Rena's plate. "This food is something else, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I don't think I've ever had fruit or vegetables quite like this. There's something about them that's different from ours, but I can't put my finger on it." Rena continued to eat, thinking about it.

"Nature played its part in this," Samus said, overhearing their conversation. "Your foods are farm grown, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, these foods have never once been touched by human hands. Not even to plant them. Nature just takes its course here, providing nutrients that we've never really used before."

"I'm gonna have to grab some more of these before we leave then." Rena offered some of her food to Samus, who declined.

"Not really hungry."

***

And so, the lunch continued for a few hours, everyone finally leaving to go back to Smash Manor at around four. Many of them wanted to stay there for dinner just because of how late it was, but nature decided to turn against them by turning on the water works. By the time they got to the manor, they were all soaked to the bone and it was rather surprising that no one became sick from it. Packer and Wily had been working most of the day on setting up various safeguards, firewalls, and dummy hallways in the system, which they claimed should fool the hacker, if only for a few minutes at a time. Unfortunately, setting up the dummy hallways involved getting some hands on experience with the wiring, so there was a rather faint odor of singed hair and burnt metal.

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**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. You know who belongs to whom. Please Review.**


	39. Resuming the Matches

**Ever have one of your Megaman games that you spend a couple hours on just getting past the easiest of bosses and tutorials suddenly reset on you? Cause that just happened with my Megaman BN 4 Blue Moon. Maybe it's because it's a ROM, but either way, it's got me pissed off. Anyways, let's get onto the story.

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**Resuming the Matches**

Most of everyone was gathered in the auditorium, waiting for Master Hand, who was late, which was highly unusual. "I feel like we're waiting for Uncle Kakashi," Netto said to Naruto, who apparently shared the feeling.

Master Hand suddenly appeared from the right of the stage, floating very slowly to the podium, as if he hadn't gotten any sleep. Which he hadn't. "Good morning everyone," he said, fighting to stay awake. "Today our…matches will………resu-….ZZZZZZZZZZZZ" Everyone just kind of sat there stunned. Crazy Hand then came onto the stage.

"Sorry about that everyone. Bro had some trouble sleeping last night," Crazy Hand said. "So, until he wakes up, I'll be announcing who will be fighting today." Crazy Hand then pried a clipboard out from under Master Hand, trying to avoid waking his brother up. "Ok, let's see who we have today." He scanned the clipboard, humming. "It looks like it's Naruto fighting Mario. The stage is….what?! This isn't any good. No, no, we're changing it to something more fun."

"I have a very bad feeling about this," Kyuubi said.

After a few minutes, Crazy Hand called the fighters up, the stage now reprogrammed. "I think you fellas are gonna like this."

"Knowing-ah you, we won't," Mario said.

"Just step on the pads."

***

The stage turned out to be a small meadow at a forest's edge. It seemed harmless enough, but that didn't mean that Naruto, now in Cross Fusion, and Mario were going to be careless about it. A small furry animal suddenly appeared from the forest's edge, scurrying up to Naruto. "Hey, there little guy," Naruto said, bending down to stretch his hand forward. "What are you doing here?" The animal sniffed his hand and then stared at him. Suddenly, it stretched its jaws open, which were much wider than they looked, and bit down, hard, on his hand, up to the knuckles. Naruto kept the same smile on his face for a few seconds, then lost. "WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!" He tried to shake the thing off, but to no avail. It was latched on and it wasn't planning on letting go. Naruto started to hit the thing, but it still wouldn't let go.

"Ah-hang on," Mario said, running over to him. He grabbed the animal's legs. "On-ah three, we pull. One-ah…two….and-ah THREE!" They both began to pull as hard as they could, but the little sucker still wouldn't let go. "Hmmmmmm…." Mario tried to think of a way to get the animal off, but couldn't come up with anything. And the match hadn't even started yet. "Perhaps a fireball." Mario suddenly launched a fireball from his right hand, striking the animal on its haunch, which finally resulted in it letting go and running off, yelping.

"Are you two done," Crazy Hand asked. "Then begin."

***

Naruto made the opening move, bringing out some clones. "Get ready, Mario," Naruto said. He then sent all of the clones after him. Mario began to shoot fireballs at the clones, hitting most of them, but then had to switch to punches and kicks when they got in close.

"Time-ah for a temporary retreat-ah," Mario said, running into the forest.

"HEY! GET BACK HERE!" Naruto followed him, dodging around trees to catch up to Mario. He came into a small clearing, no sign of Mario anywhere. "Damn it, where'd he go?"

_Look up kid, look up,_ Kyuubi said. Naruto did so to see a large spider web above his head.

"Where the hell are we? What else could be here?"

A Smash Ball appeared, but before Naruto could even look at it, a fireball broke it. Naruto looked to where the shot had come from, finally finding Mario, now with a rather large looking book bag on his back, a hose connected to it in his hand. Just as he aimed the hose at Naruto, a giant spider, roughly the size of a minivan, dropped down to grab Mario. "AHHHHHHH!" The spider climbed back up, bringing Mario with it. Mario managed to shift his body around just enough to aim the hose at the spider, pulling the lever on it. A pressurized stream of water hit the spider, which caused the spider to release him, as well as taking off three of the thing's legs. Mario hit the ground hard, stunned for a bit. When he regained his senses, he wondered why Naruto hadn't attacked him.

"Soon as I get down, you're dead meat, you son of a bitch." Mario looked up to see that a second spider had grabbed Naruto and had succeeded in wrapping him in webbing on the web above and that Naruto was trash talking the spider. He took aim to release the water, but the pack disappeared, the time limit for it up. "Come on, just one arm," Naruto mumbled, struggling to free his right arm from its prison. He finally succeeded, revealing that he had a kunai. He threw it at a Smash Ball that Mario hadn't yet noticed. Naruto disappeared in a cloud of smoke, a good portion of the web with it, the spider backing away from the cloud. When the smoke disappeared, Naruto's armor had changed. It was now a gold color, the little sunlight getting through the canopy glinting off of various spots on the armor. His right hand was replaced with an armored fox head, flames shooting out the back of the head. His left hand held a double edged sword that had a strange pattern glowing on it. "Cross Fusion Kyuubi: Berserker Mode."

"Why does that form look familiar," Geo asked off screen.

Naruto first turned his attention to the spider, disappearing to reappear behind it. He brought his sword down on it, slicing the thing in half. Once that was done, he jumped off the web to land in front of Mario, who began to back away. Naruto charged him, swinging his sword, just grazing Mario. But that little 'nick' resulted in Mario flying back, knocking through a few trees. Naruto was right behind him, slicing right through the trees, not once slowing down. When he reached Mario, he slid toward him, coming up with his foot to knock him into the air. He followed Mario up, using the trees as walls to get just higher than Mario. He slammed the sword into Mario's gut, knocking the wind out of Mario and sending him into a teeth jarring halt at the ground. Naruto's new armor suddenly disappeared, the time limit up before it was supposed to be. "What the hell? I still had twenty seconds in that armor."

***

"Finally got through this damned fire wall," Tabuu said, watching the match as Naruto slammed Mario into the ground with that rather large sword. Suddenly, Naruto's armor disappeared, no doubt due to Erazor's attempt at destroying the two fighters. "What is that idiot thinking?" Tabuu continued to watch, waiting for something, anything, to happen.

***

"Fucking glitches," Naruto said. He took a step toward Mario, who responded by taking a step back. Unfortunately, they had both stepped into well hidden loops, jerking both their bodies upward. They were now hanging upside down by their legs, spinning slowly. "When we get back, I'm gonna kill Crazy Hand."

"I-ah just might join you," Mario said. They heard a high pitched buzzing noise, but couldn't find the source of the sound. Mario suddenly saw a cloud of flying insects as he continued to spin, the insects destroying everything in their path. "Uh, Naruto. I-ah think we-ah have a problem."

Naruto continued to spin, eventually seeing the cloud of insects. "I think you're right, Mario." He tried to reach one of his kunai, but couldn't quite get to it. He then remembered that he had nine tails. "I'm such an idiot sometimes." He used one of the tails to unclasp his kunai holder and another tail to grab a kunai, moving it towards the rope. He slashed the rope with the kunai, flipping himself upright before he landed. He threw the kunai at Mario's rope, slicing through completely, dropping Mario to the ground. "Alright, any ideas?"

"Just-ah one. RUN!" They both did so, trying to stay ahead of the cloud.

_Naruto, check your spare kunai pouch, _Kyuubi said.

"What's in it," Naruto asked.

_Just check._ Naruto pulled out a kunai, but this one was slightly different from the ones that he normally used. _Good. I did remember to pack them._

"Pack what?"

_Blademan loaned me some of his generator kunai. String some wire through all of the ones in the pouch._ Naruto complied, this time remembering to use his tails to get it done quickly, still running. _Alright, start stringing these suckers up. Make sure they have at least 6 inches space between the wire, but no more than twelve._ Naruto began throwing them, making sure to follow Kyuubi's instructions to the letter. _Now snap your fingers and get ready for some sparks._

SNAP

The kunai began to crackle and were soon pumping out large amounts of electricity, the wires making excellent conductors for this electricity. Electric bolts were shooting back and forth between the wires, moving as if it was actually alive. As the insects reached the impromptu electric fence, electricity began striking them, the smell of something burning filling the air. After about ten minutes of waiting, the last of the bugs were finally fried. Naruto went to pick up the kunai, which had ended up shorting out from the combined electricity of the twenty or so kunai that had been used. The time klaxon sounded as Naruto grabbed the last kunai. They were soon back in the auditorium, Crazy Hand spinning in place lazily. He stopped as if just noticing them. "Did you have fun," he asked. Naruto and Mario looked at each other and then at Crazy Hand, cracking their knuckles. "Uh oh." Crazy Hand flew out of the room, everyone ducking to avoid him. Naruto and Mario gave chase.

"So, what now," Will asked after a moment of silence.

"I guess we're done for now," Ike said. There was another moment of silence and everyone gathered started to trickle out of the room.

***

"What the hell was that," Tabuu asked as Erazor appeared in the access room.

"It would have been the sure way to victory," Erazor said. "But I did not foresee events turning out like this."

"That is because you are ignorant of your enemies," King Arthur said, walking into the access room.

"Oh, really?" Erazor's tone had taken a sarcastic edge to it now. "And what makes you the expert on this?"

"I have been studying each and every opponent that Lord Kalar has assigned us to destroy. They are most…unpredictable. Rushing into danger when the smarter thing to do would be to retreat. Employing brash methods, such as an obvious suicidal attack against a well armed fortress, and yet still coming out on top." King Arthur paused for a bit, letting what he had just said sink in. "We cannot keep planning our interferences by the normal standard. We must 'think outside of the box' as they say. We must be every bit as unpredictable in our methods as they. Unfortunately, due to Lord Kalar's instructions, we cannot. Because the only true unpredictable method is…" He stopped, waiting to see if the other two would catch on.

"…to show ourselves," Tabuu said. "Yes, I see. They have already figured out that there is indeed a hacker. However, they are not sure as to how many people we have. Perhaps there is something we can do to confuse them further."

"Yes. That is our problem. How to confuse our enemy," Erazor said.

King Arthur walked out of the room, saying, "If you need me, I will be in my library."

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**And the villains learn why they keep losing. Geez, took them long enough. Anyways, you know who belongs to whom. Please Review.**


	40. Intermission 4

**Intermission 4**

**SPRING BREAK!!!!!!....Well, it is for me at least. Don't know 'bout the rest of you. Started out great, with an airsoft war at my sister's house Sunday. That's the sign of a redneck family. When you bring your airsoft guns to Easter Dinner. Anyways, this intermission is because I'm having writer's block. Temporary, of course. So I thought, "let's see what the readers want." If you have any ideas for chapters for this arc, pm me or send a review. The ideas may or may not be used, but are sure to unblock my block.**


	41. Living it up in Hyrule

**Ok, since I've only been given one idea for chapters, I'm going to use it. Let's move on to the story.

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**Living it up in Hyrule**

"Alright, since bro is still asleep," Crazy Hand said as he came back into the room, Naruto and Mario nowhere in sight, "we'll just continue where we left off. Ok, let's see, let's see…ah, we have a four man battle royale next. Sasuke, Roy, Sonic, and Link." The four stepped onto the stage, wary of what stage Crazy Hand would give them. "Ok, it looks like Master decided to put all of you in the new Hyrule Temple stage."

"Wait, what do you mean new," Link asked.

"You can roam around the inside of the temple. Free access to any part of the temple, any room, any staircase. And items can be found in the chests hidden throughout the temple. Now, let's get started."

***

As soon as the match started, the three who had swords took off, leaving Sasuke, now in Cross Fusion, to stand in the middle of a hallway by himself. "Well, it would seem that I am the odd man out," he said.

_What makes you say that,_ Shinobi asked.

"I'm the only one without a sword."

_Well, we could try out the Zabimaru sword that we've been working on,_ Shinobi suggested.

"Hmmmm…yes, this would be an ideal time to test its abilities. Alright, let's give it a shot." Sasuke put his right hand to Shinobi's launcher on his left hand, a handle sliding out of it. He grabbed the handle and pulled it out as a sword began to slide out, sections with a spike extending from it, eight in all. "Now we should be somewhat even."

_You know if your mom finds out, we're both dead, right?_

"Which is why we won't tell her…"

***

"Alright, let's see what's in chest number one," Roy said. He broke it with his sword and a piece of paper popped out. "Sorry, try again," he read out loud. He then heard a beeping sound and looked down in the box to see four sticks of TNT wrapped around a digital alarm clock. "Oh, shit."

BOOOOM

"Ok, that's the last time I ever open a chest in this stage," Roy said, picking himself up from the floor. He looked at the ceiling to see his body imprinted on it. "I'm sure I'm gonna feel that in the morning."

"BWAHAHAHAH!" Roy looked to see Sonic guffawing at him, rolling on the floor, holding his sides. "Oh man, that was too good!" Sonic continued to roll on the floor, tears now streaming down his face.

"Why you little," Roy growled, swinging his sword down at Sonic. But before the sword could find its mark, Sonic jumped out of the way, drawing Caliburn.

"Uh, uh, uh," Sonic said, wagging his finger at Roy. "You don't get that lucky." Sonic jumped at him, swinging Caliburn with enough to speed to knock Roy back with the air alone.

"Damn it," Roy said, getting back up off the floor. _I'm screwed unless I figure something out quick,_ he thought to himself. He looked around and laid his eyes on a group of chests. _Perfect._ "Come on, you overgrown blue rat. Give me your best."

Sonic's left eye started to twitch and his grip on Caliburn tightened. "I believe 'twould be best if you ran now," Caliburn said.

"Yeah, probably." Roy ducked under a swing from Sonic, running to the chests, jumping over Sonic as he did a spin attack. "Ha, missed." He made it to the chests and then stood his ground. "Bring it, ratboy."

"YOU'RE DEAD," Sonic yelled, bringing Caliburn down with as much force as he could muster. Roy jumped to the side, letting Caliburn slide past him to break a chest. Another piece of paper popped out, this one saying "Loser" on it. Another bomb appeared, exploding, which opened the other chests that were surrounding Sonic. "Shit." Every single chest had a bomb in it, except for one. The one had a small missile launcher in it, the missiles slamming Sonic into a wall, the subsequent explosions breaking the wall down and knocking Sonic off the stage.

Roy fell down on his bottom, wiping his hand against his forehead. "Phew. Just dodged the bullet on that one." He continued to look at the hole in the wall until he saw the column of light signaling that Sonic had officially fallen off the stage. "But I wonder why there were bombs in every chest. And then the missile launcher."

***

"Alright, I think left takes me to the center of the temple," Link said. "Or is it this way?" He looked down the corridors, trying to remember his way through the temple. "Damn, it's been a long time since I was last here. I should remember this place better, considering how often Zelda and I came here to explore." He stood there, scratching his head. His ear twitched at the sound of an explosion and he decided to follow the noise. What he didn't know was that Sasuke was heading in his direction, following the sound as well.

_Sasuke, stop, _Shinobi said. _I hear someone else._

"Yes, I hear them, too," Sasuke said. "It seems we will be testing the Zabimaru blade sooner than expected." Sasuke leaned around the corner carefully and spotted Link. "Alright, let's see what we can do." He stepped from around the corner, startling Link. He held up his Zabimaru, pointing it at a forty-five degree angle upwards. Link drew his sword, settling into a low stance, holding his shield in his other hand.

"I didn't know you had a sword," Link said. "I'm surprised." Link made the first move, lunging with his sword. Sasuke parried it to the side, backing up.

"Then this will surprise you even more." Sasuke drew the sword back and then let it fly, the sections of the individual spikes suddenly breaking apart, mimicking the movement of Blademan's chainblade. Link was definitely shocked, standing there, but remembered just in time to raise his shield, the blade's sections glancing off of it.

"Well, certainly wasn't expecting that." Link came in close, dropping his shield. He realized, correctly, that by staying in close, Sasuke couldn't use his sword's unique ability. Sasuke did the best he could to block, but Link's sword found its mark quite a few times.

_I have on option left,_ Sasuke thought to himself. He waited for the right moment, which was Link bringing his sword up. Sasuke shifted his hold on his sword to let Link's blade hit the handle just below the bottom section. The sword began to tremble, which freaked Link enough to make him back up. The sections of the blade suddenly shot off, Link trapped against a wall by the blades, both arms out, his legs spread. Link gulped when he noticed that one of the sections had only just missed his crotch. He then looked up in time to see Sasuke coming at him. Sasuke's fist connected with Link's gut, knocking him out of the weakened wall. Sasuke waited for the column of light and when he saw it, he went off to find Roy. But before he walked off, something outside the wall caught his attention. It was a Smash Ball. He threw a kunai at it to break it and the multi colored aura appeared. He disappeared in a cloud of smoke and when the smoke dissipated, he was in silver armor that was much bulkier than his original armor. His helmet now resembled a T-Rex's skull, while his left hand and arm had been replaced by a large T-Rex head, flames shooting out of the back of the head. "Well, I am now saved the trouble of searching for the final opponent." He drew his left arm back, a large ball of energy charging up in the T-Rex head's mouth. "Genocide Blazer!" Sasuke threw his arm forward, the ball of energy firing magma out, the stream obliterating everything in its path. He sweeped his arm around him, covering every square inch of the temple until he saw a second column of light, which could only be Roy falling off the stage.

***

Sasuke reappeared in the auditorium, applause rippling through the auditorium. He looked to see Roy slightly crispy, his hair with a small flame at the end of a stray hair. "My apologies for cooking you," Sasuke said.

"Eh, I'm used to it," Roy said, walking down the stairs. "But next time, could you avoid the barbecue?"

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**Hope you all enjoyed that. Now, I have a small request. I've decided to try and learn Ba Gua Zhang. If anyone knows a reliable site for learning, could you let me know? Please and thank you in advance. You know who belongs to whom. Please Review.**


	42. SpaceTime Meddling

**Got so much happening right now, what with AP Exams, Finals, and EOCTs right around the corner. But then, SUMMER VACATION! Which should mean faster updates…I hope. Anyways, let's get on to the story.

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**Space-Time Meddling**

"There must be something that I can do that can't be traced back to any of us," Tabuu said, looking through the items data storage. He saw a door marked off, noticing it for the first time. "Strange. I've been down this way several times. Why is this the first I've seen this door?" He opened it, stepping inside. He gave a whistle, obviously impressed. "My, my, my, so many items." He saw an assist trophy, stepping over to it. "But out of everything here, this is the only one I recognize. Wait, what's this?" He leaned closer to see that the bottom of the trophy was silver instead of gold. "Hmmmm." He pulled up the item's history to see why there was a change in color. "Ahhh." He looked back at it. "The Temporal Trophy.**(Side Note: Idea belongs to Gammatron.)**" A lightbulb suddenly went off in his head. He smiled darkly to himself. "I can definitely use this." He grabbed the item, copying its data and information before placing it back on its pedestal. He walked out of the room, a dark chuckle escaping his lips.

"Maxwell and Ike, please come up to the stage," Master Hand said, various Smashers and Assisters gathered in the auditorium. They stepped up, going over to stand on the pads, disappearing. When they reappeared, the stage was what looked to be a court of some kind, two sides having a box each, the middle with a circle, split in half by a line. "Begin when you are ready."

"Allow me to change into something a bit more…equal, shall we say," Max said. "Meda Fusion." He was surrounded by a dark red light, reappearing from it in new armor. His armor now resembled that of Meda's original Andromeda armor, down to the pistol and sword. He drew the sword, holding it with one hand, pointing it at Ike. "I believe that we are now somewhat equal in strength."

"Heh," Ike said, mimicking Max's stance. "I'd say that's about right." They dashed towards each other, swinging their blades, the blades crashing, forcing the air around the impact out and then back in, bringing the two closer together. "Yes, we are definitely equal in strength." They pushed off of each other, Max landing with his blade down, Ike with his blade in a guard position. An Assist Trophy appeared, which was rather unusual this early in the match, but neither of them cared. Ike was the first to get to it, not noticing the base was now silver instead of gold. When the case broke and the light was gone, Lan was standing there, his left arm bandaged, a pouch on his hip, and about a year older.

"Lan? I thought you were a Smasher, not an Assist," Max said, confused.

"Who the fuck are you," Lan asked. "And how do you know my name?"

Off screen, Master Hand turned to his brother. "I thought I told you, _no Temporal Trophies_," he said, a note of warning in his voice.

"But I didn't, I swear," Crazy Hand said. "You told me not to. Because it would be a little awkward to explain. So I left it where it was."

"Then explain to me how it got there."

"I swear, I didn't do it."

Back on screen, the Lan that had emerged from the trophy was looking around the stage, a smile creeping to his lips. "Heh heh. I can use this place," he said, pulling out a small disc, placing it on his right arm. From the pouch, he drew a deck of cards, slotting them into a rectangular hole in the disc as two arms slid out from the disc. He drew five cards, looking at them and smirking. "Draw." He drew one more card and the smirk turned into a full out grin. "This is the best opening hand I've ever had." He took one card from his hand, placing it onto one the arms of the disc. "I play Polymerization and send three Blue Eyes White Dragons from my hand to my graveyard to summon Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon." A large three headed dragon, its skin a light blue, with a black mark on each forehead, appeared in front of him. "Wipe him out, Blue Eyes Ultimate." All three of the heads roared, a blue energy ball building in each before shooting three beams that merged into one directly at Max.

"Oh, shit," Max said, raising the sword to block. The beam hit dead on, slowly pushing Max back. He looked behind him to see that the stage did have an edge and he was sliding dangerously close to it. He gritted his teeth, setting a hard look in his eyes. "No. I'm not gonna give up that easily." He tried to push back, but the beam kept getting stronger. "No. No, no!" His irises suddenly switched to red in color, the sword suddenly glowing. "NO!" He swung the sword with all he had, sending a Blood Slash through the beam to strike the dragon, eliciting a roar of rage and pain from it, the dragon disappearing. Max was huffing, his breaths coming quick and began to gradually slow down, his eyes slowly fading back to their original brown color.

"Wow," the other Lan said, his expression one of shock and amazement. "You actually beat my Blue Eyes Ultimate." His expression changed to a grin. "You aren't half bad."

An Assist Trophy, a real one this time, appeared beside Max and he touched it, breaking the case. This time, Chaud and Protoman, Cross Fused, stood there, their form now that of Muramasa Style. "How's it going," Chaud asked, looking at Max.

"You," the other Lan said, his eyes growing dark. His fists were now clenching and unclenching, his jaw set. He had put the disc and the deck away. He looked at Chaud, his eyes full of rage. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU FUCKING BASTARDS!" He charged at them, his left arm held in front of him. Chaud raised the Muramasa, holding the flat side to Lan in order to avoid hurting him as he swung it at him. But when Lan's left arm made contact with the sword's strike, the Muramasa shattered, shocking everyone, with the exception of the one who had shattered it.

"How did he," Chaud began, cut off by Lan's right fist smashing into his gut. "Huc!" He coughed, blood drops splattering into his hand. He reached for the hilt of the Muramasa, managing to just get a hold on it, the blade shards converging on the hilt as the blade reformed. He continued to cough, Lan looking down at him. "What the hell was that for, you moron?!" Chaud got into Lan's face, sparks flying from their eyes. They backed up, each holding a bump on his head.

"Ooooowww!" They both said, shaking a little from the hit.

"Damn, that hurt," Lan said, the first to recover from it. He slammed both hands into the ground, spikes of energy lancing up, surrounding Chaud. But before any of them could make contact, both Lan and Chaud disappeared, the energy spikes disappearing along with them.

"…" Max and Ike continued to stare at the scene, their expressions the same.

"…Ok, I wasn't the only who saw that, right," Max asked.

"You saw it, too? Oh, good, I thought I was the only one," Ike said, wiping his eyebrow. "Wow, talk about awkward."

"Yeah." They continued to stare a little bit longer. "So…where were we?"

"I think we were here." Ike slashed at Max, Max moving his blade to guard. "AETHER!" Ike brought his blade up under Max, launching Max into the air. Ike followed, bringing his blade back down hard on Max, slamming him into the ground.

"Ow." Max tried to move, wincing a bit. "Oh, yeah. Yep, gonna feel that in the morning." He stood up, leaning on his blade for a second before straightening up completely. "Alright, let's get serious."

"Wait, what?!" Ike suddenly fell forward, Max now behind him, pushing him forward. Ike tried to turn around to face him, but couldn't because of Max's leg gear. A Smash Ball appeared, Ike reaching for it, but was beaten by a shot from Max's pistol.

Max's aura turned red instead of the usual multicolor. He then popped the top of pistol, the top splitting in half to fold down. He placed the blade into the space, the two halves folding back up to hold it in place. He flicked the guard, a sight flipping up. Max chuckled darkly, his eyes once more turning red. "Blood World." He fired the beam in less time than Meda had when they first fought, tearing up the field as it moved, energy rolling out from it. Ike did his best to dodge, but was hit by the beam anyways. When the beam was gone, Ike was nowhere to be seen, almost as if he had been vaporized. "Oh man, please tell me I didn't kill him," Max said, his eyes fading back to brown. He heard a groan and saw Ike's sword raise up over the edge and then grab onto the edge.

"No," Ike said. "You didn't kill me. Just hurt me. A lot." Ike continued to pull himself up, slowly, Max waiting for him. "Never do that again, please."

"I think I may need to change out," Max said. "Blade Fusion." The armor was replaced with the familiar green of Blademan's armor, Max drawing the katana. "This shouldn't be too bad." The katana morphed into a chain blade as a Secondary Block appeared. Max threw a kunai at it, smashing it first. Once more, his aura was a different color from the normal Secondary Smash aura, the gold replaced with a green. Max's eyes turned green as well as he drew the chain blade back. "Lightning Snake!" He flung it forward, the segments breaking apart to wrap around Ike, electricity crackling over it. As the blade made contact, Ike managed to get his sword up and away from his body to give him just enough room to slip out of the blade a few seconds after it had encircled him. The segments reconnected, the electricity stopping as Max's eyes faded back to brown.

"What's up with your eyes?"

"What do you mean?"

"They keep changing color every time you use a move," Ike answered. "First that red energy blade, then that giant beam, and now this. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"My eyes…changed color? That's never happened before…it must be something about this zone." A klaxon suddenly sounded and they reappeared in the auditorium, Max out of his armor now. "Aw, damn it. I wanted to try out the Electric Overload."

"The winner of this round is Maxwell," Master Hand said. "If you will excuse me and my brother, we will resume the next round of matches after lunch." With that, he floated out of the room, Crazy Hand following him. As he passed Packer, he motioned him to follow.

"Is something wrong," Packer asked as he fell into step beside Master Hand.

"Yes. That trophy that Ike used should not have been in the stage." They reached his study and walked in, closing the door behind them. "Crazy claims that he didn't put it in there. And I know that I would not do such a thing."

"Which means you think it's the hacker," Packer finished. "Alright, I get where you're coming from. Don't worry, Wily and I'll check it out."

"Thank you."

Arthur had been watching the battle while Tabuu had been adding the correct data for the item into the system. "I did not think that you were capable of such subtlety," he said, looking at Tabuu. "I applaud you."

"Yes, well," Tabuu said, keeping his attention on the data streams. "We needed something to start doing the work for us. Why not the system itself? Especially one that can people from different times and realities."

"Yes, why not," Arthur repeated, leaving to go to his study.

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**First, a few disclaimers. The Temporal Trophy is Gammatron's idea, as well as the other Lan. Please Review. Ooo, ooo, quick contest. Winner will get to make a character that will appear later in the story. The question is…*drumroll*…in Megaman Starforce, for the Nintendo DS, there is a special event that you unlock when you insert a Megaman Battle Network game pak in the bottom. Where and what is the event? And/or what is the item that you receive for successfully completing the event? Please Review.**


	43. Plans Accelerated

**Ok, this chapter idea was thought up by silver fire wolf(formerly known as apapa155). Hope you all enjoy.

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**Plans Accelerated**

Tabuu was walking down to the main system room, his eyes scrolling back and forth across one of the books in Arthur's study. "Hmmmm…" The book was a psychology book, which Arthur had recommended that he read in order to better prepare for the fight against their targets. He bumped into someone, dropping the book. He looked up to see if it was Erazor or Arthur, but was surprised to see that it was neither. "Who are you?"

"Furukizu," the woman answered, a smile on her lips that sent chills down Tabuu.**(Side note: Hey, someone who can creep out even Tabuu.)** She was a tall woman, but when Tabuu ran his eyes over her, he saw that it was the high heels she was wearing that gave her added height. She was wearing a black dress, black lipstick. He thought her hair was black until he looked closer and noticed that it was actually a very dark brown. But these traits weren't what intrigued him. It was her eyes. Her right eyes was green, but her left was yellow. "I understand that my otome is here."

"Hmmm?"

"Eva," Furukizu elaborated. "I believe I can help you to get rid of her and her…annoying friend."

"How?"

"With these." Furukizu laughed, snapping her fingers. Two people suddenly appeared behind her, bound and gagged, both laying down. One was Love, Eva's cousin, her red bandana around her neck instead of her hair, which was now splayed around her, acting as her gag. The other was a boy with tanned skin, his short brown hair spiked, with red streaks in it. He had blue eyes and wore a red T-shirt, pants with a fire pattern, shoes with a similar pattern, and a watch on one wrist, bandages on both wrists. "Her cousins, Love and Aquanode." She pointed to each in turn.

"Any reason you have them gagged? No one will hear them here."

Furukizu walked over to Love, crouching down in front of her, looking into Love's anger filled eyes. She moved the bandana off of Love's mouth. "WHEN I GET OUT, YOU BITCH, I'M GONNA-" Love began, before Furukizu put the bandana back over her mouth.

"Ah. I see."

"Yes, well," Furukizu said. "Now then, as I was saying, I believe that I can help you get rid of them. However…"

"However…" Tabuu gestured, wanting her to finish.

"However, I do not wish for my otome to be killed. I could care less about the werewolf, but my otome is not to be killed."

"Hmph. If you wish no harm to the girl, then I suggest you go yourself," Arthur said, walking in.

"If you wish to remain intact, you tin can, I suggest you stay out of this," Furukizu said, giving him an evil eye.

Arthur just laughed. "You wench. If you think that such a look could chill the blood of someone who has been through what I have, then you are much mistaken." He stepped closer to her, looking dead into her eyes. "Do not tangle with me, wench. Not if you wish to continue living." He turned away, leaving the room.

"I don't like that man," Furukizu said, looking back at Tabuu.

"Get in line," he said. "Well, I can help you to get to your daughter. Just give me a few minutes. They just finished a match, so that gives me an hour long window to check the roster."

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"Well, Master Hand, by all rights, that trophy is still in storage," Wily said, sitting in a chair in Master Hand's study, sipping tea from a cup. "This is very perplexing."

"I see. Nevertheless, thank you for checking it out," Master Hand said. "But I am fearful. For the hacker to do something like this…it is a bad sign."

"Don't go jumping to conclusions," Packer said. "This may have been a true malfunction. I can see no way for someone to copy data that perfectly."

"The only way for that to happen would be if they were in the system itself," Wily said.

Master Hand turned to Crazy Hand, who gulped. "You aren't seriously thinking," Crazy Hand said. "Are you, bro?"

"Yes, I am," he answered, leaving the study. "Come with me. There is something that I must check on."

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BWEEEP-BWEEEEP

"Oh no," Tabuu said, hurrying along the corridor to his cell. "Damn it. I didn't think that they would figure it out." He jumped in through the hole, closing it behind him, without a second to spare. _I am glad I set up a warning system._

"Tabuu," Master Hand said, coming into the room, looking at Tabuu from the other side of the forcefield erected around Tabuu. "Hmmmm…I am surprised you are still here."

"What? Something wrong?"

"No…I…I suppose not."

Tabuu looked at Packer and Wily. "Who are they?"

"Guests, as far as you are concerned."

"Hmph. So, you two gonna be prisoners? What happened, you try to take over this zone like I did?"

"How do you know about zones," Packer asked.

"Do not insult me. My knowledge is near limitless. Of course I know about the zones." He looked back at Master Hand. "Is there anything else you need? Or can I continue to stare at the wall in peace?"

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"I guess we can cross him off the list," Crazy Hand said as they left the room.

"Yes, I suppose so," Master Hand said. "Anyways, let us get back to the matches."

Meanwhile, Tabuu had gone back through the hole in space leading to the system mainframe, running into Erazor. "Get Arthur and the woman," Tabuu said.

"Why should I listen to you," Erazor said.

"Because I am about to get you and Arthur your revenge," was all he offered.

When Erazor had brought Arthur and Furukizu, he told them his plan. "So, you wish to accelerate our plans," Arthur said after Tabuu had finished.

"Yes. And it all starts," Tabuu said, turning to look at Furukizu, "with her."

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"Eva and Luna Rena will be fighting against Pitt and Link," Master Hand announced. The four stepped up, Rena and Eva followed by their dragons. "I am sorry, but I am afraid that you two cannot accompany them."

"WHAT?!" Yami was furious, which was very evident in his face.

"Please, return to your seats." Yami was about to pounce on Master Hand, but Awai wrapped her tail around his neck, not enough to choke him, but enough to drag him. "Thank you." The four combatants disappeared, reappearing in front of a house. Unfortunately for Eva, it was an extremely creepy house, shutters broken, dark clouds in the sky. The house emanated an eerie aura.

"Why? Why would it have to be in a place like this," Eva said, gripping the scythe until her knuckles were white.

"Calm down Eva," Rena said, putting her hand on Eva's shoulder. "It's just a program. Nothing more."

"Smashers begin," Master Hand said.

"I call dibs on the veer kop," Rena said. "I've got a score to settle."

"I think she's talking about you," Link said.

"What the fuck does veer kop even mean," Pitt said, suddenly holding his head after a rock hit it.

"NO CUSSING IN FRONT OF EVA, FEATHER HEAD," Rena yelled, charging at Pitt.

"She's all yours, 'feather head'," Link said, laughing as Pitt ran from the angry werewolf.

"I HATE YOU," Pit yelled at Link as he continued to avoid Rena's flailing blade.

"This is a really good day," Link said, holding his sides. His laughter subsided and he looked at Eva. "So, shall we begin?"

"Weeeell…I'm not too sure," she said.

"Don't worry, this won't be like my fight with Zero," Link said, drawing his sword. "The stage isn't gonna be torn to shreds." They clashed blades, switching off on offense and defense.

"So, the one with the scythe is Eva," Tabuu said, standing next to Furukizu. Furukizu had changed, apparently by way of an EM wave change. Her hair was now gray and black, her skin a sickly pale white, and covered in black armor. Her weapon, which was hard to _not_ notice was a flail, one that seemed very medieval. "Nice flail, by the way."

"Thank you. I think it matches my eyes," she said, looking back at Love and Aquanode, who were now tied to chairs. "Just a little long, little ones. And then little otome-chan will be coming home with me." Aquanode was trying to say something, but couldn't because of the gag. The two villains turned back to watch the match just as Rena broke a Smash Ball.

"Oh, this is gonna be sweet," she said. Her armor began to glow, claws growing on her gloves and boots. A white tail grew, covered in small bumps, the hilt of her sword forming angel wings. "Now I'm ready to kick your butt." She charged at Pitt, who had a scared look on his face.

"This is gonna hurt," he said, bracing for the impact. Rena didn't even bother with swinging the sword, instead shoulder charging him. "Oomph!" The kept going back until they reached an edge and fell off, Pitt's wings useless as they were under him. Rena began to open hers, but Pitt grabbed them. "Oh no you don't. If I'm going, then you're coming with me."

"Touche," Rena said, not able to keep from smiling. "This was fun." The light column that flashed was twice as big as normal, due to there being two contestants falling off together.

"Now," Furukizu said, gesturing her hand. The door of the house, a large, double door, flew open, revealing Love and Aquanode. The slam of the door had caught Link and Eva's attention, the two turning their heads.

"Aquanode! Love," Eva exclaimed, breaking off the fight to run to them. Furukizu stepped from behind the the door, causing Eva to stop. "You…" Eva was frozen with fear, unable to move.

"Come, otome," Furukizu said, walking towards Eva.

"RUN, EVA!" Furukizu whipped her head around to see that Aquanode had managed to get hit gag off, currently working on the ropes.

Off screen, Yami, Rena, and Awai were trying to get back in the stage, with no success. "GET THIS DAMNED JUNK WORKING!" Yami yelled at Crazy Hand and Master Hand, who were trying everything they could. Packer and Wily were typing furiously at the keyboard, but to no avail.

"HAI!" Link had come up behind Furukizu when she had turned her head, knocking her to the side with the flat of his sword. He stood in front of Eva, his sword in a guard position. "Eva, go get those two free."

"Get out of the way, swordsman," Furukizu snarled, getting back up and grabbing her flail.

"Not a chance, creep." He raised the sword and charged.

"FOOL!" Furukizu whipped the flail around herself and sent it flying at Link. It hit him in his ribs, cracking sounds heard as it broke three ribs, fracturing two more and bruising the rest. The impact sent him flying back, falling off the stage as the column of light signaled his leave. "One taken care of. Now then, whe-" She was cut off by a fist hitting her gut and sending her flying back.

"Love, cover Eva's ears," Aquanode said, walking out of the doorway, cracking his knuckles. He gave Love just long enough before unleashing a stream of curses. "I'm gonna make you wish you were dead, you fucking bitch." He settled into a stance, his fists held low, bouncing from his front foot to his back foot and then to the front again.

"You never were very smart," Furukizu said. "Fighting me without an EM partner."

"I won't need Shock to kick your ass," he said. She went to punch him, but he sidestepped and unleashed a back spin roundhouse to her head, spinning her around. He then sidestepped around her, sending his fist into her side, knocking her back. "I hate you." He then thrust his palm, the fingers of his hand curled like claws, into her gut, sending her flying off the stage. But there was no column of light for Furukizu, who wasn't a contestant. "Alright, Love. You two can come out now." Love came out of the house, Eva with her. Eva ran to Aquanode, wrapping her arms around him, crying. He returned the hug, talking softly to her. "It's okay, Eva. It's okay." He looked to Love, shaking his head. He mouthed to her, _I don't think Furukizu is dead._ Love looked down at the ground.

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"Thanks for this," Aquanode said to Master Hand. "It's greatly appreciated."

"It is no trouble," Master Hand said. "However, I am not as accurate as I used to be, so you may end up doing some walking to your home."

"Eh, it can't be too bad."

"Uh...Actually, I was thinking...maybe it would be best if one of us stays," Love said. Aquanode gave her a look, his expression one of surprise, which was mirrored on Eva's face.

"Love, I don't think either of us should stay. They seem to be doing pretty well for themselves without more people being added to the mix."

"Max," Love said, turning to him, "I really think that one of us needs to stay."

"Hey, don't look at me," Max said, turning away. "What you two do is none of my business. If you wanna stay, stay. If not, then go."

Aquanode looked at his sister and sighed. "Fine. But if you're staying,then I am, too," he said, defeated. Love smiled, her hands behind her back, knowing that she had won once more. "At least I can get away from Velvi for a little while."

"Who?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

* * *

"So, it begins," Arthur said.

"Yes," Erazor said. "We can finally have our revenge on the blue rat. And finally have our freedom."

"Let us begin the final preparations," Tabuu said. With that, the three went to prepare themselves.

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**Ominous ending. This does not bode well. Hope you all enjoyed. And you know who belongs to whom. Please Review.**


	44. End Match Part I

**Now, the end of this arc is very near. I, uh…I just don't know how many parts the end will be. Heh, heh. Yeah, probably should have spent more planning time. Oh, well. On with the show.

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**End Match Part I: Match Begin**

Tabuu was setting up several data tendrils, preparing for the end of their plan. "It is almost ready," Tabuu said as Arthur and Erazor walked into his access room. They had spent the previous day preparing for this; their revenge against Sonic the Hedgehog. "Now, let's set up that little video chat, shall we?"

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"Hello," a voice said from the auditorium screen, interrupting Master Hand as he had been calling out the matches. "Is this thing working?"

"Would you get the fucking thing up," a second voice said.

"Hang on." The screen showed a few seconds of static before King Arthur, Erazor Djinn, and Tabuu. All of the veteran Smashers recognized Tabuu, eliciting gasps, but only Master Hand, Crazy Hand, Sharha, Sonic, and Caliburn knew who Arthur and Erazor were. "Oh, good, I found the right input. Now then, I would like to introduce myself. I am Tabuu, for those of you who don't know. Allow me to introduce to you King Arthur and Erazor Djinn." He gestured to each in turn, Arthur bowing his head slightly, Erazor glaring at the screen. "I believe that many of you remember me from approximately two years ago. Subspace Emissary, you know, take over the tournament, yadda yadda, blah blah, that's all old news. Sonic, would you please step forward?"

Sonic stepped forward, his eyes full of anger. "What the fuck do you want," Sonic said, Love's hands covering Eva's ears, saving Sonic from a blade to the head via Rena.

"Oh, it isn't what I want," Tabuu said, turning to point at Arthur and Erazor once more, "but what they want."

"Faraway Avalon shall be the battlefield," Arthur said. "I do not care if you want your items or not. I only want vengeance."

"The same goes for me," Erazor said, his hand resting slightly on the hilt of his blade.

"You have two minutes to decide," Tabuu said. A small countdown timer appeared in the corner of the screen to show he was serious.

"No need," Sonic said. "I'll be happy to oblige. Nothing more fun than kicking two guys asses at once." Sonic stepped onto the pad, disappearing as Arthur and Erazor also disappeared. Tabuu opened a smaller screen on the screen. It showed a peaceful area, an island in the very middle of a large body of water, but the viewers couldn't tell if the sun was rising or setting, whether it was day or night. On the island was a large castle-like building, heavy vegetation growing everywhere, even growing along and on the walls. It was outside the castle that the three combatants appeared. Sonic looked around, the glove on his hand, Caliburn drawn.

"This place…," Arthur began, catching Sonic's attention. "This place…was my final resting place when I was still mortal. It is only fitting that you, the current wielder of the magical sword, Excalibur, shall have his final battle here as well." Arthur drew his sword, which was significantly longer than Caliburn was, and much more menacing. The light was flashing off of the blade, giving Sonic the impression of blood glistening on the blade, which made him shudder.

"I want first blood," Erazor said, straightening up. "More importantly…I want revenge against the little bitch in the ring."

Sonic's eye twitched at this comment. "You stay away from Sharha," he said, his eyes glinting with warning.

"Or what, you blue rat? You can't stop me. When I get her…well, let's just say, she'll wish that she weren't immortal."

This was what caused something in Sonic to snap. A flood of emotions suddenly filled him, most prominent of which were sadness, rage, and hatred. He began to change, his quills turning to a darker blue, white stripes appearing along his body. Four gold rings, one on each limb, appeared, but his eyes…his eyes were now blank, literally. There was no color in them whatsoever, only white. Caliburn had changed as well, his blade color now matching the color of Sonic's quills as they currently were, the rubies of his Excalibur form replaced by dark blue sapphires. The hilt had changed to resemble the three pronged crown of Excalibur, but this time was white instead of gold. Sonic pointed this new Excalibur at Erazor, his eyes squinting at him, still conveying anger even without pupils. "I told you to stay away from her, you pink bastard."

"So, Darkspine Sonic makes his Smash Tournament debut at last," Erazor said. "And that must be Excalibur."

"No. That is not Excalibur," Arthur said, catching Erazor's attention. "Excalibur is a sword of pureness, not…corruption. This form…it resembles Excalibur. But it is _not_ the true Excalibur."

"Wrong. Dead wrong, you fucking geezer," Darkspine said. "It's still Excalibur. Just a different paint job, is all."

* * *

"Whoa," Max said, looking at Sonic's form.

"The little rat continues to impress me," Tabuu said.

"I'M NOT A RAT!" Darkspine yelled at the screen.

"With good ears, as always." Tabuu returned his attention back to the audience. "Now then, I believe it is time for my wants. Lan Hikari, Megaman, and Maxwell Escal. Would you be so kind as to step forward?" The three did so, Lan and Megaman going into Cross Fusion as they went up the stairs, Max activating his armor. "Step onto the pad. You will be the first ones that I kill." They all disappeared, reappearing on a plain of nothing but data bits. "This stage is one that I have been working on for a while now. Are you ready to feel fear?"

"Fear of what? Dying," Max asked. "Been there, done that." He waved his hand dismissively.

Tabuu chuckled at him. "But you haven't fought the likes of me." Tabuu's form suddenly began to change, a mouth appearing on his face. His wings changed to become slightly more jagged on the ends, which, if looked at more closely, seemed almost to resemble Falzar's and Black Ace's wings mixed together. His arms became slightly more bulky, his fingertips becoming claws, three blades extending from just behind his knuckles. His legs and feet also grew a little bulkier, but not much. His color began shifting from blue to red and back to blue, switching back and forth. "This is my newest form. Compliments of all of your friends who have fought."

"You copied their data, eh?"

"Yes. But you won't be around long enough to see what all I copied." Tabuu charged, Max and Lan going into defensive stances.

* * *

"Huff, huff, huff," Erazor was panting, leaning over. Arthur was currently fighting Darkspine, doing better than Erazor had done, but not by much. _Damn it. With that form of Excalibur, this is near impossible._ Erazor looked up again in time to see Darkspine knock Arthur back. Erazor saw only one choice left to him and it wasn't one that he wanted to play with. But it was the only one open to them. He straightened up and began to chant, Arabic writing swirling around him, archaic English around Arthur. If Darkspine could have paled, he would, for he remembered well what had happened last time Erazor had done something like this. But even he wasn't prepared for what appeared. A ball of steam and fire had appeared and was slowly dissipating. The creature standing there…it was unlike anything that Sonic had ever fought or seen before. The creature had six arms, two of which retained larger versions of Erazor's cuffs, the other four with metal gauntlets. The body of the creature resembled that of a large dragon, with six dragon heads on the top, much like the hydra, the heads with three eyes apiece. It had a long, tail-like blade, which was slowly swinging from side to side and on its back was a pair of demonic looking wings, the wings looking torn. The creature released a roar, chilling those watching and those present to their very bones.

"_**Sonic the Hedgehog,"**_ the creature said, which freaked Darkspine out quite a bit. _**"Once I am done with you, I think I'll move onto your friends. Perhaps they will taste good."**_ The creature glowed before images suddenly began appearing in front of Darkspine. The first two were of Caliburna and Sharha. Caliburn was broken in half, his hilt ripped apart, shards of metal everywhere. Sharha's clothes were torn everywhere, Sharha herself pale, fear in her eyes. After that…the images began to change quickly. In them, he saw a yellow fox with two tails bleeding, a pink hedgehog hanging against a pillar by her underarms, even Shadow, who was the Ultimate Lifeform, was shown in some horrible state.

"No," Darkspine whispered. "No, don't you dare." He suddenly gripped Excalibur's hilt even tighter, his other fist clenching open and close. "Don't you dare. You leave…them…" He suddenly grew outraged, his form changing. His fur now grew pitch black, light seeming to swirl into it and never returning. His eyes, which as Darkspine still conveyed emotions, now conveyed only an extreme hatred and murderous intent, all of which was aimed at the creature. His quills shot up, his gloves ripping at the tips to reveal venom-colored claws, his shoes ripping at the front to reveal gold claws, spikes growing on the shoes. The fur around where his mouth would have been, if it hadn't suddenly disappeared, now became a blazing red color. He now had a tail that resembled a much more demonic version of Gregar's tail, while the wings that had appeared on his back resembled demonic versions of Falzar's. On his left hand, a red ring was on his pointer, a blue was on her pinky, and a green was on the finger between the index finger and pinky, while on his right, a light-blue ring was on his pinky. Excalibur had changed once again. The wings of the hilt were now tattered and torn, the blade as dark as Sonic was now. The blade now had a serrated edge on it, the crown on the hilt cracked in the middle. The dark sapphires that had replaced the rubies of the normal Excalibur were now missing, chipped, or cracked down the middle. **"Leave them out of this, you six fucking head piece of shit!"**

"_**Says who?"**_

"**Me. Hellspine Sonic, ya fucking piece of shit."

* * *

**

"Ugh." Max picked himself up off the terrain slowly, Lan helping him up. "Damn, this guy's good."

Tabuu laughed at them, his fists on his sides. "Is that really the best you can do," he asked mockingly. "Pathetic." He pointed his right hand at them, his claws extending to pass through Lan's gut, his left hand mimicking to catch Max. "There. It's done."

"Max," Lan gasped out. "We..can't let him…"

"I know, damn it, I know," Max said, trying to pull the blades out of himself.

"Perhaps…I should start with the girls. Or the netnavis, perhaps? Hmmmm…so many choices, so little time," Tabuu said.

"No," Max said. "I…won't let…you." Max was starting to black out now, struggling to stay alive.

"Neither…will we," Lan put in. Max was suddenly surrounded by a light blue aura, while the symbol on Lan's chest began to glow silver.

"WE WON'T LET YOU WIN!" Megaman and Max yelled together, Lan suddenly appearing beside Megaman, completely unharmed, while a ball of silver and blue swirled light surrounded Megaman and Lan. When the light exploded out, it blinded everyone, forcing them to cover their eyes. When they could see again, there was a single figure standing there. He had light blue armor, his should pads silver. His boots had blue coloring, with silver stripes that went from top to bottom. His gloves were silver, the fingers blue on the top. His helmet was blue, two silver ridges running back along it, a silver visor over his eyes. When the visor was in the right light, the eyes were visible, revealing the right eye to be green, while the left was brown.

"Wha?!"

"Who are you," Tabuu asked, his head tilted slightly.

"Soul Fusion," the person answered.

* * *

**YES! SOUL FUSION! I was just looking for a reason to bring this old thing out of the closet. Now the baddies are gonna get a beatdown. You know who belongs to whom. Oh, and Hellspine belongs to Gammatron.**


	45. End Match Part II

**You know, listening to "Knight of the Wind" repeatedly is a really good way to think of fight scenes for anything that deals with Sonic. Well…for me, at least. Don't know 'bout the rest of you.

* * *

**

**End Match Part II: Hellspine's "Date"**

"_**So, you are Hellspine,"**_the creature asked, looking Hellspine up and down. _**"You don't seem all that strong. In fact…you seem even weaker than Darkspine was."**_

"**Heh. Don't even try to compare me to that third rate weakling form of mine. It's got nothing on this,"** Hellspine said, laughing as he said this. **"Otherwise, this little date won't be any fun for me."**

"_**You are…very…annoying. Are you aware of this?"**_

"**You tell me, you piece of shit."** Hellspine charged at the creature, bringing Excalibur down on the right most arm. The creature moved the arm out of the way, Excalibur passing through the air where it had been.

"_**You even seem slower than Darkspine and Sonic combined." **_The creature was now sneering at Hellspine with all six heads, laughing at him. Hellspine just looked at him, and closed his eyes. He almost seemed to be…laughing. Hellspine snapped his fingers, turning away from the creature. The creature's eyes widened as its arm fell off at the elbow. _**"How did?!"**_

"**This Excalibur…no, Nightmare Excalibur I should say. Nightmare Excalibur…doesn't miss. **_**Ever!**_**" **Hellspine looked back at the creature, his eyes now open. **"This date is already getting boring. I need a tough fight. Not this."**

"_**Why do you keep referring to this as a date, you little blue rat?!"**_

"**Because it isn't even a fair fight."** Hellspine jumped up, flaring his wings. He kept rising until he was eye level with one of the heads. The remaining five all twisted to surround him. **"When I'm done here, I'm going for Tabuu. Maybe he can give me a good fight."**

"_**You insignificant little worm! DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE ME!" **_ The heads all opened up to reveal balls of energy building in them, to which Hellspine replied with his eyes widening. _**"NIGHTMARE BREAK!" **_The heads released the energy, hitting Hellspine from all sides, causing both physical and even mental damage. Hellspine grabbed his head, spinning wildly, almost dropping Nightmare Excalibur. In his mind, he saw a female chipmunk, red hair, brown eyes, wearing a blue vest, lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

"**NO!"** Hellspine's body spasmed, sending out a shockwave of dark energy, knocking the creature away from him. His eyes opened, murderous intent now pouring out. There was no longer any hatred or anger, only a desire for blood. Blood of the very being who had threatened his friends. **"I told you…leave my friends out of this."** Hellspine flew at the creature, flying low to the ground, Nightmare Excalibur dragging along the ground, leaving a trench in its wake, black energy building around the blade. **"Dark Finale!" **Hellspine dragged Nightmare Excalibur up, releasing the dark energy at the creature. The energy morphed into a spear-like shape, impaling the creature in its chest. The creature roared, its heads shaking back and forth. **"Your fight is with me at this point." **The energy dissipated, relieving the creature's pain somewhat, although not by much. The creature turned its eyes on Hellspine, anger evident in them. **"Aw, is the wittle baby scared?"**

"_**Watch your tongue, knave."**_ This time, the voice of the creature seemed to sound closer to King Arthur's, confusing Hellspine. The voice then wavered back to the original voice of the creature.

"**Whoa. Talk about split personality. Now, where was I?"** Hellspine brought Nightmare Excalibur back up, pointing the tip straight at the creature. **"Oh, right. Kicking your ass. Better get back to it." **He flew at the creature once again, dodging around the remaining five arms. He swiped at one of the heads, the head dodging, but once again, Hellspine snapped his fingers, two of the heads sliding off of the body. **"Heh. Two for one, aisle three."** The creature swiped at him with two of its five remaining arms, knocking him out of the air. It then proceeded to slam him repeatedly with all five of the arms, finally ending with its tail stabbing at him, pinning him to the ground. **"Fuck. Fuck, that really, **_**really,**_** hurts." **He grabbed the tail, trying to pull it out of his gut, but the creature only applied more pressure to it, keeping him there.

"_**Ha ha ha. Now that I have you pinned, perhaps I shall enjoy a pre-dinner snack."**_

"**That's what you think, you piece of shit."** Hellspine slammed his elbow into the ground just under him, creating a large hole through which he fell through and in turn sliding off the tail, disappearing from view. The creature looked into the hole with one of its last three heads, trying to look in. It then heard a rumbling sound and looked underneath itself to see the ground beginning to flex upwards. Hellspine shot up and out, Nightmare Excalibur trailing behind him. **"I've played with you long enough. Now, I'm gonna end it."** He held Nightmare Excalibur over his head, the tip pointing at the sky. Black energy began to build up around the blade, starting at the tip and flowing down. **"DARKNESS STORM!" **Hellspine brought the blade down upon the air, releasing waves of black energy that cut through the creature, but not leaving any marks.

"_**What kind of attack was that," **_the creature asked after it was done, looking at its body for any marks.

"**One that was too merciful even for you," **Hellspine answered, sneering as he snapped his fingers. The creature's eyes widened as black marks, resembling cuts, appeared all around its body. And then…then, the creature came apart, cut into pieces. The pieces were suddenly surrounded by Arabic and archaic English, the pieces disappearing as Erazor and Arthur reappeared, lying on the ground, both unconscious and battered. Hellspine walked over to them, raising Nightmare Excalibur over his head. **"Now, I can finally end it. And keep you away from my friends." **Hellspine went to deliver the final blow, but stopped. He raised the sword again and went for the blow once more, but again…stopped. _No. No, this isn't right, Hellspine, _Sonic's voice said in his head. _What would our friends think if they saw us like this…what would Sally think?_ **"Sally…"** Hellspine suddenly began to change, his quills changing back to their normal blue. The wings and tail were soon gone, the claws going with them, while his mouth and emerald green eyes reappeared. Nightmare Excalibur changed back to Excalibur and from there, back to Caliburn. Sonic looked down at Erazor and Arthur, thinking back on what had just happened. "Hellspine," he said. He shuddered, hoping that he would never have to fight in that form again. The power…just wasn't worth that nightmare. "Master Hand, get me out of here. And get these two back to their books."

* * *

**Weeeellll…how was the fight scene? Good, I hope. You know who belongs to whom. But, I owe Nightmare Excalibur. Next chapter, Tabuu gets the beating of his life.**


	46. End Match Part III

**The arc's almost over. Final battle against Tabuu.

* * *

**

**End Match Part III: Tabuu vs Soul Fusion**

"Heh," Tabuu chuckled a little, smiling. "Soul Fusion? So, what, you're two weaklings combined?"

Although Tabuu couldn't see it, Soul Fusion was smirking under his mouthguard. "Weaklings," he asked. "Have you not been paying attention to the battles those two have fought?"

"Oh, I've seen them, alright. But I'm not impressed." Tabuu then turned his attention to Lan. "However, I'll need to dispose of this one. He's useless now." Tabuu raised his arm to fire a ball of energy at Lan. Lan closed his eyes, but didn't feel a thing.

"You will not bring a defenseless being into this, Tabuu," Soul Fusion said, the ball of energy in his hand. Tabuu's eyes showed that he was both shocked and curious. "This battle will be between you and me. If, on the off chance that you beat me, then you can continue your little spree." He then closed his hand on the ball, dispersing the energy. He looked at Lan over his shoulder. "Send me a battlechip. Any will do." He then jumped at Tabuu, not waiting for the chip.

"Uh…," Lan watched in amazement at the speed that the combatants were moving. He could only just see the hits and the blocks.

"Lan, the battlechip," Soul Fusion said, not once turning to look at him.

"Right." Lan pulled out a Cannon chip, putting it into the PET.

BEEP

"Data is corrupted," a voice from the PET said.

"WHAT?!"

"Data patch can be attempted. Would you like to do so?" Lan hit a small Y icon and a small bar appeared on the bottom of the screen. With a DING, the chip popped back out of the PET. "Patch complete. Please reinsert the battlechip." Lan looked at the chip and saw that everything on it had changed. The attack, ID, and description were now question marks. The only things that were clear were the picture and the name; the picture showed three separate silhouettes, the name…Fusion Cannon. "What kind of chip is this?"

"Lan, where the fuck is that battlechip," Soul Fusion asked, skidding to halt just in front of him on his back. He looked up at Lan, his eyes patient. "I could really use it right about now, buddy."

"Sorry, sorry. Fusion Cannon, Battlechip in, Download!" Lan slammed the chip into the PET as Soul Fusion stood up.

"Heh. I'm gonna like this." Soul Fusion held out his right arm as his hand was replaced by a Cannon. But the Cannon started to morph. On the top of the cannon, there were now three spikes extending to just past the edge of the cannon towards Soul Fusion, while two curved spikes came from just under it, two more spikes on the side that actually went up to Soul Fusion's elbow, looking like it was meant to be armor. "Fusion Cannon, first shot." He aimed the cannon, putting his aim dead on Tabuu's chest and fired. The shot was twice as large as a normal cannon, actually forcing Soul Fusion back a couple of feet, while Lan was thrown off of his feet by the shockwave. Tabuu went flying back, skidding along the ground, while steam and smoke began to gush out from below the side spikes, blocking Soul Fusion from everyone's view. "Fusion Cannon, second shot," came Soul Fusion's voice from the cloud. He came out from the cloud, revealing that the cannon had changed once more. This time, the two side spikes now almost completely encased his arm up to the elbow, while the bottom spikes had disappeared. There was now one bottom spike and one top, both jutting up and then down towards the area that the cannon barrel, now extended, ended. There was what looked a handle on the bottom and what looked like vents on the side. He took aim once more as Tabuu began to pick himself up, groaning. He fired, the shot hitting Tabuu just as he got to his feet, knocking him back once more, taking a wing with it this time. Once more, he was surrounded by smoke and steam, this time coming from the vents. Once more, his voice came from the cloud as it engulfed him. "Fusion Cannon, final shot." Once more, he walked out and, once more, the cannon had changed. It had now slimmed down, the side spikes thinning and splitting. There was a ring at the edge of the cannon with four extra spikes extending forward and down to the extended barrel and the vents had doubled. The ring began to spin as he brought it up to aim at Tabuu, small balls of energy building up at the tips of the spikes as electrical currents sparked off the cannon. Once more, he fired just as Tabuu finished standing up, the shot four times larger than the others, tearing up the data trails that made up the ground, hitting Tabuu and engulfing him. The cannon disappeared and Soul Fusion smiled under his mouth guard. "Heh. Not even worth it."

"Don't…be so..sure," Tabuu's voice came from the smoke, sounding weak. He emerged, his body flux, data bits trailing off of him, both of his wings torn off. "I'm…not…(hack) done yet." He closed his eyes, holding his arms straight out, data streaming into him from the area. He grew stronger, his voice growing more confident, until his body was restored to its former state. "Ah, much better. Now then, shall we continue where we were?" With that, Tabuu jumped at Soul Fusion, extending the claws to almost a foot in length. Soul Fusion tried to jump out of the way, but one of the claws caught him, forcing him to the ground. Tabuu jumped on him, slashing with everything he had, eventually stopping.

"You done?" came from behind him. Tabuu looked to see Soul Fusion now behind him, looking back at what he was on to see it was a doll. "Gotta love the kawarimi. Sucker comes in handy sometimes." He kicked Tabuu off the doll, the doll disappearing in a poof of smoke. He charged at Tabuu, Tabuu bringing up his arms, claws extended forward. Soul Fusion ducked under them, twisting in midair to fire off two energy balls, one from each hand, at the claws, breaking both sets. He completed the barrel roll to land on both hands and feet, jumping at Tabuu. He grabbed him by the shoulders, bringing his head up into his chin, knocking Tabuu's head back. Soul Fusion completed the combo by letting go of Tabuu's shoulders and flipping back, catching Tabuu with his feet to knock him a few feet away, Soul Fusion landing in a crouch. He stood up as Tabuu did the same, Tabuu's eyes filled with rage.

"Now, the kid gloves come off."

"Oh, you mean you were taking it easy on me? Hmph. I'm insulted."

"Laugh while you can." Tabuu held his hands out, two discs suddenly materializing from the data trails of the area, flying around Soul Fusion. "Galaxy…" The discs began to do what Deck Master's had done. In fact…this _was_ Deck Master's signature move. Tabuu went through every step, even the final attack as he said, "Eraser!" Soul Fusion was on his knees, hacking, the mouth guard down as he spit out blood. "Now do you understand?" But Tabuu was surprised when Soul Fusion looked up at him, smiling. "What are you so happy about?"

"Finally. We can get serious." Soul Fusion put his mouth guard back on. Suddenly, Tabuu saw Soul Fusion in his face, his fist held back, but Soul Fusion looked to still be crouching down. Tabuu ducked under the punch, but was caught by Soul Fusion's knee, snapping his head back. Tabuu brought his claws up, catching Soul Fusion's thigh, but that didn't stop the right cross coming in at Tabuu's head, which caught him.

"Rgh…" Tabuu flared his wings, lifting up and moving backwards, away from Soul Fusion. He extended both hands, opening his mouth. He was about to use the Beast Destruction that Hub Beast had used. The only difference was that all of the beams were blue as they fired. The attack hit, sending out a shockwave of energy, which knocked Soul Fusion down. "Finally." Tabuu extended his claws six inches forward and dove at Soul Fusion. But he never struck him. He instead caught Lan, who had jumped in front of Soul Fusion, right in front of Soul Fusion's eyes, Soul Fusion's eyes widening. He let Lan fall down, looking down at him in disgust. "Feh. Useless gesture."

"You…" Soul Fusion stood up, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Hmph. I'm done playing." Tabuu gestured and tendrils shot from the surrounding area, impaling themselves in Soul Fusion. "I'll just take your power and be done with it."

"You bastard. You…Lan…" Soul Fusion looked up, his eyes full of rage. He pumped his arms down and back, forcing the tendrils out of his body, surprising Tabuu. He jumped over Tabuu to break a Smash Ball, the only item to show up in the battle. When he landed, his eyes were hard. "You've pushed me too far." The aura disappeared as four very large blue rings fell off of his body, followed by another silver set that were the same size. "You get no mercy." Tabuu suddenly jerked back, his mouth open in surprise. He was then launched into the air by seemingly nothing and then slammed into the ground. He looked up to see Soul Fusion still standing in the same spot and then saw him disappear as other images of him appeared. The first was Soul Fusion's fist hitting where Tabuu had first been standing, followed by an image of him kicking where Tabuu had been prior to being launched into the air and finally Soul Fusion slamming his fists, held together, into the spot Tabuu had just been before hitting the ground. "Now do you get it?" The voice was in front of him, but he couldn't see anything. "You can't beat me. But the worst part for you…my Final Smash doesn't end. Once it activates…it stays. Until the battle is over." Soul Fusion finally appeared, kneeling and looking down at Tabuu. "The only thing you can follow is my voice." Soul Fusion disappeared again, Tabuu hastily standing up, looking around himself. His head suddenly snapped back, followed by his body falling forward. The images that appeared ten seconds later was first of Soul Fusion's head hitting where Tabuu's head had been, followed by Soul Fusion in the air, his knee ramming into the spot that Tabuu's back had been occupying. Tabuu then suddenly went flying, skidding against the ground and was then launched into the air. The final hit was the only visible one. It started as a ball of light building up in a point in space, Soul Fusion eventually appearing after an image of him grabbing where Tabuu's right arm had been and swinging and then kicking upwards where Tabuu had been. Soul Fusion fired the light, hitting Tabuu. Tabuu was engulfed, his silhouette visible as his body looked like it was being torn apart. When the light was gone, Tabuu was now in his original form, before the current tournament had begun. "It's over. But Lan…" Soul Fusion clenched his fist, closing his eyes.

"What about me?" Soul Fusion spun around to see Lan standing there, completely unharmed.

"LAN?! But…how did…you were…WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!"

"Oh, that. Yeah, that was a shadow clone."

"WHAT?!"

"You don't think I'd be that dumb, do you? Don't forget, I know some jutsu and can use a little bit without Megaman. Geez, give me some credit."

Soul Fusion continued to stare at Lan, his mouth hanging open. He then closed his mouth and began to laugh quietly, eventually getting louder. "Not bad, not bad. Glad I didn't have to worry about you too much."

Lan joined him, the laughter eventually dying down. "So…you two going to split or what?"

"Uh, about that…I can't allow Max and Megaman to split. At least, not for a day. Much as I hate to admit it, Tabuu did his fair share of damage. They're pretty torn up right now. Twenty four hours at the most, thirteen at the least. And this way, they won't be out for days on end."

"Soooo…you're kind of your own man right now?"

"Hmmm…I guess you could say that. Anyways, Master Hand needs to get us out of here. This place is starting to make me nauseous."

* * *

**Ouch. Would not want to be in Tabuu's place. Hope that was an enjoyable chapter. Please Review and let me know what you think of this chapter. And at the end of the next chapter, I'm going to go over the other contests that I had during this arc and reveal the correct answers. (At least, the ones that weren't attempted.)**


	47. Leaving the Tournament

**Now that the fights are done, we gotta get them home.

* * *

**

**Leaving the Tournament**

The next day, Soul Fusion was true to his word and allowed Max and Megaman to separate, both of them looking better than they had before their fight with Tabuu had even begun. They all spent the next two days packing up and taking care of unfinished business, which included anything from a fight to a training match. As for the villains, after some questioning and their revealing that it was Kalar who had planned this, they were all sent back to their proper settings, although for Tabuu, he was just thrown into another cell. The difference was that this one was specially created by Packer and Wily.

"So, are you all ready to leave," Master Hand asked as the team stood in the front foyer.

"Yeah. I think we got everything," Max said. "I, uh, don't suppose you could give us a hand with getting us back there."

"Unfortunately, no. But anything else, yes." He looked around the group. "Anything within my power, that is. Name it and I can do it for you." Everyone looked at each other, not quite sure what they could ask for. Z was the only one to step forward, although it was somewhat awkward with crutches. "Yes, young Zaria?"

"Help Max find his sister," she said, getting to the point. This actually shocked Max and J, both of whose mouths had dropped open. "And get him motivated to do it."

"Hmmmm…I suppose I could check our data archives quickly…but as for motivating him…"

"Oh, oh, bro, can I go with them," Crazy Hand asked, floating up to the group. "I wanna see what their place is like."

Master Hand looked from Crazy Hand to Max and then back to Crazy Hand. "Hmmmm…tell you what, Max," he said, turning to him. "If you promise to go find your sister as soon as your back, I won't force you to take Crazy Hand with you."

"DEAL!" Max and J exclaimed hastily.

"Awwww," Crazy Hand whined, turning around and floating out.

"Maybe some other time," Will said, perking Crazy Hand up a bit.

"I want you to take this with you," Master Hand said, gesturing at a small pad on the table. "Once I find your sister's location, I will send it to you with this."

"Alright. Thanks for inviting us to this tournament," J said, picking up the pad and putting it in his pocket.

"You ready, J," Max asked.

"No, not really. But we don't have much choice, do we?"

"Uh, this isn't gonna hurt, is it," Packer asked. He and Wily had no choice but to join the group and Packer wasn't exactly cheery about it.

"Nah, it won't hurt a bit."

"Zone Transfer!" Max and J shouted, a light engulfing the group.

* * *

"Wow, I can't believe we got that many people at once," Max said as they reappeared.

"YOU SAID IT WOULDN'T HURT, YOU BASTARDS!" Packer shouted.

"Well, it didn't hurt anyone else."

"Uh, don't be so sure of that," Will said, pointing down. They looked down to see they were about twenty yards above the ground.

"Oh, fuck." And with that, they all fell, landing in a heap, luggage everywhere, various items and weapons spread out. "Zero, I think I landed on your sword."

BAM

"I think I landed on your pistol," Zero said.

"Ok, no one move…I lost my PET," Lan said.

"Hey, anyone see what happened to the five explosive sparkers I had," Kyuubi asked.

Someone snapped and Kyuubi and Max went pale. Ten seconds later, everyone learned why they had paled.

BOOM

Everyone picked themselves up off the ground, groaning and moaning. "Kyuubi, please, don't ever pack one of Blademan's explosive sparkers again. _Ever_," Max said.

"Seconded," Netto said.

* * *

**Alright, they're back home. You know who belongs to whom. Now then, about those unanswered questions. First one involved the stance that Will was using in his fight with Marth. I based it off of Saito Hajime's gatotsu. The differences were; 1) The sword hands were switched. 2) Saito stretches his hand so that his palm faces his opponent, the sword resting in the crook between his thumb and index finger. Will's was closed, with both index and middle finger pointed at his opponent. And 3) Saito holds his sword just above his head. Will kept his close to his chest. And the second unanswered contest question…people, it was a simple definition. It is as follows: Post-haste; done with speed, instant. That's it for the Smash Arc. Please review.**


	48. Sibling Reunion

**I decided it would be a two for one update day.

* * *

**

**Sibling Reunion**

"Can't believe Master Hand found Taly that quickly," Max said, walking beside J.

"Yeah…," J said, both of them going quiet as they continued to walk. "Max…it's been almost five years now, maybe even six. Are you sure she'll recognize us?"

"Doubt it. We've changed quite a bit since the last time she saw us." Max suddenly stopped walking, looking at the front of a large house. He gave a whistle, impressed by the size of the house. "This is the address."

"You…uh, you sure?" J looked at the house, just as impressed as Max was.

Max looked at the pad to double check. "Yep. This is definitely it." They walked up to the front step, ringing the doorbell once they reached the door. They waited a bit before a man, early twenties, opened the door. He had a scruffy beard, medium build, about six feet tall. His hair was a little messed up, his eyes blue, darting between the two.

"I know you fellas," he asked.

"No. Uh, does Talina Escal live here?"

The man's eyes narrowed a bit as he bent down to look Max in the eye. "Do you know my girlfriend?"

"You could say that, sir," J answered, the man swinging his gaze to J, who returned it.

The man turned back into the house, calling out, "Tal!" A muffled reply was heard as footsteps came pounding from somewhere in the house. A girl, around twenty one, going on twenty two, appeared behind the man. She was shorter than he was, but still slightly taller than Max. She had jade green eyes, silver hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was also fairly endowed, her T shirt just a bit too tight for her. "You know these two?"

She looked at the boys, but didn't see anything familiar about them. "Billy, you go in the house. I'll see what they want," she said, turning to the man. The man shrugged and walked back in. She turned back to the two. "_Do _I know you?"

"Well, I would exp-" Max was interrupted by a girl in her late twenties walking up and pushing him and J out of the way.

"Hey, is Bill in today," the girl asked.

"Get outta here, you little slut," the silver haired girl said, her voice bitter.

"Hmph. I'll just come back. But that man will be mine one day." With that, the girl brushed past Max and J, who had just managed to get up, pushing them back down.

"Bitch," Talina spit out.

"Uh, was that girl…does your boyfriend know her," Max asked, looking at Talina.

"Unfortunately. Little bitch, coming around here like that."

Something in Max suddenly awakened when he saw Talina's face looking down. His brotherly instincts were kicking in and he suddenly turned to Gregar Fusion. "THAT BASTARD! I'LL RIP HIM TO SHREDS!" He jumped past Talina, whose eyes had widened, his claws stretched out towards Billy, who was currently hugging the wall, his eyes wide as well. But Max never made it. Talina had grabbed his arms, putting him into a full nelson.

"Who the hell are you?" But Max didn't answer, his instincts telling him to kill the man who he thought was cheating on his sister. The only reason he hadn't thrown Talina off was because of those same instincts telling him to be careful. "Ok, maybe I should knock some sense into you." Talina adjusted her arms just slightly and suddenly bent back, intending to slam Max's head into the ground. But old reflexes took over Max. He grabbed Talina's hands, crossing them behind him so that they were pinned to her chest, flipping himself over her body so that he was behind her. He wrapped his legs around her waist, tight, and then held her hands still pinned to her chest, his index and middle finger just centimeters away from her neck.

"I didn't know you could retract those claws," J said, watching the scene calmly.

"Me neither," Max said.

But Talina wasn't hearing the conversation. She was too surprised by the hold. A hold that she knew very well. "There's only one person in this zone who would be this good at this particular hold," Talina said. "And that person is…Max?"

"Who the fuck is Max," Billy asked, still hugging the wall.

"My little brother!"

"Hi, Ta-Ta," Max said, grinning like an idiot. "Long time, no see."

"Why, you little brat," she said, pumping her elbows into his side. "I told you, don't call me that. I only let you do it when you were a toddler because you were still just learning to talk." She then managed to plant her fist into his back, which caused him to release, as it had hit his kidney. She jumped out of the hold and turned around to see Max holding his back where she had hit. Her hand went to her mouth. "Oh, Max! Sorry, sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to get you there."

"No, no," Max said, his voice soft. "It's…oh, fuck that hurts. Ok, it's not okay. Ice. Need…ice."

"Right, right, sorry," Talina ran into another room.

"Recovery, download." Max was bathed in a purple light as Talina ran back in with a bag of ice. He then fell onto the floor, doubling over. "Ok, now it hurts more."

"You idiot! You knew that was gonna hurt. Even if it heals internal damage, it's gonna hurt like hell." Talina kneeled next to him, holding the ice to his side. Billy was still hugging the wall, but now he was confused. He looked to J for an explanation.

"What can I say," J asked, shrugging. "We're a weird family."

* * *

After Max's injury had stopped hurting, they all went to sit down in a well furnished room, and Talina had explained who the girl was. "Oh," Max said. "So…you weren't…heh, my bad, dude."

"Well, normally I'd be pretty pissed about someone trying to kill me," Billy said, "but, I understand where you're coming from. I've got a niece who's about your age now, so I totally get why you flipped."

"Except the armor kinda freaked you out, right?"

"Yeah. Kinda."

"So, what about you guys," Talina asked, sipping from a coffee mug. She was the only one with a drink, as the others had declined her offer to make them coffee. She wasn't exactly…an average person when it came to coffee. Instead of sugar, she would put salt in the coffee.**(Side note: Bet no one knows who I'm referring to with the salt thing.)**

After explaining the events of the past five or six years, Talina set her mug down. "So, J finally got a girl? It's about time."

"Get off my back," J said, crossing his arms.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." She stuck her tongue out at him, while he just returned it with a stare. "Don't bother trying that hard glare, J. Remember, I'm the one who taught you that." She returned the glare and J was the first to break off, gritting his teeth in defeat. "Told you."

"Fuck," J said under his breath. He could never beat her when she had still been living with them and apparently still couldn't.

"Now then," Talina said, turning to Max. "Are you going to introduce me to your friends?"

"Right now," Max asked, his eyes wide.

"Well, why not? You guys said you only took an hour's walk here."

"Uh…" Max looked at J, who returned the look. "Well…okay, but…well, these aren't exactly normal people."

"Max, think about who you're talking to."

"…Point taken…"

* * *

**And that was Talina Escal finally reuniting with her brothers…although…yeah, being hit in or near the kidney is not fun. Please Review.**


	49. Blademan's Naginata

**Blademan's Naginata**

Shinobi dragged himself into one of the kitchens, Talina, Max, Kyuubi, and Naruto already in there. Talina had decided to stay over for the night and was currently cooking the other three breakfast. "Mornin', Shinobi," Kyuubi said, yawning

Shinobi held up his hand. "Not before my coffee," he grumbled, sitting down. He heard a thunk and looked up to see that Talina had placed a mug of coffee in front of him. "Someone pass the salt."

"I don't think you'll need it," Max said. Shinobi looked over to see that he had coffee as well, but his was straight black.

"What?" Max just gestured to the cup. Shinobi picked it up and sipped and found that there was already salt in it. "Finally. I meet someone who appreciates salt in their coffee."

"I know, right? I'm surprised that other people find it disgusting," Talina said, placing a large stack of pancakes in front of the four. "Enjoy, fellas."

"Damn, this brings back some funny memories," Max said, stabbing two of the pancakes with his fork. "Like the time you started experimenting with pancakes. J and I put in hot sauce in one of your experiment batters." Max leaned back, smiling back on the memory and then shuddered. "And then you showed us a new hold…" Max shuddered once more. "I hate that hold. I really, really hate that hold."

They all heard a yawn and looked over to see Lan walk in, followed by Megaman and their zone doubles. "I smell pancakes," Lan said. "Who's cooking?"

"Sis."

"Those look really good," Megaman said.

"Help yourself," Talina said, setting down another plate with even more pancakes.

Lan sat down, grabbing the top half of the stack and dug in. He then stopped and looked at Max, swallowing what was in his mouth. "Max, I've been wanting to ask this, but never had the chance and eventually forgot. Up until the tournament," he said. "Why is Blademan so attached to the naginata?"**(Side note: Lan's referring to a little incident from my first story, when he went to Blademan to learn how to use Bladesoul.)**

Max stopped in mid-bite, putting the pancake back down. "Now that you mention it," he said, "I don't really know. I've only known him for, what, a year and a half now? I've never thought to ask him."

"Actually, I think I can answer that," Kyuubi said, drawing everyone's attention to him. "I've known the guy for quite a while now."

"Well…tell us," Lan said, leaning forward.

"Hmmmm…okay. But first, I think I need to give you some background on me and Blademan. First off, we aren't exactly Prime Zone natives. The current Prime Zone is actually comprised of two or three different zones, although it only used to be a single zone. The part that we're in is the original Prime Zone. Our zone was completely separate for a time."

"Wow," Megaman said, amazed at this new information.

"Yeah. And there was a point in time when Shinobi and I were actually human. I was known as Arashi Uzumaki, better known around Konoha as the Fourth Hokage for a time. Shinobi was Obito Uchiha, one of the most well-known pranksters around. Our zone was nothing like this one. Netnavis couldn't go between the real world and the cyber world. And Cross Fusion wasn't even around until Sasuke started work on it." Kyuubi put down his fork and knife, leaning back. "Remember what Blademan said about his naginata when he found out Minato had hocked it for some extra money?"

"Yeah. Something about his last partner."

"More specifically…"

"…He said that 'she' had given it to him."

_Yo, kid, _Minato's voice said in Naruto's head. _What's going on?_

_Kyuubi's about tell us about Blademan's naginata,_ Naruto replied.

_Seriously? You gotta summon me. Please?_

_Fine._ Naruto did a quick jutsu signing before summoning Minato. Kyuubi acknowledged him quickly before continuing.

"That's right. And 'she' was very well known around Konoha. Her name was Migoto Bara. Translated, her name meant beautiful rose. So, naturally, her closest friends would call her Rose. She was Blademan's netoperator and closest friend." Kyuubi was about to continue, but then stopped for a second, suddenly snapping his fingers. "Almost forgot. Here's something most people don't know about Blademan. His original weapon was not the naginata, nor the katana or chainblade. Originally, he only had the kunai as his basic weapon. Now that that's out of the way, where should I start?"

-flashback sequence starts here and-

_A young woman was walking down a street, her black hair cut short, so that it just met the top of her neck. She was in a white kimono with a floral pattern decorating the right side. Her eyes were a light red, a rather unusual eye color, a smile on her face. She was currently looking into a green PET with Blademan's navimark emblazoned on the bottom of it. "Hey, Rose," a voice called from behind her, causing her to stop and turning around to see who it was. It turned out to be a man, blond hair spiked up, his sideburns hanging a little low. On his face were what looked like six scars that seemed to resemble whiskers. When he had caught up to her, he bent down, his hands on his knees, gulping in air._

"_A little out of shape, Arashi," Migoto asked, laughing a little._

_He held up a finger, signaling to give him just a few more seconds. He finally straightened up, taking a deep breath. "No, I'm not out of shape. I've been looking all over the village for you."_

"_Why do you need my mistress," a voice asked from the PET. Arashi looked at the PET screen to see a younger Blademan. He didn't have the facemask that he wears in present time, nor was he as tall and his only visible weapon was the two kunai strapped to his thighs and a small pouch on his right hip._

"_They just finished a new technology," Arashi explained. "It's called Pulse Transmission. They're looking for volunteers and I told them that I'd do it and that I'd see if you would like to test it out as well."_

"_What's it supposed to do," Migoto asked, tilting her head to the left._

"_It can send a human's consciousness into the cyber world." Both Migoto and Blademan's jaws dropped at this._

"_You're kidding, right," Blademan asked, his voice full of doubt._

"_Well…no. That's kinda the point of volunteers."_

"…_Ok. I'll do it," Migoto said, Blademan snapping his head to look at her._

"_You can't be serious!" He exclaimed. But he knew the answer already when she returned the look. He sighed, his shoulders sagging._

"_Lead me there," Migoto said to Arashi, gesturing for him to take the lead._

_Later on, they came out of a building that had the Konoha symbol on the front of it, discussing the new technology. "I can't believe that actually worked," Arashi said._

"_This…this is amazing. With this technology, a netop could actually spar with their netnavi. They could learn from each other, fight with one another, and…it's just…mind blowing," Blademan said, sitting cross legged in his PET._

"_Maybe now I can teach you some of my jutsu," Migoto said, turning her head to look at Blademan._

"_Maybe…just…can we avoid your hand to hand combat training? I remember what you did to the last person who wanted you teach it…" Blademan shuddered, while Migoto laughed._

"_Oh, shit," Arashi said. "I've gotta get out of here. Sarutobi-sensei wanted to see me about something," Arashi said as he noticed the sun starting to set. "I'll catch up with you two later." And with that, he ran back to the large building they had just emerged from._

"_What time is it, anyways," Migoto asked._

"_About seven P.M.," Blademan answered._

-ends here-

"So, you guys had already developed the Pulse Transmission system," Megaman asked.

"Yep," Kyuubi answered. "Interesting little thing. Although…it did have its fair share of glitches occasionally."

"Ok, ok, so they developed the Pulse Transmission," Lan said, impatient. "But what about Migoto?"

"Right, sorry. Just a little sidetracked." Kyuubi closed his eyes to gather his thoughts before continuing. "Well, it was long after that Migoto began to use the system more often, going into the cyber world to spar with Blademan. Because of this new system, netops and netnavis were getting closer together, their once thought unbreakable bonds now even beyond that. Their wasn't even a word that we could use to describe those kinds of bonds any longer. But…it wasn't long until catastrophe struck our land."

"What do you mean?"

"It was about the time that Orochimaru had betrayed us for the first time, during which the Third Hokage discovered his lab. Unfortunately, Migoto had become a member of one of our most elite squads. The Anbu Black-Ops. She was sent to track down Orochimaru after he had escaped the first time. But something went wrong. She was caught in a zone portal, which had never been seen before. The strange thing about it was that it led to a place where netnavis and humans coexisted in one world. Now, most of this I learned after hand from Blademan, so try to bear with me."

-flashback sequence starts here and-

"_Rose," Blademan said, using the earphone to communicate with her. "I have two targets on my motion radar. Both are at two o'clock."_

_Migoto turned slowly to find the direction. "Alright, I got them," she whispered. She was now in a vest that resembled Kakashi's, though it had less pockets. She now wore a green facemask, her pants a little loose around her legs, a pouch on her left hip. "It doesn't look like Orochimaru is with them."_

"_We better report back then." Migoto began to get up slowly when a green warp appeared just in front of her, air sucking into it. She couldn't grab hold of the branch she was on in time and went flying into it, the two men they had been following close behind her, equally shocked. Migoto landed hard, Blademan landing beside her as he was suddenly ejected out of the PET. But the two didn't have enough time to figure out what was going on, because the men they had followed were already up and running at them._

"_You take the left, I take the right," Migoto said, her eyes now serious. She settled into a stance, her palms open and stretched to her opponent, while Blademan drew both kunai in a reverse grip._

"_Oh, sure, give me the one with the chainblade," he said, trying to lighten the mood a little. He blocked the chainblade with one kunai, swiping at the man holding it with the other. When Migoto didn't reply to his comment, he shoulder charged the man, knocking him back as he turned to see how she was doing. He stopped, staring at her bloodied body on the ground. "Migoto…" He looked up to find the two men, but they were gone, a green warp pulling on Migoto's body. Blademan flung himself down over her body, wrapping his arms around her as the warp pulled him in. He was ejected out of the warp to hit a tree. The very same tree they had first been on. He lay Migoto down carefully, looking over her body to find where the blood was coming from. He finally found it on her left arm and her stomach, two large gashes. He used the gauze from one of her many pouches to make a tourniquet for her arm, wrapping it tightly around the wound on her stomach. It was then that he noticed that there were more injuries than he could handle. He picked her up, trying to be as careful as he could and went off, going as fast as he could to Konoha._

-ends here-

"Imagine our surprise and shock when Blademan walked into the Hokage's office, Migoto in his arms. Whatever had happened to her, it was bad. She was hospitalized immediately and the medical specialists began work immediately. Blademan…well, whatever the laws of that zone had been, they had decided they liked Blademan, because ever since going through that thing, he had gained the ability to traverse between the real world and the cyber world."

-flashback sequence starts here and-

_Blademan was sitting beside a hospital bed, Migoto laying in it. She looked at him as he continued to stare at the floor. "You're going to put a hole in the floor," she said weakly, smiling as best she could. He stared up at her, trying his best to force a smile, any smile, but couldn't. Not when his closest friend was wrapped in bandages. A knock came at the door and Arashi came in, holding a long box under his arm. "Arashi. Please, come in."_

"_Rose," he said, nodding to her. "Blade." Blademan only offered a grunt. He walked up to the bed, laying the box down beside her. "Here's that package you wanted me to pick up." He looked from her to Blademan and then turned around. "I'll…I'll just leave you two for a bit." He walked out, not once looking back._

_Migoto looked at the box and then took Blademan's hand, placing it on the box. "For you," she said, smiling. Blademan looked surprised, looking down at the box. "Go on, open it." He did so, laying the lid aside. In the box was a staff with the blade at the end. Over the blade was Migoto's Anbu face mask. He looked up at her, curious. "It's a weapon known as a naginata. I thought that you should have something more than just the kunai." He picked up the face mask. He looked at her a bit before putting it on. The mask began to shift a bit as it suddenly combined with his armor, now a permanent attachment. He picked up the naginata and looked at the blade, turning it over to find an inscription, which was in kanji. _私の愛するBlademanします。私は永遠にあなたとままになります。愛はMigotoバラ _"__Blade…remember that message well. Please." Blademan looked at her again to see the light in her eyes beginning to fade. She smiled at him again, his eyes beginning to tear up. "Take good care of that weapon. I have a feeling it will serve you well." And with that…she took her final breath. The machine that she had been hooked up to let out a continuous beep, a sure sign that she had flatlined. Blademan closed his eyes, shutting them hard._

_Out loud, he read the inscription, trying to hold back his tears. "To my dear Blademan. I will forever remain with you. Love…Migoto Bara."_

-ends here-

"Wow," Naruto said. "No wonder he freaked out when he learned that Minato had hocked it." They all heard sniffling and someone blowing his or her nose. They looked around to see that it was Minato, a tissue to his nose.

"What," he growled when everyone gave him funny look. "A guy can't be sensitive every now and then? But now I feel like such a jerk."

"Ah, Blademan knows you didn't know," Kyuubi said. "He's probably already forgiven you for it."

"But…wow," Lan said. "That…that definitely answers my question. Except…what about the other two weapons?"

"Lan," Kyuubi said, "revenge is not always, if ever, the answer. Blademan learned that lesson after a couple of years, but as far as I know, he hasn't once regretted what he did."

* * *

Elsewhere, Blademan was in a graveyard, staring down at a stone. The name was Migoto Bara and under it was a quick sentence, reading "She will always be remembered." Blademan turned away from the stone after a bit, walking out. On the grave stone, there was a red rose, freshly cut.

* * *

**I thought that Blademan nearly killing Minato from my first story should have a reason. You know who belongs to whom. Please Review.**


	50. Blademan's Match

**I thought that Blademan should get some "screen time", so to speak.

* * *

**

**Blademan's Match**

Max walked to the front door, the doorbell ringing like crazy. "I'm coming, damn it," he grumbled. "Just stop doing push-ups on the bell." He opened the door to see Blademan and Kakashi.

"Hello, Maxwell," Blademan said. "May we come in?"

"Uh, sure." Max stepped back, letting the two pass through the doorway. "What are you…"

"Doing here?" Kakashi finished for him. "Well, I thought it was about time that I check up on my nephews. And Blademan…actually, why did you come?" He turned to the netnavi, his expression full of question.

Blademan shrugged. "Dunno. Just a hunch, I guess. Oh, crap. Left my pack outside." He went back to the door, leaving Max to look at Kakashi.

"He has a pack with him?" Max asked.

"Just some weapons and chips he felt you and Lan needed for Blade Soul and Blade Fusion training, apparently," Kakashi answered.

"Just a hunch, my ass. He just wanted an excuse to have a fight with us."  
"Probably. Fighting the same guy does get tedious." Kakashi rubbed his shoulder. "Especially when you start hitting the exact same areas repeatedly. Each…and every….fight."

CRASH

Max and Kakashi turned around and looked at the open door to see Blademan on the ground, a boy and EM being sprawled on top of him. The boy and EM being got up, the boy rubbing his already messy black hair. The boy was in a pair of black jeans and black sneakers, purple shurikens emblazoned on the shoulders and a larger one on the front of his red shirt. His amber eyes looked at his surroundings, taking everything in. "Uh, Shadow," he said, the purple EM being turning to look at him. The EM being, Shadow, had red eyes and his armor resembled that of a ninja's. "Something tells me we're gonna be late for dinner."

"You're telling me, kid," Shadow said. He then noticed Blademan on the ground. "Well, at least now I know why our landing was so soft. We landed on a person." The boy looked down.

"Oh, shit!" He bent down to help Blademan up, who had finally come to, groaning.

"Oh, that's gonna hurt in the morning," Blademan said. "What hit me?" He then noticed Shadow and the boy propping him up. "Never mind."

"Uh, hi. Sorry about the landing. I'm Synchron Blade. That's Shadow." Synchron picked up a small pack that was on the ground beside Blademan. "Is this yours?"

"Yes, it is." Blademan took the offered pack from him, throwing it at Max. "Start looking through there. I'm teaching you and Lan some of the basics of each of those. You'll start by memorizing the names." He then turned back to Synchron. "Now, mind explaining how the hell I happened to be your cushion?" He walked inside, gently nudging Shadow and Synchron in front of him, closing the door after him. A little while later, he had the full story of how the two had gotten stuck in a Zone Portal, Max and Kakashi listening intently. Blademan sighed, shaking his head. "You guys had a better landing than me. I always end up getting ejected." He was about to say something else, but then stopped, thinking. "Actually….Max, have you ever been ejected out of a Zone Portal?"

"Nope." Max leaned back, his hands behind his head.

"I wonder what I could have done to piss off a Zone Portal…anyways, on to other things. How to get you two back home."

"Uh, how about that training, instead?" Max asked. "No one else is actually here right now…and I haven't exactly been given instructions on how to use the zone function on the teleporter…."

"So, you've been back for almost two months now and haven't even taken the time to learn how to use the teleporter?" Kakashi asked, earning a fist to the head by Max.

"At least I don't have my nose stuck in those little orange things you call books, you old pervert."

"Ah, touché."  
"Training?" Synchron asked, perking up. "Did I hear training?"

"Yes. You guys wanna join?" Max asked, looking at the two.

"Yes!" Synchron exclaimed, not even giving Shadow the chance to answer.

Shadow sighed, holding up his hands, palms up. "I guess I'm in." He followed Max, Blademan, and Kakashi to a training room, Synchron following closer behind. "Mind if we suit up really quick?" Max nodded. "EM Wave Change, Synchron Blade, On Air!" He was surrounded by a purple light, Shadow disappearing. When he reappeared, he was now in a purple jumpsuit, black gauntlets with blades on them, torso armor with a large shuriken emblazoned on the front, a helmet on his head, his shoes replaced by boots, a red scarf on his neck, fluttering down to rest on the side of his body. On his hip was a sheath, a red hilt sticking out of it.

"Nice weaponry," Blademan commented. "I assume you have an alternate name in this form?"

"Shadow Sword."

"Well, Shadow Sword, how about a quick one on one, to see what you can do?" Blademan stepped to the center of the ring in the training room, drawing his kunai. "We'll start off easy and progress from there."

"Easy, huh. Alright, let's start off easy," Shadow Sword said, holding up his gauntlets to point them at Blademan. "Shuriken Barrage!" Shuriken began to fly out of the gauntlets, Blademan moving his kunai quickly, blocking all of the star shaped projectiles.

"Heh. If this is all you got, this'll be over quickly." Twenty minutes later, Blademan was still blocking.

"How many fucking shuriken can you possibly have in there?"

"Dunno. Haven't had to reload once since I've met Shadow," Shadow Sword said.

"Fuck!" Blademan threw his right kunai, snapping his fingers as soon as it left his hand. Small currents of electricity played along the edges, but when it reached Shadow Sword six seconds later, embedding itself in the ground, he was unaffected. It wasn't until four seconds later that the kunai exploded, throwing Shadow Sword into the wall.

"Blademan, can we please avoid any unnecessary damage to the HQ?" Max asked. "My room, Z, Eva, and Zero's rooms are all surround this training room. I don't think any of us want nosy neighbors, however unintentional."

"Well then, maybe you shouldn't have chosen this room then," Blademan shot back, drawing his katana. Shadow Sword emerged from the cloud of dust to reveal that he had drawn his katana, the blade of the katana a violet color. "Alright, as far as long range attacks go, I think you're set. Let's try close combat with swords. Actually, before we do that." Blademan took the naginata off of his back, the chainblade off his right hip, and the kunai and pouches off, throwing them to Kakashi and Max. "Careful with my naginata."

Kakashi quickly handed the naginata to Max. "Why do I have to hold this?" he asked, looking at the bladed staff.

"Because if anything happens to that naginata," Kakashi said, "I won't die."

"Oh…wait, what?"

"Shhhh. Pay attention to the fight," Kakashi said, pointing at Blademan and Shadow Sword.  
The two combatants began to trade strikes, Shadow Sword's strikes precise and made with little movement, while Blademan's were slightly wider. "Hunh. Not bad, young man. Not bad," Blademan said. Their blades locked, each grabbing the other's wrist. They struggled back and forth for a bit, Blademan slowly starting to get the upper hand do to his height advantage. They pushed off of each other, landing about four yards from each other. "Alright, you've proven close style combat meddle. I am thoroughly impressed." Blademan began to sign, Max and Kakashi leaning forward with anticipation. "But let's see how you stand up to my signature jutsu. Lightning Style: Electric Overload." Three electric clones of Blademan appeared. "Electric Charge." Blademan held his hands out, the three clones mimicking him. A ball of electric energy built up in his hands, once more reflected by the clones. "Fire!" The four balls shot off, spinning around each other to form a giant drill of electricity. The attack hit Shadow Sword dead center, slamming him into the wall. "Oooo, may have used a bit too much on that one." When the smoke cleared, Shadow Sword was standing, clutching his gut. He coughed a little, blood spurting from his mouth. His hand went to his mouth to try and hold the blood back, but didn't have much success. His armor was now blackened, a result of the amount of energy the electricity had discharged. His free hand slowly went down to his side, his katana at rest. "On second thought, maybe I didn't use enough."

"You can build up even more than that?" Shadow Sword asked, tilting his head a bit as he stopped coughing, his hand moving from his mouth.

"….Well, no…not without killing myself," Blademan answered. "Not something I really want to try."

"Heh. Guess not." Shadow Sword's grip tightened on his sword. "Now it's my turn. Shadow Step!" He dashed to his right and suddenly disappeared, leaving behind a shadow trail where he had just been. Blademan fell forward onto his knees, Shadow Sword now behind him, his blade still held in the position that he had cut into Blademan's back with.

Blademan hacked a bit, pulling his mask down to spit out some blood in his mouth. "Only problem I ever had since that incident. I now have blood. But it could be worse, I suppose," he said, grinning. He wiped his mouth off with the back of his sleeve and stood up. He turned around to face Shadow Sword, who had sheathed the katana. Blademan extended his hand, Shadow Sword shaking the hand. "That was a good fight, kid. A really good fight." He looked around the training room to see the damage, noticing there was now a hole in the wall. "Uh, whose room is that?"

"That….would be Zero's," Max answered.

"Oh, shit. I might wanna get outta here before everyone else gets back, huh?"

"Probably."

"Say, where is everyone anyways?" Kakashi asked. "I came to check on my nephews, who aren't even here."

"They all went out on separate errands. The only one I'm sure of is Z going to the doctor's for a quick check-up on her leg, Will, Love, and J are at a tech store, and Zero and Protoman went to a sword store to take a look at some new items in stock. Don't know about anyone else."

"How long would you say I have until Zero gets back?" Blademan asked, strapping his weapons back to their proper places.

"I give it another hour, maybe hour and a half. If you're lucky." Max turned to Synchron, he and Shadow now split from the wave change. "When the techies get here, we'll figure out what Zone you're from and get you back there."

Synchron nodded. "Alright," he said. Blademan took him by the shoulder, steering him out the door.

"Now then, I wanna know what that armor of yours is made of," he said as they walked out. "Not often that I find someone who can take a direct hit from my jutsu and still stand." The conversation continued down the hallway, Kakashi following after them. That left Max standing by himself to figure out how he was going to explain to Zero why there was a giant hole in his wall.

* * *

**Shadow Sword, Synchron Blade, and Shadow all belong to shinobilegend101, who was kind enough to allow me use of all three. You know who belongs to whom. Please Review.**


	51. Teleporter Troubles and New Faces

**Teleporter Troubles and New Faces**

"Alright, so a couple more tweaks and you should be on your way, Synchron, Shadow," J said, currently seated behind the controls of the teleporter. It had been three days since Synchron and Shadow had fallen through a portal and J and Will had managed to zero in on his specific Zone energy.

"Thanks for the hospitality, guys," Synchron said, standing on the pad, Shadow beside him.

"No problem. You ever wanna visit, just call us with that communicator we gave you, 'k?"

"Sure thing. See you fellas later." Synchron waved as he and Shadow began to fade out, soon gone.

"So, you fixed the flash problem?" Max asked.

"Yep."

"'Bout damn time." Max was about to walk out with Will when he saw J fidget. "Uh-oh. I know what that fidget means. Where's it gonna come out?"

"Just above the pad." As if on cue, a portal appeared above the pad, depositing a reploid with red armor. His long blonde hair fell around his body, a black jumpsuit covering him, pieces of red armor over the suit. J sighed, standing up. "I'll start getting energy readings while there's still some residual effects."

"I'll go prep a capsule," Will said, walking out of the room.

"…." Max continued to stand there. "Thanks guys. Leave me to carry him. Fucking jerks," he grumbled, moving over to the reploid and hoisting him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. He followed Will out of the room as J started typing on another console, small green and red bars on a screen fluctuating.

A week later, their unannounced guest came to in the capsule, the top lifting up to let him out. "Well, look who's up," Max said, walking in. He stuck his head out the door to call to Zero and Axl. "Zero, Axl, he's awake!"

"I'm right here," the reploid said, groaning and holding his head. "Where's my helmet?"

"Uh….Zero, Axl, you might wanna get in here."

"Would you quit talking like that? I'm already in here, damn it." The reploid shook his head a bit, his hair following the movement of his head. "Where the fuck am I?"

"Uh, would you believe me if I said another zone? Or dimension? Or however you wanna interpret that." Zero and Axl-R walked in, Zero doing a double take.

"Max….please tell me this guy's name isn't Zero…" he said, dumbfounded.

"I think it is."

"FUCK!" Zero left the room and they could hear crashes and thuds.

"Training room?"

"Training room," Axl-R confirmed. "I think he's thankful for that hole Blademan put in the wall right now."

"I would assume so," Max replied. "Now then." He turned to the other Zero. "Perhaps you'd like to get home?"

"Uh, sure…uh…"

"Right. Maxwell Escal. Just call me Max."

"Max. That would be great." A few hours later, they were standing in the teleporter room, Will and J with the two. "So, just another couple of minutes and I can go?"

"Yep," J began before fidgeting. "Oh, _come on_! Another one?" His eyes then went wide. "Zero, when I tell you, jump at the center of the pad." J waited a bit before yelling, "JUMP!" Zero did so, a portal suddenly appearing in front of him, Zero disappearing through it.

"What the hell just happened?" Max asked.

"Portal with the exact same energy reading. This doesn't really sound good to me." J was about to turn off the system when another portal appeared over the pad, a green reploid coming through. He activated some type of jets in his boots, descending to the ground slowly. A female blue reploid followed, the green one catching her, stopping her descent.

"Ugh…where's Fefnir?" the blue reploid asked before they heard a scream coming from the portal. The green one sidestepped to the left, a reploid in red and white armor falling and hitting face first. "Never mind."

"You okay, Leviathan?" the green one asked, putting her down on her feet.

"Yeah, just fine, Harpuia. Just fine." J gave another fidget, another portal popping over Fefnir. Zero fell through this time, landing on his feet, but on Fefnir's back, Fefnir's red eyes bugging out a bit.

"Zero, what the hell happened?" Max asked.

"Well….I came out of the portal in mid jump….and fell into another one…" Zero answered.

"Why the fuck are there so many portals?" J gave another fidget, Max throwing his hands up. "Oh, for the luvvva!" This time, a human girl in a black jumpsuit and a pink vest and skirt fell through, a young female reploid in all pink in her arms. Zero looked up in time to catch them, but both had their eyes closed, still screaming. "Anymore?" J gave one more fidget before Max noticed that each time the portals were appearing, the consoles were spiking. "The teleporter. We need to turn the teleporter off. _Now!_" A final portal appeared over Zero as J and Will started to shut down the system, a helmet falling through and landing on Zero's head at an angle, covering his left eye.

"Huh. Wondered where this thing got to," he said. "Uh, Ciel? Could you stop screaming? You're not falling anymore." The human, Ciel, opened her eyes to see Zero, her mouth still dropped, but everyone else was just thankful she had stopped screaming. Zero looked over at Leviathan and Harpuia and frowned. "Uh….where's Fefnir?"

"Get. The fuck. Off. Of my back. You fucking. Bastard," Fefnir said from under Zero, his head propped on his hand.

"Oh, my bad." He stepped off, looking over at Will and J. "Uh…I don't suppose…."

"Nope. Not like this," J said. "Looks like it's time to give Wily a call." An hour later, Wily was at the front door, Kassie opening the door.

"Oh, Mr. Wily," she said. "Uh, did you need something?"

"Quite frankly, dear, I'm not sure," he said. "I was just told by J to come down. Something about a malfunctioning teleporter, I believe."

"Oh, boy." Kassie sighed, stepping aside to give Wily room to walk through. "I'm sure you remember where it's at?"

"Oh, yes. I remember quite well," he said, walking down the hallway. He walked into the room, the only occupants now Will and J, who were both in a hole in the console each, various wires protruding from other holes. "Well, fellas, what seems to be the problem?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out. When we sent Synchron and Shadow home, we got another Zero," J began, before clarifying that he meant another reploid named Zero. "Well, he just woke up today. A few hours ago, we try to send him home. Well, instead of fixing that little problem, it opens even more portals to his Zone. Which means that we have one major problem. If it continues to do this, we could end up breaking the barriers between the two Zones. Now, I know we've had fusions in the past, at least twice, but those were natural."

"And we don't want to find out just what a forced one looks like," Will finished, coming out from his hole, covered in oils. "Explain to me why we have hydraulics in here again."

"We had to get some sort of way to keep power pumping in," Wily said. "Relying on a couple of motors and generators is a good way to burn this stuff out quickly."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Well…we could have gone green and just used all electricity."

"…and you didn't tell us this because…?"

"Hey, you guys just told me how you wanted it adjusted. Not what kind of power source you wanted."

"That's it. As soon as we get these people home, we're going to fix that," J said.

"Now, hang on a second. Do you have any idea how long that would take?"

"Two weeks, at most. If we have Sasuke and Love working with us, then we can cut it down to ten days."

"Oh…well, I guess I'd better make sure I can find someone to run the arcade while I'm gone."

* * *

"Max," the team's Zero said, walking into the room. "Where's my double at?"

"He's in the main living room with the people who fell through. Apparently, they thought he was dead for the past week. I think he managed to tell them all what happened up until he ended up here, unconscious," Max answered, reclining on a chair. "Zero, I would be careful about how much you tell him about yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if what J told me is correct, their Zone energy is the exact same as yours. That means they're either from your Zone's past or future. Either way, if you aren't careful about what you say, you may end up messing the time line in your Zone."

"Oh, great. Now I have to avoid messing up my Zone's timeline. You already told X and Axl-R?" Max nodded. Zero pinched the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb. "Alright. So, avoid revealing too much of myself and my partners. Yeah, how hard can that be?" Zero walked out of the room, leaving Max to continue his interrupted nap when he heard an explosion.

"Damn it." He stood up, stretching out. "Better make sure Sasuke didn't set off anything radioactive this time."

* * *

The other Zero was indeed in the main living room, sitting with Ciel and the little reploid, Alouette, who was holding onto a little doll. "So, what's happened since I left our Zone?" he asked, looking over at Harpuia for an answer.

"Well, we ended up working with the Resistance to look for you," he answered, reluctant in answering.

"Wow. That must have been embarrassing," Zero said.

"Yeah, well. There was no longer any reason for Neo Arcadia and the Resistance to continue fighting. In fact, we let them back into the city. Some decided to leave to head to Area Zero, but without the threat of Weil's iron fisted rule, we let them go. There's no reason to keep people somewhere they aren't comfortable in."

"It's too peaceful," Fefnir said, earning a hit to the head from Leviathan. He glared at her, rubbing the spot.

"Be thankful," she said. "Ever since Zero awoke, all we've done is fight battles that have been uncomfortably close to being a death match. I'm rather surprised it never actually ended up like that." She looked at Zero. "Although, it was fun fighting you."

"Then you can use one of the training rooms," the team's Zero said, walking in. "We've got plenty." He looked at the other Zero, his eyes running over him. _There's no way that's me. Armor's way too thin, his build is much smaller than mine, and his helmet…well, okay, I'll give J the helmet. But his saber is way too different from mine,_ he thought to himself. "You guys are gonna be stuck here for a couple of days, so I would suggest you get comfortable. Find an empty room and make it like home." He walked out, leaving the group to just look at the spot he had been.

"Does that guy seem….familiar, in any way?" Harpuia asked.

"He looks like Zero," Ciel said, speaking for the first time. She had finally gotten over her initial shock of seeing Zero again, but was still a little hesitant about believing it.

"That's what I thought, too," Fefnir said. "But…he's a thicker build, his armor is much bigger, and his saber….well, his saber is nothing like the one you have," he finished, turning to their Zero.

"Eh. Doesn't matter to me," he said. "So, shall we look around?" He turned to Alouette, still holding the doll. "I know it isn't exactly Area Zero, but we do have free time. After we get back, I'll find the time to explore Area Zero with you two. Alright?" Alouette nodded, smiling, Zero returning the smile.

"Wow," Leviathan said as Zero, Ciel, and Alouette left the room. "Who'd have thought Zero could be so relaxed?"

"He's been fighting almost constantly," Harpuia said. "But he can actually make himself settle down. I find more reasons to be surprised by that reploid every time we cross paths."

"Hey, I'm hungry," Fefnir said, eliciting surprised looks from Leviathan and Harpuia before realizing what he just said. "I'm hungry? How the hell can I be hungry?"

"The rules of the Prime Zone allow every being hunger," Max said, walking in. His clothes were a little torn. Fefnir was about to ask about it, but Max held up a hand. "I'd rather not talk about it. Anyways, while you're all here, your bodies are going to work a little like humans. You're gonna experience hunger and thirst, but that's about it. Other than that, I don't really know." Max left the room, leaving the three reploids to continue sitting there. They started talking a bit after he left, while the other Zero, Ciel, and Alouette explored the HQ.

* * *

"OW!" J rocketed out of the panel he was in, holding his hand. "Damn it, I thought we turned off _all_ the power!"

"Sorry," Wily said, switching his attention to the circuit breaker box. "Alright, let's see…oops, look like we missed one switch." He hit the switch and J went back to work, cautiously of course. "Better?"

"Yep."

"Hey, can someone toss me the ratchet?" Love asked, looking out from her panel. Sasuke tossed one to her, turning back to his panel. She continued to sit there, one knee up, her arm resting on the knee. "Who put all the hydraulic lines in here? Electricity would have been much better." J and Will pointed at Wily.

"Blame him," Will said.

"Jeez, I said sorry," Wily said. "Be thankful I'm even willing to switch this stuff out after we fix it. Which, now that I think about it, defeats the purpose of fixing the hydraulics right now. Why don't we just rip the guts out now? Replace everything with the proper wiring and we can still get them back home." Everyone stopped working.

"Why the hell didn't we think of that before?"

* * *

**For a couple of geniuses, they can be pretty stupid sometimes, no? You know who belongs to whom. Please Review.**


	52. Arcade Help Wanted

**Arcade Help Wanted**

"GET BACK HERE!" Talina shouted, waking the other Zero from his nap.

"Don't worry about it, ZS," Kyuubi said, walking in.

"ZS?" Zero asked.

"Yeah. ZS-Zero. You know, zero suit Zero."

"Huh?"

"Well, we had to figure out something to call you while you stay here. And you have less armor than our Zero. So…"

"But we didn't vote on that," J said, walking into the room.

"AHHHH!" They all heard Max yelling in terror and saw him run past the room.

"What's going on?"

"Well, Max called Taly an old nickname that he gave her when he was toddler. The kid was just beginning to talk, so she let him call her that, but as he grew older, she told him to stop. Unfortunately for Max, he didn't wear his leg gear today, soooo…"

"He's pretty much screwed if she catches him," Kyuubi finished, laughing. "Hey, what was that name again?"

"Like I'm gonna say it," J said. "Sorry, but I enjoy having free movement, thank you very much."

"Coming through!" Max yelled, running through the room and vaulting over ZS-Zero. "Now, Taly. It was just a slip of the tongue. I swear!" Talina came in the room, running behind the couch ZS was on. "No, no! Oh, FUCK! I'M SORRY, DAMN IT!"

"Yeah, you better be!" she said, popping up and flipping her silver hair over her shoulder. She walked out of the room, leaving the other three to look over the back of the couch to see Max tied in a pretzel.

"It kinda sucks having a sister who knows so many holds and combat forms," Max said, slowly bending his limbs back to normal, wincing. "Gah, I think she may have dislocated my shoulder again." He stood up, putting his arm in a certain position and then slam into the wall. A sickly _schlick _was heard, the other three wincing at the sound. Max gave a little grunt as the joint popped back in place. "Yep. Dislocated."

"Need some ice?" Z asked, coming into the room. She no longer needed the crutches, but still had to wear a cast, though this one was a bit thinner. In her hand was a cold pack, which she offered to Max. He took it, nodding his thanks as he put it on his shoulder, wincing.

"Damn, that hurts. I'm gonna have to go see a doctor about this," he said. He kept the cold pack on the shoulder as he left the room. "Hey, before I leave, you guys seen Solo or Omega-xis?"

CRASH

"WHAT THE HELL?" was heard, a mixture of Solo and Omega-xis's voices.

"Never mind," Max said when he noticed J's fidgeting just before the shout. "I think I know where they are now."

"Yeah, I'd give that portal about three stories just above the HQ," J said, getting up. "Maybe we'll get lucky and it'll be some sort of food delivery."

"Really, J? Really?"

"What? It could happen…"

"But we aren't that lucky," Max continued as the two left the room. The three left in the room heard a tap and Max yelling in pain. "FUUUUCK!"

WHAM

"DID YOU HAVE TO USE A FRYING PAN?"

"Yes," Eva said, walking into the room, the said frying pan in her hand.

"This just isn't your day, bro," J said, the conversation dwindling in volume as they went to the front door. Once they reached the door, they opened it to see Solo and Omega-xis struggling to get out from under a young girl with tanned skin. She had red hair tied into a ponytail and fire-colored eyes. Her red yuukata top, a fire pattern on it, was slightly rumpled now, and she wore a pair of fire-colored pants. Under her was an EM being who resembled a red motorcycle, his radiation resembling that of a normal flame.

"GET THE FUCK OFF!" Solo and Omega-xis yelled, still trapped under the girl and the EM being. They finally managed to raise up just enough for the girl and EM being to roll off, hitting the ground hard.

"OW! WHAT THE HELL, YOU JERKS?" the girl yelled before doing a double take. "Solo? Omega-xis? Did you guys get caught up in that weird green thing, too?"

"We don't even know who the fuck you are!" Solo and Omega-xis said. Megaman and Roll came out after hearing the commotion.

"Oh! Saito-sensei!" the girl said, bowing. "I didn't realize you and Meiru got caught up in the green thing as well. Where are Jazz and Volt?"

"Uh….does anyone know this girl?" Megaman asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"Saito-sensei? Don't you recognize me? It's Rayne Adamant," the girl said.

"Uh…Rayne, right…who are Volt and Jazz?" Roll asked.

"WHAT? They're your children! Volt's your son and Jazz is your daughter! How could you forget them?" Megaman and Roll fainted, the EM being trying to calm his partner down.

"Rayne, I don't think these are _our_ Saito and Meiru," he said.

"But, Turbo!"

"Rayne, I'm not even sure we're in the same reality right now."

"What?"

"Actually-uh, Turbo, right?- Turbo there is correct. You're in what most people call another Zone," Max said.

"Oh, another Time Zone. Ok."

"Uh, no…the Zones that I'm referring to are more like different realities or different dimensions, depending on how you wanna interpret that. However, due to some very obvious reasons, Zones are kept separate as much as possible. Now, these are natural barriers, so don't even ask how the hell they were made. My netnavi and I can go between these barriers at will, though our aim something to be desired. Anyways, basically, you've just come through a hole in the barrier between our Zones, a Zone Portal." Rayne's eyes were almost literally spinning. "Hey, be thankful Sasuke wasn't the one giving the lecture. Then we'd all be sorry."

"I heard that!" Sasuke yelled from inside the HQ.

"Damn that hearing of his."

"I heard that, too!"

"Damn it!"

"Uh, how about we just get these two inside," J said. "Uh….who's gonna bring in Megaman and Roll?" They all turned to look at Max.

"…You're really gonna ask a guy holding a cold pack to his shoulder to pick up not one, but _two _people? Really?"

"Well…yeah…"

"…Fine." Max bent down to throw both over a shoulder each, wincing as Roll landed on his recently dislocated shoulder. "You so owe me." Max walked into the HQ, J following with Rayne and Turbo in tow.

"Thank you," Wily said as they walked in, hanging up the phone.

"Who was that?"

"That was Beamer, calling to let me know he managed to persuade Blademan to watch my arcade while I'm here," he answered.

"Arcade?" Rayne asked.

"Yes. I run the Ground City arcade. Since I'm going to be here for a while, I needed someone to watch it for me. But, Blademan is going to need some help."

"I'll do it!" Rayne said, raising her hand.

"Well…I suppose," Wily said, looking her up and down. "Who are you, by the way?"

"Rayne Adamant, at your service," Rayne said, bowing to Wily. She gestured to Turbo. "This is my partner and friend, Turbo."

"Pleasure to meet you, sir," Turbo said.

"Likewise," Wily replied. "I suppose I could allow you to assist Blademan while I'm here."

"Alright!" Rayne said, pumping her fists in the air.

"Uh, is she always like this?" J asked.

"Sadly, yes," Turbo said, sighing.

"Well, if you'll follow me, I'll escort you two to the arcade," Wily said, grabbing his coat. "I'll be back in about thirty minutes. Make sure that they don't damage too much of the hydraulics system. I can use it for a new game I'm currently making progress on." He turned to Rayne and Turbo. "Come along now." He left, Rayne and Turbo following behind him.

"Uh, can we figure out where to put these two?" Max asked, his legs starting to tremble under the weight of the two netnavis.

"On the couch I guess," J said, leaving the room.

"Oh, COME ON!" Max's legs then gave out and he fell to the floor, Megaman and Roll on top of him. "I am so not having a good day," he said, tapping his fingers on the floor, his head propped on his other arm.

* * *

**Rayne Adamant is the property of Gammatron and was his character choice for winning the last character contest I held. You know who else belongs to whom. Please Review.**


	53. Quiet Day at HQ

**Quiet Day at HQ**

BOOM

"What happened?" ZS exclaimed, running into the teleporter room to see that Ciel's face was covered by soot, Sasuke's hair was doing a very good job of defying gravity, and J halfway stuck in a panel, his feet twitching.

"Nobody…touches that wire," J said from inside the panel. "EVER!"

"Uh…."

"We just got our wires crossed, is all," Ciel said, smiling and smoothing out her hair, wiping the soot off her face. It had been another two days since they had been stranded in the Prime Zone and one day since Rayne had arrived. The HQ was…more interesting with so many more people in it. ZS and Fefnir were sparring often, if it could be called that. Ciel had opted to help out with the teleporter, allowing some of them to now switch out every now and then, but it sadly wasn't helping speed things up. "Nothing major to worry about."

"YOU'RE NOT THE ONE STUCK IN THE PANEL!" J yelled, still stuck, Sasuke pulling on his legs, but failing in actually getting him out.

"You're in there pretty tight," Sasuke said, stepping back. "I'm not quite sure we can get you out just by pulling."

"You sure?" ZS asked. "It doesn't look too bad a fit." He stuck his head out the door and called, "Fefnir! Come here!"

"What?" Fefnir asked, walking in. ZS pointed to J. "Ah. Okay, let's see what we can do." Fefnir took one leg while ZS took the other. "Three?"

"Three."

"Alright. One."

"Two."

"Three!" they said together, pulling on J with all their strength. They managed to pull him out, J slamming into the wall opposite the panel, ZS and Fefnir getting tangled in some loose wiring.

"Aw, fuck. I'm gonna feel that tomorrow," J said, getting up and arching his back. There were a couple of pops before he relaxed. "Ahhh…much better…" He turned to look around the teleporter room while Fefnir and ZS untangled themselves. "Damn good thing we haven't had a mission in the past coupla weeks."

"Missions?" Fefnir asked, ZS walking over to help him get out of the wiring.

"Yeah. Don't you remember us explaining about Kalar and this Zone?"

"Uh….yes?"

"…Fuck it, I am not explaining it again," J said, walking out. He passed Alouette, her arms still around the doll, his hand ruffling her hair as she passed. "Hey, kiddo." He continued walking as Alouette walked into the teleporter room.

"Alouette. Is something wrong?" Ciel asked as the little reploid walked up to her.

"No. I was just trying to find you and Zero," she answered, looking at ZS.

"Well, at least we know who _she's_ referring to whenever she says Zero," Fefnir said. "Isn't that right, ZS?"

"You're gonna call me that even when we get back to our Zone, aren't you?" ZS asked. Fefnir grinned, nodding. "Ciel, cover Alouette's ears." Ciel did so before ZS began talking again. "I'm gonna fucking kill you, ya damned jackass, if you even think about calling me that name. Got it?"

"Oh, please. We both know the current record between us," Fefnir said. "Besides, it's not like anyone will care."

"Why are Zero and Feffy arguing?" Alouette asked, looking up at Ciel. Fefnir almost literally turned to stone, his body going completely stiff. ZS smirked.

"Well, _Feffy_, looks like the shoe's on the other foot now, eh?" ZS asked.

"Why, you!" Fefnir jumped on ZS, a dust cloud kicking up around them. When the dust settled, Fefnir and ZS were each chewing on their own right arm before noticing what they were doing. "I won't tell if you won't."

"Agreed." They left the room then, leaving Ciel, Alouette, and Sasuke, who had gone back to working on some of the wiring.

"WarRock, where are you?" Rayne called out. Omega-xis came into the room, hiding behind Ciel.

"Omega-xi-" Omega-xis's hand clamped over Ciel's mouth.

"SSHHH! I don't want her knowing I'm in here," Omega-xis whispered, hiding further behind Ciel, taking his hand off her mouth, just as Rayne walked into the room.

"You seen WarRock?" she asked. Ciel just gave a dumb smile, shrugging and shaking her head. Rayne sighed. "Alright. Thanks." She left the room and Omega-xis exhaled in relief.

"Phew. Thanks, Ciel," he said. "That girl's insane, I tell you. And she insists on calling me WarRock. It's starting to pi…er, I mean, tick me off," he corrected after noticing Alouette in the room. "But, at least I'm not in Blademan's shoes." Omega-xis chuckled. "Poor man. He has to deal with her for six or seven hours a day, except on weekends. I'm sure he's enjoying this Saturday off."

"Omega-xis…" Ciel went quiet, Omega-xis waiting for her to finish. "Uh…Max doesn't keep anyone here against their will, does he?"

"Nah. The kid's not like that at all," Omega-xis said. "Even offered to send us back if we didn't want to stay."

"Then why…"

"Do we all stay? Eh. Various reasons. I stay cause I enjoy the fights."

"And…"

"And what?"

"There has to be another reason."

"Well…I'll deny ever saying this, but I also stay because they're my friends. But, like I said, I'll deny it."

"So, you're all just one big family, sort of?"

"If a family's supposed to be dysfunctional, then yes, we are a family. Although, some of us actually _are_ related to each other."

"Dad, mom's looking for you," Jen said, floating into the room.

"Oh, great. Not even married and the woman still likes to nag at me…none of you heard that…" He was about to leave with Jen when he stopped to look at Sasuke. "Oi, Sasuke, you okay over there?" He went over, pulling on his feet to slide him out. Sasuke was snoring, but his eyes were open.

"I told him he needs a break every now and then," Ciel said, laughing a little at the sight.

"No kidding. Come on, kid, time for bed," Omega-xis said, propping up his body against his own, wrapping Sasuke's arm over his shoulders. It would have been easier had Sasuke been even the slightest bit conscious, but as it was, his feet dragged against the ground as Omega-xis floated out of the room with him in tow. "Damn, these people are heavy," Ciel heard Omega-xis grunt.

"Well, I guess it's about time for me to take a break as well," Ciel said, standing up. Alouette slid her hand into Ciel's, who smiled down at her. They left the room, hitting the switch at the door, shutting the lights off and closing the door behind them.

* * *

"Somebody open the front door," Will called, carrying Bubbleman at arm's length. "I don't know how the hell you got in here, but I damn well know how you're getting out." Kassie opened the front door, stepping to the side. Will drop kicked Bubbleman out and into the street, Bubbleman bouncing twice before coming to a painful stop in a wall. Will dusted his hands off as Kassie closed the door. "Damn, the little bastard is annoying." Kassie wrapped her arms around his neck, meeting his lips for a quick kiss.

"At least it isn't a daily thing," she said.

"True, very true. Doesn't make it any more bearable, though."

"Hey, there are children present," Leviathan said as she passed the two.

"Ah, fooey to you," Kassie said, sticking out her tongue in mock anger. Leviathan laughed, continuing her walk around the HQ.

"That's enough, you two," Max said, polishing his pistol on the couch. He had it in pieces in front of him, wiping down each one with care.

"When did you learn to clean that thing?" Will asked, sitting on the couch opposite Max, Kassie sitting beside him.

"I asked Meda how it needed to be done. After all, this thing won't keep working forever without some maintenance every so often." He put the cloth down, inspecting the piece in his hand, then put it down, satisfied. He then began reassembling it, making sure each piece was put in the proper place. "There we go." He held it up, pulling the trigger, Will jerking to wrap his arms around Kassie. Max looked at him. "It isn't even loaded, dude."

"Uh…I knew that," Will said.

"Yeah, sure you did." Max put the pistol in its holster.

"So…what's going on between you and Z?" Kassie asked, Max stiffening up. He had hoped that something like this wouldn't come up, but there wasn't much you could hide from so many people and not expect someone to figure something out.

"Uh, what do you mean?"

"You two seem to have some kinda…"

"Tension," Will suggested.

"Yeah, tension. Between the two of you. You acknowledge each other when you bump into each other, but other than that…nothing. Almost like you're avoiding each other."

"It's not really something I'm quite comfortable talking about," Max replied. He was twiddling his thumbs, which Will knew meant that he hoped the subject would be dropped…or he wanted a nap. Either way, the subject would end up changing to something.

"Hey, any news on Kalar's movements?" Will asked.

"No. None," Max said, clearly relieved, or to Will he was, to have changed the subject. "All seems quiet so far. But I just get a bad feeling every time I think about what that man could be doing."

"Anyways, like I was saying-" Kassie began.

"Oh, would you look at the time," Max interrupted, getting off the couch. "I'm gonna be late to help Beamer out. Hey, the guys finally found a therapist crazy enough to help him out."

"Well, good for him," Will said.

"Uh, no. When I say crazy, I mean the man is certifiably insane."

"Oh…well, if that kind of person can't do it, then I'm not sure there's much else to try."

"Good point. Anyways, I better get going. Don't want J.T. and Meda to get a bigger pay than me."

"Wait, he's paying you?"

"Yeah. Otherwise, I could sue. But, we all know I wouldn't do that to a friend. Especially one who could break every bone in my body with one hit."

"True that." Max walked out, the front door opening and then closing. Kassie then jabbed her boyfriend in his side. "Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"Any news on Kalar? Really?"

"What?" His girlfriend continued to glare at him. He gave a sigh. "Kass, I've known Max for a while now. You saw him twiddling his thumbs? That's a very subtle sign of his that he wants the subject dropped or he really wants a nap. Which normally only happens when the subject is _really_ uncomfortable for him. It's better to not force the issue." Kassie stopped glaring, pulling her feet up and under her and leaning into Will's chest.

"Those two are such a pain in the ass when it comes to feelings for each other," she said, sighing.

"You can say that again."

"Those two are such a-" Bubbleman began.

"HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET BACK IN HERE?"

* * *

Zero was on the roof of the HQ, staring out at Ground City. "Any reason you're alone up here?" Harpuia asked, walking onto the roof and standing beside him.

"Nah, not really," he answered. "Just needed some fresh air."

"Heh. Yeah, I guess. Can't stay in a building all day, eh? Hey, do you hear snoring?"

"Probably Solo and Laplace. Solo's the one who snores and if you find Solo, you find Laplace. I guess Solo would agree with me on the whole need fresh air argument."

"Probably. So, what's it like staying in another Zone for more than just a couple of days?"

"Eh. Not too bad. It starts feeling like a home away from home, to be honest. Although, I may not be the best to ask. You should talk to Packer. If I remember correctly, he was stuck in another Zone for a few years. The guy got lucky and ended up getting sucked up in our battle on Kalar's side for about ten minutes. After that, he went home. We see him every now and then, but not as often as we see Wily or Beamer."

"Which reminds me. I have yet to meet this Beamer character."

"Well, we'll have to remedy that, won't we? Come on. Grab the others who came here with you and we'll take a trip down there with X and Axl, bring the girls along as well." Zero left the roof and Harpuia followed a few minutes after.

* * *

**You know who belongs to whom. Please Review.**


	54. From the Future with Love

**From the Future with Love**

It had been four days since ZS-Zero and his friends had gotten stuck in the Prime Zone, three since Rayne had arrived, and two since Rayne had stuck a toxin flushing liquid into Blademan's tea, rendering him unable to watch the arcade. In his place, Netto had offered to help Rayne run the arcade. In the small time the new people had stayed, everyone was getting back into some kind of routine. Now, along with the daily explosions in the lab, there were also screams of pain and crashes and thuds in a training room, as Fefnir and ZS continued their "sparring."

DING DONG

"I thought you were supposed to get rid of that doorbell," Max said, getting up to answer the door.

"Uh…sorry?" J offered.

Max went to the door and opened it upon reaching it. Standing on the step was a young girl, about thirteen, her black hair reaching her mid back, purple streaks in it. Her eyes, a very vivid brown, were staring at the ground as she waited for the door to open, still oblivious to Max. He looked over her body, noting the blue jeans had holes in the knees, her hoodie hanging loose on her body. "Ahem." The girl looked up, startled. "Do you need something?"

"U-um…a-are you M-Maxwell Escal?" she asked. Max was a little surprised that she stuttered, as if she were nervous just having him look at her.

"Yes. May I ask who you are?"

"Uh…J-Julie…Escal…"

"…Escal? Julie Escal? Uh, sorry, but I'm afraid I don't have any knowledge of someone related to me with that name."

"N-not yet…I…I'm your daughter…"

"…Excuse me for a second…" Max slowly closed the door, turning around to see Talina walking by. "Taly…I need you to hit me…_hard_."

"Not in the mood," Talina said, starting to walk off.

"I'm gonna regret this," Max mumbled under his breath before saying out loud, "Come on, Ta-Ta." Talina turned around, glaring before walking up to him and slugging him in the jaw.

"Jerk," she said, walking off. Max slowly stood back up, turning back to the door. He opened it to see Julie still standing there.

"…"

* * *

Max and Talina were sitting across from Julie, who was shifting back and forth in her seat. "So, Julie," Talina began. "You said that you're Max's daughter?" Julie nodded, moving to take a drink from the cup of coffee Talina had sat in front of her. Talina turned to Max. "Max, what the hell is wrong with you?"

Max was sitting with his arms crossed, his eyes closed, obviously annoyed with his sister. "Taly, do you honestly believe that I could have done something like that? The girl is thirteen years old. I'm just now seventeen. You do the math, moron." Talina tackled him out of the seat, the two rolling around. Julie watched this for a bit, trying to speak up, but to no avail. She sighed, continuing to watch this fight for a bit.

She then extended her hands towards the two, inhaling. "Freeze," she said, simply and quietly and the two suddenly stopped moving. "Reverse." Their fight then seemed to go in reverse, almost like a tape on rewind, until they were back on the couch. She put her hands down, exhaling, sweat starting to bead on her forehead. Talina was about to tackle Max again when she noticed they were back on the couch.

"Uh…what the hell just happened?" she said, noticing Julie sweating a little. "Are you okay?"

"It…i-it just took a lot outta me, is all," Julie replied. She smiled a little. "M-mom did warn me how you two t-tend to fight."

"Uh…Julie, I think you need to clarify a few things. First…are you from this Zone?" Max asked. Julie nodded. "Ok. Next question. What the hell did you do to me and Taly?"

"W-well…be-because of you and who my m-mom is, your powers k-kind of mixed and resulted in mine. I h-have some manipulation over…t-time," she whispered the last word, as if embarrassed. "But I d-don't have too much control over it. Just a little bit."

"Uh-huh," Max said. "So, uh…"

"N-no…I'm not from this time…I-I'm from the f-future. You t-told me that something like th-this would happen to me when I became thirteen. Just not how l-long it would be until it happened."

"Okay…well, I'm a little freaked. How are you holding up, Taly?...Taly?" Max looked at his sister, who was snoring. He slapped her in the back of the head, waking her up. "Taly, did you hear anything she just said?"

"Yeah, yeah. Manipulation of time, future, et cetera," Talina said, waving her hand dismissively. "Now, we just need to figure out how you got here."

"A Zone Portal," Julie said. "I think…m-my powers must have done something to the p-portal's normal behavior."

"So that it became more like a hole in time instead of a random hole between two zones," Max said. "Alright. Now, here's the kicker. Who…is your mother?"

"Uh…you and m-mom said I'm n-not allowed to say…"

"Damn it. Figures I'd cover most of the bases," Max said, slapping himself in the head. "Alright then," he said with a sigh. "I'm guessing that you'll be staying here for a while."

"Uh-huh," she said, nodding slowly. "Mom said for s-seven days. You said that I needed to t-train with you to control my powers."

"Why the hell would I say…wait a second, you said it was both your mother's and my powers, right?" She nodded, realization slowly dawning on Max's face, but neither Talina nor Julie understood the significance of the question. "That means that you can train the way J and I did. Except….we'll, uh…we'll just skip the rocks."

"What?" both Talina and Julie asked.

"Uh, never mind. Well, I suppose I should introduce you to the team."

"N-no need. I know all of th-them quite well in the future," Julie said.

"Have you always been so timid?"

"Y-yes." Max sighed, putting a hand on the girl's head. Regardless of how close they were in age, she was still a good foot and half shorter than he was.

"Let's see if we can't remedy that while you're here."

* * *

Later, Max was seated at a table, head on his crossed arms. Zero walked in, taking a seat. "So, you have a daughter. From the future, no warning," he said. Max just nodded. "So…you need a drink? I can get you a beer or something." Max pulled out his pistol, flipping the safety off. "Uh, maybe I'll just go…yeah, that seems like a good idea," he said, slowly getting up, the pistol tracking him up until he left the room.

"Why me?" Max said to himself. "Fuck, I've got such a head ache." He had spent the past two hours trying to figure out what all Julie could do with her time manipulation, but so far, it wasn't going well. Even though she was able to train like he and J had, she was still very timid about everything, which made it harder for her to use her powers. If he was going to help her with her powers, he'd have to figure out some way to cure her of her timidness. J walked in, sitting in the seat across from Max before letting his head slam into the table. "Headache?"

"Yep. Damn. She's much too timid," J said. "We have to help her get over it. But how?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Max replied.

* * *

**So many guests in a matter of four days. And now, Max has a daughter who can manipulate time to a degree. How the hell **_**is**_** Max gonna train her? No, seriously. I'm writing this and even **_**I'm **_**not sure how to proceed with something like that. Please Review.**


	55. Rayne Proves Her Mettle

**Rayne Proves Her Mettle**

"Yes!" Max exclaimed as Julie froze one of J's blades in midair flight. His hand went to her head, holding it there, as Julie smiled. "That was perfect, Julie!" It had been two days since the girl had arrived and in that amount of time, they had, for the most part, cured her of her timid nature, although she still stuttered every now and then if she got really nervous about something. And their theory had proven right. If she wasn't so timid, she would have better control over her manipulation of time.

BOOM

"Uh….what the hell was that?" J asked as Julie released the blade from its little pocket of frozen time.

"Rayne, calm down!" they heard Turbo call. Turbo came into the room, Rayne in tow.

"Uh…"

"Rayne's just a little stir crazy," Turbo said as the girl kicked a hole in the wall. "She needs a good fight every now and then, but no one's really offering."

"Well…I suppose," Max began.

"Finally, a fight!" Rayne exclaimed, wave changing. She was now in a black jumpsuit, yellow street stripes lining her sides. Her head was now covered by a black biker helmet, fire erupting out of it like hair, her hands now covered with black gloves, a flame pattern on the gloves. Her shoes were replaced by in-line skates with flame patterns on them. Max and J saw what looked to be a motor on each skate.

"Whoa, whoa," Max said, holding up his hands. "I didn't say-"

"Collier!"

"Shit!" Max dived to the right, his armor sliding out from the jacket as Rayne brought up her right foot, aiming for where his neck had been. "Fine then. You wanna play that way, we'll play that way." Max went for a right punch, only to find Rayne's foot in his gut. He fell back. "Ok, note to self. Watch the feet." He groaned, holding his gut. "Yeah, I pretty much walked into that one." He stood up, grunting. "I think you bruised a rib."

"Oops," she said. She then spun her body around, bringing her left leg up. "Mouton Mallet!" She slammed the flat of her foot into Max's gut…or, would have, if he hadn't disappeared. Instead, she broke a hole in the wall, X looking into the hole. "Sorry." She looked around, but couldn't see Max anywhere. She then went flying forward as Max appeared behind her and pushed her forward. "Hey, no fair!"

"All's fair in love and war," Max said with a grin, disappearing from view again via his leg gear. Max reappeared once more, ready to push her again, but she planted her right foot in his face, going onto one hand.

"Joue," she said as she swung her leg around to throw him into the wall, "Baste!"

"Ow! Damn, that smarts," Max said, pulling forward on the edges of the new hole to get himself out of the hole. He looked up to see Rayne taking a flying leap at him, her left foot leading. "Uh oh."

"Veau Vengeance!" She flew forward, Max ducking under it. Max kicked at her leading foot, throwing off her momentum, grabbing her right foot and spinning to throw her into the opposite wall.

"Geez, what is wrong with this girl?" His mouth guard split in half, sliding into the helmet, Max wiping his mouth off, a blood spot now on his wrist armor. "Damn."

"D-dad," Julie said.

"Don't worry. I'll be okay. Just stings, is all," Max said, the mouth guard sliding back into place. He cracked his knuckles, his eyes going serious. "But I'm gonna have to finish this before this room gets anymore screwed up."

"Oh, boy," J said. "This won't be good." Max disappeared from view, Rayne picking herself up off the floor. She looked around, but couldn't find Max anywhere. She then felt herself being picked up as Max reappeared to throw her into another wall.

She slowly picked herself up once more, staring at Max. "Diable Jambe," she said, her right foot igniting as she brought it around at the wall, busting what remained of the wall into pieces. Her foot stayed ignited as Max walked towards her.

"Time to cool you off," he said, his hand extending forward. "This is a custom battlechip I worked on for a year. Let's see how it does. Typhoon Explosion, download!" His armor slid forward to become a launcher with wave patterns emblazoned on it, while a wind began to pick up in the room. "Fire!" Hundreds of gallons of water shot out at Rayne, who parried with her flaming foot, steam rising. She jumped out of the steam cloud, wheeling to bring her foot at Max's head.

"Freeze!" Julie said, a little more emphasis in her tone than usual. Her hands were extended towards the two combatants, both of them suddenly freezing.

"Wow. This is like watching that Matrix movie," J said. "Only there's more action."

"Dad, I think you need to look at Rayne," she said, releasing her hold on the two, but instead of their momentum carrying them, as it should have, they instead both fell to the floor. Max looked at Rayne and saw that her eyes were pure white.

"She's unconscious," he said. He put his arm down, the armor sliding up into the jacket. Rayne fell out of wave change and continued to lie on the floor. "Turbo, what was that about?"

"The Diable Jambe," Turbo said. "All of her moves, she learned from watching something called One Piece. There was one character, Sanji, who sort of inspired her to master his fighting style. She also learned to cook from that. Anyways, Diable Jambe was his master move. Unfortunately, she is having trouble mastering it, as it deals heavy damage to her. Most of the time, she ends up with a burned foot."

"Uh-huh. So, does this normally happen when she uses it?"

"Uh…well, sometimes," Turbo answered.

"Maybe we should get her to a room," J said. J went to pick her up, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. "Well, at least now we know she can fight." He left the room, Julie, Turbo, and Max standing there.

"You said Sanji. Blonde hair, has a cigarette in his mouth almost all the time, black suit? Tall fella?" Max asked.

"Yes," Turbo said, nodding.

"Huh. I wonder if she knows they have a Zone."

"Please, don't tell her that," Turbo said.

"Why?"

"You'll never get any rest until either they come here or she goes there."

"Good point." He turned to Julie. "I think that's enough excitement for one day." He walked out of the room while Julie looked around at the damage.

"What are you thinking?" Turbo asked.

"I'm thinking I might be able to fix all of this with my time manipulation," she said. "Just…well, put everything in rewind I guess."

* * *

**These fights can be a pain in the ass sometimes. But, it's worth it sometimes. You know who belongs to whom. Please Review.**


	56. Rayne Meets Beamer

**Rayne Meets Beamer**

Later that night, Julie was writing in a small notebook that she had carried with her when she had gotten stuck in the portal. She heard a knock on the door and put up the book before saying, "Come in."

Eva opened the door, sticking her head in. "Dinner's ready. Rayne helped cook," she said, opening the door a bit wider. Julie stood up and followed Eva out the door and down the hallway to the biggest dining room in the HQ. "Max and J told me that you managed to stop time around two people today." Julie nodded, feeling some warmth at the recognition for the accomplishment, a small smile on her lips. They reached the dining room to see everyone looking at the food with suspicion.

"You sure this is safe to eat?" Will asked, poking at a dish with his fork. Rayne hit him on the back of his head with a rolling pin.

"Of course it is, you ass," she said, annoyed.

"Her cooking skills are actually quite good," Turbo said. "She, uh…well, she needs to work on presentation."

"Turbo's right," Julie said as she walked into the room. "Miss Rayne is actually very good at cooking. But her presentation never was very good, not even in the future," she added, rubbing the back of her head.

"Ah, fooey to all of you!" Rayne said, throwing up her hands. She stalked out of the room, the door closing behind her. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Beamer came flying out of the kitchen, Max ducking just in time to avoid him as he slammed into the wall. Rayne came out as Turbo Duel, chasing after him.

"Get her off!" Beamer yelled, blocking a high kick from Rayne with his right forearm. "_Now!_"

"Rayne, hang on," Max said, going to block her, but ended up dodging an axe kick. "Julie, a little help?"

"Freeze," Julie said, holding her hands towards Rayne, but instead of freezing her entire body, she instead chose to freezed both legs. Unfortunately for Rayne, this meant hanging upside down, as she had been in the middle of a kick that involved flipping her entire body over.

"Damn."

CLONG

"Ow!" Max shot a glare at Eva before looking back at Rayne, who had her arms crossed. "Geez, so far, the only who can stop Rayne is my future daughter. Anyways, why are you attacking Beamer?"

"That's Bass," she said, pointing at Beamer. "The bastard's trying to kill Saito-sensei."

"Why do these people keep confusing me with Bass, damn it?" Beamer asked.

CLONG-CLONG

"Oh, come on!" Rayne and Beamer exclaimed, holding their now sore heads.

"Must we go through this everytime?" Max said with a sigh. "Ok, first off. The Bass from your zone. Does he wear a tattered cloak?"

"Yes," Rayne said with a nod.

"Uh-huh….and does his navi mark have a scar on it?"

"Yep."

"Now, answer this. Does Beamer have a tattered cloak or a scarred navi mark?"

"Uh…no…" Rayne took a closer look at Beamer's untouched navi mark and his trench coat. "Um…sorry?"

"I really need to quit meeting your new friends," Beamer grumbled, running his hands over his coat.

"Uh…can you let me go now?" Rayne asked.

"Will you stop attacking Mr. Beamer?" Julie asked. Rayne nodded, although she was obviously hesitant about it. "Okay." Julie put her hands down and Rayne fell to the floor, releasing the wave change.

"Ow! Could you at least have set me up-right?"

"Sorry," Julie said quickly.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, why don't we try to introduce ourselves civilly?" Beamer asked. "Name's Beamer." He stuck out his hand, but Rayne was still a little wary.

"Rayne Adamant," she said, shaking the hand.

"And now, who is this young lady?" Beamer turned to Julie.

"Uh, Beamer. This is Julie Escal…my…heh heh…uh, daughter," Max said. Beamer looked like he didn't hear him at first and then looked at him to be sure he had indeed heard correctly.

"Your…"

"Daughter, yes. Listen, let's just say that she's on vacation from the future, okay?"

"Uh…"

"Beamer. The less we all know, the less our heads will hurt."

"Yeah, sure. How about introducing me to the rest of these people?" After introductions were made, they stared a bit longer at the food, except for Julie and Turbo, who dug in. "And you're absolutely sure it's safe?" Beamer asked doubtfully.

"Nothing bad has happened to us," Turbo said.

"Yeah, but for all we know, it's an acquired taste," Will said, earning a rolling pin to the head from Rayne.

"Screw it. I'm hungry and I don't feel like cooking tonight," Beamer said. "But if anything happens to me, the restaurant goes to Meda. _Not _J.T._ Meda._ Got it?"

"Yeah, Beamer, we got it," Max said. They watched as Beamer stabbed what may have been a part of steak and watched him chew. His face lit up and he started to scarf down the dish.

"Damn, this is good."

CLONG

"Just once. Just once, could I curse in front of the girl without getting hit? Is that too much to ask?"

"It's a losing battle, Beamer," Max sighed. "Well, if Beamer says it's okay, then we may as well eat. He is a cook, after all."

"I thought that was only pizza," Naruto said, sitting down.

"I'm insulted," Beamer said, indignant. "I'm not just the average pizza guy, thank you very much. For one thing, how many cooks do you know that can destroy a planet?"

"…Really?"

"Ok, so maybe I made the "destroy a planet" bit up. Half a planet, depending on size." Beamer grabbed another dish and began to scarf it down as well. Naruto just looked at him, still doubting him.

"Yeah, sure," Naruto said, picking up a bowl with what looked like noodles in it. He started eating and his face instantly lit up when he realized what it was. "This is the best ramen I've had!" Rayne smiled at the praise, obviously pleased that her cooking was appreciated. Beamer took a stab at a noodle, only to have Naruto growl at him and move the bowl out of reach. "Get your own!"

"Whoa. Hostile," Beamer said, holding his hands up. "If Naruto's willing to fight me for it, it must be good. Perhaps we could swap recipes sometime."

"It'll have to be in the next five days," Max said. "That's about one day after the teleporter _should_ be fixed. We plan on sending some people back home that time. Rayne included."

"But…I have to watch the arcade," Rayne said. "There's no way I can do both."

"I can handle the arcade myself for at least a day," Netto said. "But one day only."

"Thanks, Lan," Rayne said, smiling.

"Uh…I'm Netto," he said.

"Oh, sorry!"

"I forgot my headband, didn't I?"

"Yes," Sasuke said.

"Da…er, darn." Eva put the frying pan away and went back to eating.

Everyone else turned back to their food, Julie chewing her food a bit longer than normal. "Something wrong?" Max asked. Julie shrugged.

"I feel like there's something I was supposed to tell someone…but I can't remember what it was…" Julie then turned her attention back to her food, shrugging once more. "I'm sure I'll remember it eventually."

* * *

**Would've updated Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, but I was a little preoccupied with my new Transformers: War for Cybertron game….best game I have ever played, next to Infamous and the Halo series. Anyways, you know who belongs to whom. Please review.**


	57. Not More People!

**Not More People!**

"Oh, my head," Blademan said, sitting up in the bed he had at the HQ, holding his head. "What the hell? I feel like I've got a hangover."

"That's probably an effect of the toxin flusher Rayne snuck into your tea," Turbo said, coming into the room. "I apologize for any discomfort you experienced during that."

"Wait, toxin flusher? I've been pumping toxins into my system for years to build up immunity, damn it! So help me, if that's all gone to waste…"

"Well, no wonder you were throwing up for so long. I was beginning to question if you were having an adverse reaction to it."

"Fuck. That girl is a pain in the ass. Anyways, what have I missed?"

"Well, Max's daughter is staying for a visit."

"Oh, Max's…wait, what?"

* * *

"Three more days left. And we still don't know the extent of what you can really do," J said. "This is getting really frustrating." Julie just stood there, shifting her weight from one foot to the other and back again. J rubbed his face with both hands, frustrated. "There's gotta be an easy way of finding out."

"Well, we could always have her spar against Rayne," Max said. "See what her instinct is when she's actually under pressure."

"I don't really like that idea," Julie spoke up, looking down at the ground.

"Now I'm absolutely sure she's my daughter. She doesn't like fighting anymore than I do. But she's a bit more reluctant to fight than I am." Max shook his head, eyes closed. "Well, for now, let's take a break. I think all three of us could use one. Hey, how's the teleporter coming along?" Max asked, turning towards J as they walked out of the training room.

"Pretty good. We should be done in the next two days. Then we can send these people home. Although…Julie, did Max ever say how you were supposed to be getting back to your time?" J asked, looking at his niece.

"Something about the teleporter," she answered. "But…I think you said that my powers would take their own course of action. Whatever that means."

"Max, we got a problem," Rena said as they met her in the hall.

"Which is?" Max asked.

"Um…well, three kids who claim to be from the future."

"Oh, for the luvva…" Max pinched the bridge of his nose as they stopped. "Great. Just fucking great. Do the laws of time and space mean nothing in this zone?" He gave a sigh. "Alright, let's go see."

"Oh…uh, one of them claims to be my daughter. And the other two claim to be Eva's children."

"…Well…damn…"

"Yeah….Eva's alleged daughter began to hyperventilate and freak out…up until her brother slapped her…"

"Well…this is just…hey, where'd Julie go?" They turned to see Julie's hair just passing a corner. "Well, that tells me she probably knows who you're talking about. We better follow her then."

"Max!" Max turned to see Blademan walking towards him, although he did have a little stagger in his step.

"Blademan. Glad to see you're finally awake."

"Yeah. Turbo just told me that your daughter arrived. Mind explaining?"

"Long story short, she's from the future. Has some time manipulation."

"Huh. Well, that's interesting. Who's her mother?"

"Apparently, I told her in the future to not reveal that."

"Hah! Figures you'd do something like that."

"Shut it." They continued to walk once Blademan could walk straight, which was only a matter of minutes. They came into the main living room to see Eva stiffened, sitting in front of three kids, Julie talking to them excitedly. One of the kids, a girl, looking to be twelve, was breathing into a bag. Her shoulder length white hair was a little frazzled, as if she had been grabbing it earlier, her eyes, a verge between green and gray, still showing some initial shock, Her tanned skin seemed a little pale around her face as well. She was wearing a black T-shirt with a Mu symbol in pink on it, blue jeans, and her shoes were a mixture of black and blue. Julie turned as Max walked into the room.

"Dad!" She turned her entire body this time, a wide grin on her face. "These are my friends. Laura Uno," she said, pointing to the girl breathing into the bag. The girl nodded at him, but kept breathing into the bag. "Her twin brother, Sam Uno." Max turned to the brown haired boy she pointed at. His hair was styled just like Solo's, his eyes brown, his skin pale. He was wearing a white T-shirt with a black Mu symbol on it, black jeans, his shoes matching the color of his sister's. "And Millisa Nigata." The last kid, a girl around fourteen, nodded at him as well. Her skin was a tan color, her eyes a livid green, and her grey hair met her mid back. She was wearing an outfit similar to Laura's.

"Hello, Mr. Max," Laura said, her voice muffled by the bag.

"Uno…Rena, isn't that Sol's last name?" Max asked.

"Yeah, it is," Rena replied, nodding.

"Well, I think I know why Eva froze up now. Damn, this is getting ridiculous." Max suddenly cringed out of habit, but nothing came. "Wow. She is really out of it."

"Yeah, she is."

"Mr. Max. Nice to see you," Sam said, extending his hand. "You don't look like much in the past."

"Uh, just call me Max. No need for the mister part, not at this age…wait a second, was that an insult?" The boy shrugged. Max shook the boy's hand, his free hand rubbing the back of his head. He then noticed the EM beings with the kids. "Uh, wanna introduce us to your partners?"

"Oh. This is Layla," Sam said, pointing at the EM being next to him. Layla looked like a female version of Laplace, though with a much more human appearance and a much darker body color. Her eyes looked just like Laplace's and on her back was a scythe.

"This is Luminouse," Millisa said, speaking for the first time since Julie had introduced the three kids. Luminouse looked like a purple version of Angel, her wings a pink color. She also had a sword with her.

"Uh, since my sis is still a little short on breath, this is Shane." Sam pointed to Shane, who looked like a black version of Reaper with purple eyes and purple bracelets that resembled those of Laplace's, carrying a katana.

"Pleasure to meet you at this age," Shane said.

"Likewise, I guess," Max said. "Well…crap…"

"Something wrong, Max?"

"I don't know. The laws of time and space seem to have no meaning anymore." Max shook his head again, sighing. "Oh, well. Can't be helped. We'll find you rooms and then you can tell us how you got here."

"Thank you," Laura said, putting down the bag.

"No problem…say, I don't suppose you three could tell me who my wife is…"

"You told us not to."

"Damn it!"

"But, you did say we could give you a hint," Sam spoke up.

"Eh? A hint?"

"Yeah….what was it?"

"I believe it went something along the lines of the hair is a giveaway," Millisa said.

"Yeah, something like that."

"The hair is a giveaway?" Max repeated. "How the hell am I supposed to know what that means?"

"I dunno. You told us."

Max sighed again. "This is one weird week. All right, let's get those rooms for you. And hope your mother snaps out of her trance soon. She's starting to worry me."

"I'm home!" they all heard Rayne call.

"May as well see if she'll spar against you before you leave, Julie."

Julie smiled nervously. "I was hoping you had forgotten that," she said.

* * *

**Well, someone's not looking forward to a fight with Rayne. Sam, Laura, Millisa, and their partners belong to silver fire wolf. You know who belongs to whom. Please Review.**


	58. Julie vs Rayne: Time vs Flames

**Julie vs Rayne: Time vs Flames**

"There's no need to be nervous, Julie," Max encouraged as his daughter was putting up her hair, her hands trembling.

Rayne was on the other side of the training room, going through various stretches while wearing a black suit with a blue, lined dress shirt. Everyone else on the team was sitting around the room, even the people working on the teleporter, as they all wanted to see just how far Julie had progressed, including her friends from the future. Rayne stopped soon enough and took out a stick of cinnamon which she put into her mouth, making it resemble a cigarette.

"I know, but I hate fights…" Julie replied.

Max was a little surprised that she wasn't stuttering, but her hands continued to tremble. She had finished putting her hair up, her long hair put up into an incredibly tight bun. When Max looked closer, he saw that she had wrapped her hair around her head a few times before putting the tail end of it into the bun.

"Where'd you learn to do that?"

"Mom."

With that, Julie walked forward, trying to stop her hands from trembling. Max was still concentrating on the way she had put her hair up. He couldn't help but feel that it was familiar.

"You ready?" Rayne asked as she walked forward, now in her wave change.

"I guess," Julie replied as she just stood in place, taking a few deep breaths.

Rayne went first, running towards Julie and flipping over, bringing her foot towards Julie's right shoulder while yelling 'Épaule.' But her foot met with air, surprising everyone in the room.

"Very smart…" J observed as Max joined him against the wall, "Instead of manipulating time around Rayne, she instead sped it up around herself."

"Yeah, but the question is when she's gonna reappear," Max spoke.

As if rehearsed, she suddenly reappeared behind Rayne, planting her own foot in Rayne's rear.

"What is up with you people and attacking from behind?" Rayne asked, swinging around to deliver a roundhouse kick, "Longé!"

Julie froze her for a few seconds before dashing away from her kick. Time resumed at normal speed for the girl and she spun around for a few minutes. Rayne soon regained her balance before extending her right hand towards Julie.

"Battle Card Predation! Fire Ring!" Rayne called as she released a ring of fire at Julie.

"Oh…" Julie began as it sped to quick for her to use her time power.

It struck her in the gut a second after she began her sentence. She was sent flying and at a wall. Everyone flinched as they saw the girl fall to the ground.

"Yikes. She sure is fast with those fire BattleCards!" Geo yelped.

"The you from there must have it bad, Geo, if you practice with her," Omega-Xis said.

"You two, _WarRock_."

"Not you too…" Omega-Xis slumped.

"You okay, kid?" J called as Julie got up.

"Fine," she answered.

"That's strange…" Solo spoke.

"What is?" Naruto asked.

"Observe the wall our companion's future offspring impacted with her form," Sasuke said.

"…What?"

"Look at the wall!" Shinobi translated.

"The hell? How did she manage that?" Naruto and J asked as they saw the wall didn't have a single crack in it.

"Rewind and freeze, probably," Max guessed, "That or just a quick freeze. Either one would get rid of the pain."

"Hyaaa! Flanchet Shoot!" Rayne declared as she brought her foot up towards Julie's stomach in a jump.

This time, Julie put Rayne into a slow-motion movement. She walked around the foot before putting Rayne back into real time, only to have the same foot do a full three-sixty into her back, knocking her off her feet. Her eyes were widened in surprise as she landed on her hands and knees, but she didn't release a sound.

"Geez…" Max winced as soon as the hit had landed, but otherwise didn't move towards her, "I thought Rayne was going to knock it down a few notches…"

"She must get caught up in the heat of a fight like she said this 'stupid older, boxing guy who cheats with yellow flames that heal his wounds' does," Rockman spoke.

"Crap! Julie, I am so sorry!" Rayne apologized as she dashed over to the girl.

She began to put her hand towards Julie's shoulder, but Julie suddenly disappeared, surprising Rayne. She was then thrown forward, Julie's palm still outstretched. Rayne turned to look at Julie in surprise, but Julie was looking down. She hadn't put up her bangs when she had fixed her hair and right now, they were covering her upper face.

"Well, if that's the way you wanna play, then that's the way we'll play!" Rayne declared.

Julie readjusted her stance, letting her right hand trail just in front of her left hand, both palms facing Rayne. Rayne brought her left leg down in an axe kick aimed at the neck, shouting 'Tendron,' but Julie stood her ground. Just as the foot was going to hit her, Julie slammed her left palm into the lower leg, her right wrist sliding down Rayne's leg to grab the jumpsuit at her thigh. She finished the grapple with her left palm slamming into Rayne's gut, pushing Rayne back and onto her rear.

"This is kinda weird," J examined.

"What do you mean?" Will asked as he and Kassie approached.

"Julie doesn't seem quite…herself," Max explained, "She didn't even use her time manipulation. Her stance…it looks like a variation of Baguazhang. But it doesn't have any of the fluid motions the style is known for. Her footwork doesn't match. And her arms are just a bit too rigid."

"Well, she said she knew just about everyone gathered. Think there's a chance Neji and Hinata may have given her lessons?" J proposed.

"Neji, no. Hinata, perhaps. The style would be ideal for one who doesn't enjoy unnecessary fights," Max replied as he looked at Julie, who's bangs were still covering the upper part of her face, "But it doesn't explain what the hell is up with her sudden change in attitude."

"Battle Card Predation! Tail Burner 3!" Rayne called.

She extended her hand, releasing a stream of intense blue flames at Julie. Once more, Julie stood her ground, but the flames never made it. They seemed to stop just before they hit her.

"Oh, come on! Are you cheating?" Rayne demanded.

"Easy there, Rayne. We have to be careful. She's up to something," Turbo advised.

Julie's hands were extended towards the flames. She flipped her wrists a bit and the flames suddenly did a U-turn, flying at Rayne, who jumped to the side, dodging the horizontal column of flames. Laura and Sam dived to different sides, the flames just missing them, leaving a large scorch mark on the wall.

"Geez…" Sam groaned, rubbing the back of his head, "Never seen Julie like this before."

"Well, we wanted to see how she acted on instinct," J said.

"And I think we're seeing another side of her," Max said.

"Grrrr. I'm starting to get pissed," Rayne said, her fists clenching. "Battle Card Predation! Mech Flame!"

Rayne threw both arms in Julie's direction, releasing a stream of flames, the flames cracking the ground underneath them. Julie jumped to the side, dodging the flames, slowing time around Rayne as she did so. She then charged Rayne, slamming both palms into her chest, knocking her back and released her back into real time. Rayne gave a cough, holding the area Julie's palms had hit.

"Ow…" Rayne whimpered.

"Rayne, are you alright?" Turbo asked.

"Yeah…"

"Well, this is certainly going nowhere fast," Max stated, "So far, Rayne's gotten two hits on Julie. But Julie's gotten more than twice that amount now. I'm starting to think this is unevenly matched."

"Yeah, I think you're right," J nodded, "…Think we should call it?"

"Do you really think Rayne would forgive us?"

"Good point," J replied before they heard a roar.

"That's it! I'm pissed off!" Rayne roared as flames ripped off her.

"Geo, her Wave are going up like mad!" Omega-Xis yelped.

"Oh boy…Let's hope there won't be any Crimson or Noise," Geo chuckled nervously.

"Star Break: Fire Leo!" Rayne declared, earning the shock of a few of them.

"The hell?" Omega-Xis exclaimed as the flames engulfed her form.

The flames reached the roof and parted the moment they hit. Red flames roared off Rayne's new the seemed to turn lighter as they neared Rayne's form. Her jumpsuit had turned a brilliant orange while the street-line patters had turned into yellow stars. Her armor had increased with scarlet and orange armor replacing it all. White lion claws emerged from the back of her hands while her fists were covered in the armor to make it seems as if the claws were her hands. Her head armor had gained a lion-like shape to them while the flames engulfed her head like a lion's mane. Her leg armor had two wheels on each feet and the lower leg armor was larger with spikes on the knees and the feet had gold lion-shaped symbols on them. She opened her eyes to reveal that they were a deep scarlet when seen through the visor.

"…Damn…" Omega-Xis gawked, "Why didn't she tell us she could do _that_?"

"She probably figured that we knew she had it," Geo replied.

"I should warn you…When I use Star Break, the flames I use in my Wave Form act weird," Rayne advised, "Troisième Haché!"

She performed a series of back flips that sent her towards Julie. Julie slowed down Rayne and dodged before letting Rayne resume. Rayne made one last flip before she unleashed a barrage of kicks. Sadly, the wall that Julie stood against had taken the kicks. Everyone gaped as they saw the red flames seemed to disintegrate the wall where her kicks hit. Julie slammed her open palm into Rayne's stomach and knocked her back a few meters.

"Amazing…The flames coating her form appear to disintegrate anything they come in contact with," Sasuke analyzed, "Perhaps I should do a little…"

"No experimenting on people, remember?" Netto asked.

"…Oh yes…I nearly forgot about that rule Mother enforced," Sasuke spoke.

"Why did she enforce it?" Maylu asked.

"Simple; Sasuke turned a stray dog he found inside-out while it was still alive and tested how this effected its ability to swim," Kyuubi replied, earning disgusted looks from nearly everyone.

"I was curious," Sasuke argued, "Mother taught me what I did was considered wrong and horrible. She made it clear when we did our training with her…"

"I still get nightmares from that day of training…" the three brothers paled and shivered in unison.

"Damn…" Rayne growled, "How the flippin' hell do you fight someone who messes with time like a Dialga?"

"Maybe distract her with one thing and then attack her?" Turbo suggested.

"Yatta!" Rayne whooped, "BattleCard, Predation! Tail Burner 1!"

Just as Julie froze the flames in time, Rayne jumped over them, landing on the girl with her hands on Julie's shoulders.

"Party Table…Solo Course!"

This gave her enough time to fire off two roundhouse kicks, followed by a stomp into Julie's gut, knocking the girl back, while the flames dissipated. Julie got back up, her clothes disintegrated a bit at the spots where the hits struck, while Rayne shuffled from foot to foot, smirking.

"Finally. A solid hit! Hell, maybe it'll work again, right Turbo?"

"Possibly," Turbo agreed.

"Then let's go for it! Battle Card Predation! Fire Ring!"

Just like before, she shot off a ring of fire at Julie. Julie started to freeze it, Rayne jumping over the ring of fire just as she did so. But this time, Julie aimed one hand at Rayne, putting her into slow motion. Julie jumped out of the way, putting both Rayne and the flames into real time. This left Rayne landing where Julie had been, the fire ring slamming into her back, knocking her face first into a wall. Rayne picked herself up, groaning.

"Ok… Maybe she _won't_ fall for it a second time…" Rayne groaned as she turned around to face Julie.

"Which leaves us with one option…" Turbo sighed as Rayne began to spin around at a high speed with on her left foot.

"Diable Jambe!" Rayne declared as she stopped spinning.

Her left foot ignited this time, as in her fight with Max she preformed the move with her left foot. She jumped at Julie, who disappeared, once more speeding time up around herself. She reappeared just as Rayne's foot hit the floor, leaving a small crater, the debris flying in all directions. Julie then extended her hands towards Rayne and did something she had never done before. She made time around Rayne go faster, Julie speeding up time around herself just enough that she could still dodge Rayne's blows. After two seconds, Julie put both of them back into real time, Rayne passed out on the floor.

"Once again, Rayne is unconscious," Max declared as he walked up to Julie, putting his hand on her shoulder, "Not bad, Julie."

Julie didn't reply. He gave her shoulder a little shake and she collapsed into his arm. Her bangs had fallen to either side of her face, revealing her eyes to be closed.

"What the hell?"

"This is kinda weird. Was she fighting that entire time like that?" ZS asked, walking up to the two.

"I…I have no idea. We'll have to wait until she wakes up," Max replied as he picked up her legs, taking her to the infirmary, while J grabbed Rayne's arms as she lost Wave Change and Star Break, Will grabbing her legs, her left shoe falling off.

"Shit! Her foot's burnt!" Will exclaimed as everyone saw the foot had various blisters and burns on it.

"That is the bad part of Diable Jambe when it's combined with Star Break…" Turbo admitted, "…She never uses it unless she has no other choice besides surrendering. Happens to her all the time when she and Ryohei decide to go all out."

They walked out behind Max and everyone soon followed, going back to whatever it was they had been doing before. At the infirmary, Max laid Julie down on a bed and went over to help Will and J get Rayne onto a bed of her own.

"Well, that was a rather interesting fight," Turbo stated.

"You can say that again. Hey, Turbo. How long did Rayne use her Diable Jambe?"

"About eight minutes, I think. Why?"

"Because it only took two seconds from our point of view. Julie never had this kind of control in training," J answered, "She could barely handle one item before, let alone two at once."

"Well, we'll have to wait 'til tomorrow to find out what she remembers of the fight. Right now, both of them need some rest," Max said.

He left the infirmary, while the other three watched him go. When he had said that last bit, he seemed to be somewhere else, like his mind was wandering.

"What's up with Max?" Will asked, turning to J.

"Dunno," J answered, shrugging, "Your guess is as good as mine. For now, let's follow his advice and leave these two to their sleep."

"Speaking of finding things out…I think I have a few questions for you, Turbo, and Rayne too once she gets up," Omega-Xis said.

"This is about the Star Break, isn't it?" Turbo asked.

"Big time," Omega-Xis replied, "Plus…I want to know what the hell is wrong with 'WarRock!' Why the hell did he go and change his name to a crappy one like that?"

"Simple; he made a bet with our Zone's Geo's father, Kevin Stellar, that if his match was Geo, he would change his name within three years to 'WarRock,'" Turbo replied, "He rather enjoys the name."

* * *

**I had some help from Gammatron for this chapter. You know who belongs to whom. Please Review.**


	59. Teleporter Repaired

**Teleporter Repaired**

"Well, I guess this is it, kiddo," J said, ruffling his niece's hair. In the last three days, they had managed to fix the teleporter, Rayne's burnt foot had mostly healed up, Rayne had barely escaped a still rage filled Lan and Maylu for switching out their underwear last night, and had fixed up the training room Rayne and Julie had used for their spar turned fight…mostly. "Guess I'll be seeing you in…."

"Say, how far into the future are you kids from?" Max asked.

"Uh…twenty, I think," Laura said.

"Give or take two years," Sam added in.

"Well, on that note, how about we try getting these people home," Will suggested from his position at the new control panel. After setting up the electrical wires, they had also decided to fix up the furniture and panels, so everything was shiny and new. "I guess we should try and send Rayne back first, seeing as it's just her and Turbo."

"So, what do we do? Just stand here?" Rayne asked, standing on the center of the pad.

"Yep. Alright, we'll just do a quick energy scan and….shit. Forgot to turn on the scanner and energy lock." Will gave a sigh. "Sasuke, if you would be so kind?"

"Of course," Sasuke said, flipping a switch right beside him.

"…You knew it was off, didn't you?"

"Yes. Yes I did."

"Bastard," Will mumbled under his breath so Eva wouldn't hear him. "Alright, _now_ let's get that energy scan. And…there we go. Whoa. That's a lot of doubles. You weren't kidding about who all was there, were you?"

"Nope," Rayne answered.

"Uh, before we do this…will this hurt?" Turbo asked.

"Don't think so. It didn't hurt the first time, did it?" Max asked.

"Well, no, not really. Unless you count the three story fall, then yes, it did."

"Oh, right. Well, the odds of that….actually, now that I think about it, the odds of you two falling again are pretty high. Maybe you guys should wave change to do this."

"Uh, Max, we don't know what will happen when two beings are fused," Will pointed out.

"Oh….right….uh, well….maybe you'll land on someone like you landed on Solo and Omega-xis."

"If only our Zone doubles were to be so lucky," both Solo and Omega-xis said together, still a little ticked about Rayne and Turbo's entrance into the Prime Zone.

"If you people are done, can I continue with the Transfer?" Will asked, drumming his fingers against the console.

"Oh, right. Continue," Max said.

"Ok, here we go. Now, don't be surprised if there's a slight flash once you arrive. That's actually normal for entering another zone…sometimes…"

"What happens the other times?" ZS asked.

"Uh…yeah, we don't know…there are some things we aren't exactly willing to experiment with…anyways, if something bad happens, just give us a call on that communicator we gave you. If you don't lose it, that is." Will turned his attention back to the console. "Now then, a quick Zone coordinate input and….we hit the button." Will pushed a button and Rayne and Turbo disappeared. "Alright, next up, ZS and his crew." The people gathered watched as the group got onto the pad, Fefnir tripping on a loose wire.

"Damn it, I thought you had everything fixed," he said before Eva gave him a good whack with her trusty pan. "OW!"

"You'd think he would've learned by now," Pat whispered to Lan, who nodded.

"Alright, you guys got the coms?" Will asked. Once all of them gave a quick nod, Will input another set of Zone coordinates. "Okay, fingers crossed. Let's hope this goes right this time." Will hit the button and the group disappeared, leaving only the kids from the future left. "Alright," Will said, turning around, "now, how do we get you home?" Julie gave him a piece of paper and Will looked at it. "And this is?"

"I don't know," Julie answered, shrugging her shoulders. "But you gave it to me. You said put in whatever is on there and then burn it."

"Uh….sure…." Will took a look at the paper before typing in some numbers. He then gave it to Kassie. "I think we should burn this. Could you go do it for me while I get this done, sweetie?"

"Sure thing," Kassie said, crumpling the paper in her hand before walking out.

Will turned back to the kids, who were now on the pad, their partners with them. "Alright, let's give this a go." He hit a button. At first nothing happened, but then the air in the room seemed to be pulling towards the center of the room, right over the pad. A green Zone Portal appeared. Julie's eyes had suddenly turned to a grayish blue in color, while the green portal began to turn blue, lightning now snapping off of it. Everyone in the room ducked and didn't come back up until they could a stillness in the air. Once back up, they saw that the group was gone.

Max had his hand to his forehead and groaned. "This just gets weirder by the minute," he said.

* * *

**Now everyone is back in their proper place. And I think this is probably the shortest chapter, intermissions not included in this, that will ever be written for this story. You know who belongs to whom. Please Review.**


	60. Kassie's Fateful Encounter

**Kassie's Fateful Encounter**

Kassie hummed a tune to herself, as she walked though the grocery store, picking out ingredients for tonight's dinner. After all, today was a special day. Two year ago today, she met Will and his friends for the first time. She doubts they remembered, but she wanted it to be special nonetheless.

Ever since she met them, and Will especially, it gave her life new meaning. She had more than just a deep dept to try and repay now. She had people worth fight for and protecting.

Now if only they didn't eat so much, she already looked like she was buying enough food to last a week, let alone only one meal.

She had only just paid for everything when a faint explosion was heard. But it was close enough that one could see smoke coming from a group of buildings.

An attack?

She slammed down some extra cash, and quickly jotting down an address, ordered the food to be delivered before grabbing her purse, and dashing out the door.

"Well that was ingenious. No one will EVER suspect you're going head first into trouble now."

"Can it MD. People could be in trouble down there."

"The Prime Zone is filled with enough fighters that it can handle things, I'm sure. Besides, I'd hate to see all that food go to waste. Not every one in that group can cook you know."

"Our group has the highest skilled fighters, and… well If I don't make it back in time, I can just prepare the meal another night. And you don't even Eat!"

"Last week Zero cooked, and every one was sick that night."

"Point made. Regardless…"

Kassie pulled the dragonhead shaped Biometal out of her purse.

"Are you ready?"

"I was made ready."

"Good! MEGAMERGE!"

In seconds Kassie was encased in her Armor. A quick test of her clawed gauntlets told her everything was working fine as always, and then she dashed toward the sight.

"Shouldn't we notify the others?"

"If there is a need to then yes. If not, we can probably handle it on our own."

"If you say so."

Another large explosion could be seen coming from the same area. What ever was going on, was still there. Screams of terrified people filled the air as she got closer. She landed in what looked to be a general shopping square. For the most part it was now deserted, but looking around, there was good reason. Several stands had been knocked over, and nearby power poles knocked down, sparking, and even some generators blown. There was some small fires as well.

Kassie stood ready, and looked around. There was all this destruction, but where was the cause?

"Heh, so I guessed right. A little mayhem, and you come out of your hiding place." A Voice boomed out of nowhere.

Kassie whirled around, trying to find it.

It was the voice of a young man. Not a young kid's, but that of a young adult. But where was it coming from.

"Well I guess I have changed since we last met. But I hope you haven't forgotten your Promise to ME."

Kassie felt her synthetic heart stop in her chest.

A figured jumped from one of the near-by buildings. Clad in a cat looking armor, electricity running over his body. The cat head styled helmet, had a visor to it, but as the cat stood up, she could tell he was shorter than her, but not by much. He was also young, like Grey. Only about 15, maybe 16 years old.

"You promised me your Life."

Kassie stepped back from the boy.

"No.." She was not seeing this.

He took a step forward in retaliation.

"Yes. I am here to collect your dept to me."

"When my mission is done. Which it is not. And there, there is only one way you could have gotten a Bio-metal like that!"

The boy tilted his head to the side in curiosity. He had been expecting her to be shocked, yes. He had expected her to be resistant to even. But what was it about his Bio-Metal?

"Tell me you didn't Go to Them!"

"Them?"

"She means Bio-Tech. Where I was made. Made for the purpose of stopping a terror like her." Another voice sounded. The voice of the boy's Bio-Metal.

"Right, of course Jango. I should have known. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it Kid. Lets just finish the mission, and get your vengeance. Then, we can get Mine. Okay?" the Bio-metal spoke again.

"Right of course. It was foolish of me to even question that. Sorry."

Kassie stared a moment longer. Choosing her next words carefully.

"Young one, Bio-Tech made My Bio-Metal as well. It was THEM who forced me to take out your family to begin with."

The boy seemed to hesitate, however, it was short lived.

"A clear lie."

"Yeah, Why should I believe you! You'd probably say anything to keep yourself from fulfilling you're promise to me! One that would end your Life!"

"That's not True!" Kassie yelled out. Though she had to admit, part of it was… She had only now just found a reason. A reason to keep on living.

Will…

"Enough talk. If you won't back down willingly… " The boy got in a battle ready pose. "Then I'll take it by force. I am Jerid. And I wield Bio-Metal Sub model, WJ. Wild Jango."

He paused, waiting. It didn't take Kassie long to realize just what he was waiting for.

"Wild Jango… anyone you know MD?"

"No, he must have been after my time."

"I see." Speaking up, as well as taking a defensive stance, she continued. "Kassie, wielder of Bio-Metal, sub Model MD. Magma Dragoon!"

"Then let's dance." Said Jerid, and he rushed toward her.

Kassie raised her clawed gauntlets to block, but that proved to be a mistake. As Jerid's claws connected, he sent a surge of electricity through them, and by consequence, through Kassie.

Kassie reeled back, screaming in agony. This gave Jerid the opening he needed to deliver a roundhouse kick to her and send her flying into a pile of boxes.

"That all you got?" he taunted.

Kassie crawled out of the mess.

"That, hurt.. A lot.."

"It must be the elemental weakness. It was different when I was alive, but I guess, times really do change."

"Or now you have a double weakness.. we don't want to get hit with that again.."

"MOVE!" MD yelled out and Kassie jumped back just in time as Jerid did an electrical tackle where she had once been standing.

"That was too close." Said MD.

"If you're just going to stand around talking, then you should just Roll over and DIE already!" Jerid Roared before moving for another furious assault with his electrically charged claws.

Kassie dodged left and right to avoid them.

"This is bad. Close range combat was always my specialty. But with this guy, we're going to have to keep our distance. And our ranged attacks are limited. This isn't an ideal ground for my ranged moves."

"We've still got one." Kassie said, bringing her two hands together, and ducking under one of Jerids attacks. His torso now wide open to her.

"HADOKEN!"

Not as effective as the real deal. But MD's version of it was effective enough, as red hot flames shot forward from her claws and forced Jerid back. His armor was now badly singed.

Fire may not be the idea element to use against an eclectic foe, but it still would do some fair damage it seemed.

Good. She wasn't about to let him recover and get the chance to get in close again.

"Hadoken!" She yelled again, firing another one, then followed through with one fire ball after another. Each one hit its target dead on.

Once Jerid was on his knees, she stopped her assault, walking up to him, but stopping short, still keeping her distance. She could hear Jerid's Bio-Metal, WJ, Growling.

"You're partly right, actually. I'm still not ready to die. I still haven't finished my mission of taking Bio-Tech Down for what it did to me, and made me do. And I've, found.. found a reason to live even after that. I'm sorry, but I hope you can understand. I can't let you kill me today."

"Liar. If they did want me dead, why would they give me power?" Jerid snarled.

"To take advantage of an opportunity. An opportunity They themselves created." Kassie answered.

"Don't listen to her! Only after you get your Revenge, am I Allowed to get MINE!" WJ snarled. "Who CARES if I was made from the same place that ordered your death and if you're being used by them. You have the Power NOW. You can always Get them AFTER we're done with our own Vengeance. Now Get Up, and Fight!"

Jerid chuckled. The sound was sinister enough to make Kassie step back.

"I hate to say it, but you Both make valid Points. Oh I'm not stupid oh no. If what you say is true, then I have been used. But Jango is right, too. They gave me this power, so now I'll just use it as I see fit. First, I'll kill the girl who's Hands took my family away from me." He said getting to his feet. Electricity surging though his body.

"Then, we'll get Jango his revenge. We'll find and kill this X, then we'll destroy the place that thought to use Us. Yes, I do Like that idea."

"X?" Kassie spoke in disbelief. Frowning, she readied herself. "Then I really can't let you go through with that. I promised I would take out Bio-tech, but I also promised I would protect people. I can't let you take out X."

The Visor on Jerid's armor flashed. "Oh so you Know him?" WJ spoke, "Well then, this will be a pleasure. We'll pry his location out of you before we Kill you!" he yelled, as Jerid launched forward again. However, his was far too direct with his attack.

"Hadoken!"

And met face first with another fire blast.

"GAH! Bitch! Stop that!" WJ yelled out.

**/Record scratch**/

"What did you just call me?" Kassie said, now clearly ticked.

"Oh no, Kassie, no, do NOT lose you're cool! It could be fatal in this case!" MD warned.

"You heard me, Bitch" WJ repeated.

Suddenly he was kicked off to the right, and MD's warning was discarded just like that.

"What the Hell?" Jerid cried out in surprise, as then Kassie moved in with her clawed gauntlets.

Now it was Jerid's turn to dodge left and right, as burning claws threatened to turn him in to one crispy critter.

"No one calls me a Bitch and gets away with it!" Kassie roared and jumped and came down with a burning kick.

"Take the hit and discharge!" WJ yelled. Jerid did just that.

The second Kassie's kick landed, Jerid let out a voltage of electricity. Canceling out Kassie's fire, and sending her flying back, screaming.

"You're mine!"

Jerid was quick to move in, and then grabbed Kassie off the ground, still surging electricity though her, and then tossed her into a nearby fountain.

Kassie sat up in the water, and MD spoke.

"CRAP! This is Bad. Not only will this add to what kind of damage his attacks can cause, but my design won't work when wet! Our fire is Useless!"

"You're kidding right?" Kassie said, now very much aware how just how much trouble they were in.

Jerid once more did a rolling tackle and Kassie jumped out of the fountain. The Fountain smashed, and water went spraying out. The aria was now covered in water, and it was like a small rain storm.

"Just Great." Kassie and MD said together, as they watched as Jerid and WJ closed in.

"Nowhere to Run Girly." They heard the pair say. Only to see a yellow and purple form suddenly tackle Jerid from the side and send him into a near by wall.

What they saw, well, it was a Reploid, that looked just like Jerids Armor.

SAY WHAT?

"How about trying against the original article?" it spoke, sounding, just like the Bio-metal. Then he chuckled. "Or at least a pretty good copy anyway." He finished in a voice that didn't fit. But Kassie knew that voice all too well.

"What the Hell are you?" she heard WJ yell out. Jerid, repeated the question.

"No need to repeat. I heard your friend just fine." A blue light surrounded the cat repoid, leaving a very Dark blue one with spiky orange hair in its place.

"The name's Axl. And I'm here to protect my friend."

"A copy, a new type? With a Copy Chip?" WJ spat, clearly confused.

"Jango what's wrong? Do you KNOW this guy?" Jerid asked.

"Never met him. But somehow the little Punk got my DNA!"

"I thought some of those attacks looked all too familiar." Came another voice. This one, made Jerid and WJ freeze on the spot.

"We gave Axl the DNA when we met up. Figured he could make good use of it. Seems we were right," said another one.

"X! Zero! Axl!" Kassie now spoke. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but what are you doing here?"

"Didn't I just say? We came to help you. Besides, this ruckus was all over the news. And we knew you went out shopping. When you didn't call in, we assumed you probably went to take care of things. We came in case you needed help. Seems like we were right." Axl-R said.

"X!" WJ spoke, and Jerid found it hard to move in his armor..

"Jango? What's.." Jerid started to ask, but was stopped by electric jolts.

"DAMN IT!" Jerid heard his Bio-Metal yell in his ear.

Kassie, Zero, X, and Axl-R could only stare at the now seemingly helpless enemy.

"You're Bio-Metal is clearly an old foe of mine. Wild Jango was his name. It seems he really can hold a grudge, too," X commented.

"So, why isn't he trying to maul your face off?" Axl asked.

"A good question," X answered. "So what is the answer?"

"Jango can't get his vengeance until I get mine. That was the deal, and it's hard wired into him." Jerid explained. "Though you get between us, right now, I guess our targets are just different…" He said his eyes lingering on Kassie.

"So, that's it." Zero said, drawing his Z-Saber. "How about I give you the same target then? Get past me, you get a free strike at her."

"WHAT?" Came the chime of 4 voices.

"Zero!" X added.

"You've got confidence." The biometal spat, and Jerid relayed the message.

"Please, had I been there, you wouldn't have lasted half as long as you did. I'll take you down with one strike. So bring it on."

Zero seemed confident. And it must have been enough for X and Axl-R, because they backed off respectively. Between Zero, and Kassie.

"Don't screw up. Because he's not getting that free shot." Said X.

"Like she'd stand still anyway. I didn't say anything about you guys."

"Cheap. Regardless, it will be easier to take you out one at a time anyway." Jerid said, and free from the restraints, rushed at Zero.

Then, in a flurry of a blue light and a feeling of coldness washed over Jerid, and he fell back to the ground, ice, formed over about 50% of his body.

"Wha- what?"

"Thought so. Electric types never did like Ice too much. You've lost kid." Zero said, deactivating his beam saber, and putting back on the holster on his back.

"You're being used, you know that right? There is no guarantee the company will even Let you go after you do their dirty work for them." Kassie spoke, getting to her feet. She was shaking, but still able to stand.

Jerid and Jango both snarled.

"So what? At least you'll be dead!" Jerid snapped.

"And I'll have had my vengeance!" WJ added

Zero rolled his eyes.

"Like you would even Get that chance. Tell the cat bio whatever, he's stupid, and ignorant. Once SHE is dead, that's it. Your use is done. Or worse, you're forced to take over HER old job. Then you're both just like what she Was."

Jerid actually froze over in shock.

"Just like…" the boy actually started to tremble…

"…" WJ stayed silent for a moment. "I will be no one's tool."

"You could come with us, we could help you believe it or not." X offered.

"Not an option." WJ spoke, moving, as the ice was now soft enough to permit it. It broke around him, and he forced the boy to his feet.

"We'll meet again. But be it friend or foe, well, we'll just have to wait and see. Me and my Bio-Match clearly have more to talk about. Once he is able."

The cat like armor then jumped to a nearby roof top, and made his mad dash for escape.

"Do we follow?" asked Axl.

"No. Let them go. We'll just have to see what the future holds for him later on. I got this feeling, that we may just have gained a bit of a wild card." Zero said.

X took hold of Kassie's shoulder, helping to steady her.

"Next time, don't fight an electric based opponent on your own. Will is worried about you."

"Thanks, and I'm sorry.. .it, it was just my fight.. so.."

X stopped her right there. Fully aware of the point she was trying to make.

"Don't forget, you've got friends now. Now let's go home."

'Home..' Kassie thought. The word never sounded so good.

* * *

**This chapter was written by Shadow Fox777. Hope you all enjoyed it! Quick time frame check: two weeks after sending ZS, Rayne, Julie, and the people with them back home.  
**


	61. Will's Leave and Kalar's Meeting

**Will's Leave and Kalar's Meeting**

"I'll catch you later, Beamer," Will called behind him as he walked out of Beamer's restaurant. "Damn, that is the last time I let him talk me into trying a new Flamer recipe." Will pulled his collar down, the very thought of the new pizza making him sweat. "Now, all I gotta do is get home and…the hell?" He had stopped to stare at a trash can that had started moving toward him. "What's going on?"

WHACK

The trash can lid had suddenly flown off and hit Will, flying into a Zone Portal behind him. Will followed it through, his eyes closed, unconscious.

* * *

"Hey, anyone seen Will?" Max asked, walking into the teleporter room.

"No, not for the last couple of hours," J answered, at work on one of the scanners. "Try calling his cell."

"Right." They suddenly heard _hashiridase, hashiridase_ and looked to see a black flip phone.

"Well...shit..."

"I can't believe he left his phone here again. And since when did he get Brand New World as his ringer?"

"Beats me," Max shrugged, putting his own phone away. Max then noticed one of the screens beginning to flicker and a noise came from the speaker below it. He pointed at it. "J, is this supposed to do this?"

"Do...well...no, not really."

"Anyone...ere?" came from the screen. "I...peat...anyo...the..."

"Uh...yes?"

"Shit...old on...fixed the frequency. There we go? Alright, anyone there? This is Will. I repeat, anyone there?"

"Will? Where the hell are you?" Max asked.

"Uh...yeah, I'm not entirely sure. Right now, I'm standing here with a bunch of zone doubles of people we know. Oh, and some Transformers."

"Ha! You're kidding right? No, wait, let me guess, Optimus Prime himself is there, right?" Max and J began to laugh a bit.

"...Would you believe me if I said yes?" Max and J looked at each other.

"Uh...well, fuck, Will, how did this happen?"

"Zone Portal. How else?"

"Geez. And on top of that, you forgot your phone."

"Yeah, I know, I know...listen, get a lock on this thing while you can. The com won't work for much longer jury-rigged like this, but it will at least hold steady for another two or three minutes. After that, you're gonna have to track without the com."

"Wait...why does it sound like you don't wanna come back?"

"Well, it's not that I don't want to...just that I think I should stay here for a bit."

"Uh huh...so, how do I tell your girlfriend this? Without her freaking out?"

"Um...well, just tell her that I love her. And tell her I'll be back as soon as possible. If I can, I'll try to jury-rig a few more things for com, but I won't make any promises. Oh, by the way. Remember that Lan Ike summoned at the Smash Tournamet?"

"Yeah..why?" Max looked over at J, who had gone to the scanner to pick up whatever signal Will was broadcasting on.

"I'm sorta standing here looking at him."

"Ok...J, how's the lock coming?" J gave a thumbs up. "Alright, J's got you locked. Hmmm...Will, although I don't like this, I won't force you to come back. Just stay safe. And don't do anything stupid, alright? Oh, give my regards to Optimus. And that Lan...well, don't mention Protoman, ok? I don't think it would be safe for you health."

"Will do." With that, the line suddenly disconnected and the screen went back to normal.

"You still got that lock?" Max turned to J.

"Yeah." J gave a whistle. "There's a lot of activity going on around him. I don't think I've ever seen so much Zone Energy in one spot before. There's one spot in particular. In terms of Zone Energy, this one's made up of at least three or four different zones."

"Wow. So...heads, you break the news to Kass, tails, I break the news to her..."

J's shoulders slumped. "Why do I get the feeling I'm gonna hate this quarter?" he asked as he pulled it out and flipped it.

* * *

Kalar was currently in a forest setting, the overhead canopy of trees letting only a little light through. He heard a twig snap and turned around to see a group of eight. One was a boy who resembled Lan, his short dark-brown hair, though Kalar was sure people would argue it as being more of a dark-chocolate color, was wild and spiked. He saw that the boy didn't wear a shirt, leaving his well-toned body for the world to see, but he did wear a midnight-black sleeveless vest with a red-flame pattern trim. He wore baggy midnight-black shorts with the same red flame-pattern to them, and black sandals. Around his neck was a scarf as black as the Flames of Hell. Kalar then turned his attention to the young woman beside him. She had short blue hair and wore a blue and white Russian winter coat. She had blue eyes and pale skin from the lack of sun. On the boy's head was a blue cat wearing a small green backpack and a small green bandana around its neck. There were two figures who were more noticeable than any in the group. Both were large robots. One was something out of a Frankenstein movie, his body made of different colored parts, his right arm red, but his left arm yellow, a hook replacing his left hand. His left leg was just like his body, black and green, but his right leg was red, white, and black. There were spikes on his neck and shoulders, his face white with red optics and black markings. The second robot had green optics and a red head. He had six, leg-like horns on the sides of his head and his mouth seemed like a crab's mouth. After that, Kalar moved his attention to the final three figures. The most prominent was the one who looked like Protoman, but his hair was wilder, his bangs much longer. His armor was more sinister, while his sword had four spikes near the tip of the blade. Another figure had sickly green skin, the upper half of his face covered by a mask, his blonde hair sticking out in curls from under his large top hat. His armor resembled that of a gentlemen's outfit, complete with a blue cloak and a strange looking cane. The final figure of the group was…interesting looking. He had an orange face, his green and white armor embedded with clocks that glowed blue, while a larger clock was just behind him. Kalar couldn't help but give an amused grin at the motley group. "Something amuse you?" the Protoman look alike asked, somewhat peeved about something.

"Yes, actually. I couldn't help but notice how strange a group this is. Two robots, a netnavi, a clock, a Phantom of the Opera wannabe, and…well, to be honest, those two and the cat are the only ones who actually seem like normal beings," Kalar said.

"Oh, believe me, they're far from normal," the clock said.

Kalar turned to look at him with a stare. "I don't know why, but for some reason, I don't like you very much…" He then shook his head. "Anyways, let us get introductions out of the way. I am Kalar, the one who asked for you to come…I assume you are the Absolute Hunters…"

"Hmph. You assume right," the frankenstein robot said. "We are."

Kalar turned to the Protoman look alike. "As I said, introductions?"

"Hmph. Fine. I am Dark Protoman. Over there are Dark-Slayer, Juvia, and the cat is Happy," Dark Protoman said. He pointed to the boy, then the girl. "The crab bot is Rampage, his buddy, Lockdown. The clock is…well, Clockman…"

"Hmm, how original," Kalar said drily.

"Yeah, whatever. The Phantom look alike is Phantom Dark."

"Ah, okay…I was led to believe that there was another member of your…'team'."

"That would be Kiryu. He would be here, but he's wrapping up some business of his own," Dark Protoman said.

"Ok, intros are done. Now, how about getting to why you called us here?" Lockdown asked, very impatient.

"My, someone is cranky," Kalar said.

"Why you little-" Rampage held up a claw, shaking his head.

"Oh, please, let him continue. If he wishes for a fight, I will be more than happy to oblige. It's been awhile since my last match." Kalar looked at Lockdown, but Lockdown just stayed in place. "No? Well then, onto the matter at hand. I hear that you are hunting down Smashers and the like. I believe I can help you."

"Oh, really? And how would you do that?"

"Ah, ah, ah. I help you, you help me. In lieu of this, I want a guarantee that I can call on your services should they be required."

"Show us what you have to offer first," Dark Protoman said, crossing his arms. Kalar smirked, tossing a disk to Dark Protoman, who caught it.

"That there contains details on thirty different zones. Everything from people living there to political structure, economy, even what time the leaders have lunch every day. If you happen to visit those zones, then you already have all you need on them."

"And what about mods?" Lockdown asked.

"Mods? What, upgrades for your body? Hmmm…perhaps some Metal Zeta reinforced plating?"

"_You_ have Metal Zeta?" Lockdown was obviously impressed, as was Dark Protoman.

"Yes. I also have found how to mold it and refine it. Would that be worth a few…favors in the future?"

"Oh, yes. Very much so."

"Then if that is all, I bid you farewell for now." Kalar stepped back into the shadows and melted away, leaving no trace he had been there to begin with. Except for a small cube on the forest floor. On the cube was a note, saying: _Use this to communicate with me. –Kalar

* * *

_

"Well, how did she take it?" Max asked as J walked into the training room he was currently occupying.

"She….actually took it better than I thought," J answered. "She just nodded, said okay, and then walked into her room…and that was that."

"Well….maybe we should go check on her?"

"Yeah, I think that might be a good idea." They both walked out of the room quickly.

* * *

**The Absolute Hunters belong to Gammatron. Please Review.**


	62. Fun with Mini Portals

**Fun with Mini Portals**

"Damn, that is the last time I ever bring Kass bad news like that," Max said, popping his back. He finally got up off the floor of the training room, his clothes torn a bit. "And I thought she was scary when she was pissed about someone calling her the 'B' word." He started walking down the hall, heading towards the teleporter room when he heard an explosion from the lab. He changed course and headed straight to it. The door opened to let smoke roil out of the room. He stuck his head in to see J, Sasuke, and Love. "What's going on in here?"

"Right now," Sasuke said, coughing, "we are trying to devise a way to send Will his cellular device. Because the teleporter wouldn't be quite so accurate with a small device like that, we have decided that it would be best to make a synthetic Portal."

"Uh huh…and how are you three going to do this?"

"Uh…well, we're still trying to figure that out," J said.

"But we're pretty close," Love piped in.

"And you three know this how?" Max asked.

"Because we just made a Portal. It was only a second or two before the little Portal maker self-destructed, but it's enough for us. We just need to fine tune it," J said.

"Perhaps we could hook it up to the teleporter's power source," Sasuke suggested. "As you two have explained before, creating a Portal requires massive amounts of energy. The teleporter itself uses a unique energy source, allowing us to create pathways between Zones without a Portal. Perhaps it would allow our device to create a pathway that is only a third that size with a Portal."

"Yeah…yeah, that could work," J said, nodding. "Let's give it a try." They moved all of the necessary equipment, setting all of it back up in the teleporter room. "Alright, let's just get in the right coordinates and…go…" The device began to sputter a bit before emitting a high pitched whine. "Uh….why isn't anything happening?"

"How should I know?" Max asked, tossing a marble he had just found back and forth. He missed it and the marble went flying at the machine. Just before it hit it, a small Portal appeared, the marble disappearing through it and the Portal disappearing just after it went through. The four stared at it, their jaws dropped. "…Ok, I'm not the only one who saw that, right?"

"No…no, I think I saw it, too," J said. Love and Sasuke nodded. J picked up the phone, looking from it to the machine.

"Alright, right down the middle, J, right down the middle," Max said, slamming his fist into a catcher's glove. He was crouched in front of the machine, slapping the glove repeatedly.

"Eh. Why the hell not?" J said, shrugging. He reared back and let fly, the phone leaving his hand. Max sidestepped it, a Portal appearing behind him, the phone flying through it, and the Portal disappearing.

"Strike!"

"Ok, now to see if it worked," J said, pulling out his phone and putting it on speaker. They heard a smack, followed by "OW!", and someone picking up the phone. "Hello. Is this Will?" J asked.

"Uh, no. This is Portgatz D. Ace," the voice said. They heard him call, "Will", followed by another, lighter smack, like someone catching the phone.

"Y'ello," Will's voice came, sounding strained.

"Well, looks like you guys got the right Zone," Max said. "And the phone's still intact."

"Oh, Max. Great, you guys got the phone to me! Uh, listen, can you make this quick? We're a little busy." Will's voice had jumped on the word busy. "Phew. That was close."

"Uh, maybe you should just call us back," J suggested.

"Yeah, that would be great." They heard the line disconnect.

"Geez. He's there for no more than a day and already fighting. J, I did say "Don't do anything stupid," didn't I?" Max asked.

"I thought so," J answered, shrugging. "But, it is Will. He'll be fine."

"Hey, anyone smell smoke?" Love asked, catching the two's attention. They all gave a sniff and looked at the little machine, which was now sparking.

"Uh…hit the deck?" Max asked.

"Hit the deck!" they all then said together, ducking down just before the machine exploded.

"Damn!" J exclaimed, getting up to look at the smoking ruins of the machine. "Two days work down the drain."

"Wait, two? But he's only been there a day," Max said, confused.

"Well, this was going to be a new stereo system," J explained. "For the coms. But Sasuke had an idea of turning into a smaller teleporter for items and Will's phone was going to be the test. But now, it's the only successful run of the machine."

"And….you guys were in here yesterday because of this…"

"Yeah."

"Well, now I see why you're pissed. That sucks. That really sucks."

"You're telling us," Love said, giving a sigh of disappointment. "Oh, well. We can always rebuild it, I guess."

"Uh…yeah, did I mention the items used came from another Zone?" J asked, rubbing the back of his head. "They just sorta…fell on me from a Portal…"

"And you're just now telling us this because…?" Love asked, a little annoyed.

"Well, it didn't really seem important at the time…sorry…" J continued to stand there, this time shuffling from foot to foot. "But at least we know that this can be done. With the right materials. Now, all that's left to do is get this thing unhooked and tell the others about Will."

"Wait, you haven't told anyone else?" Max asked.

"No…just Kass…"

"Geez. Do I have to do everything?"

"Whatever. Just help us get this thing….uh, guys….I think we may need to get down again…" J fell to the floor and the other three looked to see the remains of the machine were starting to glow. They all joined him on the floor before a Portal appeared and sucked in the machine before disappearing. "Wow. What luck!"

"Yeah, but…where did it go to?" Max asked.

"I dunno. But it isn't our problem now," Love said.

* * *

**You know who belongs to whom. Please Review.**


	63. Kalar's First Favor

**Kalar's First Favor**

Kalar walked around his desk to his chair, opening a drawer and bringing out a cube similar to the one he had left the Absolute Hunters. He pressed a button on the side and it began to flip out, becoming a small screen on top, a keyboard at the bottom. He hit another button and this time, the screen turned on. "Let's hope those idiots can figure out how to use this device," Kalar mumbled to himself. He waited a few minutes before a face finally appeared on the screen. "Finally. I didn't realize it would take you so long to figure out how to press a button. Otherwise, I would have left you detailed instructions."

"Keep talking, Kalar," Dark Protoman said on the screen. "You're only adding more reasons as to why I should kill you."

"Heh. Was that a threat?" Kalar stared at Dark Protoman, who returned the stare. After a while, Dark Protoman looked away first. "As I thought. Now then, the reason as to why I called. I believe it may be time for one of those favors."

"Not without a mod," Lockdown said, appearing on the screen behind Dark Protoman.

"Ah. Lockdown. Yes, I suspected as much. I have taken the liberty of making a few Metal Zeta mods. Perhaps you would like a new chainsaw for the one that was nearly destroyed?"

"How do you know about that?" Lockdown's optics narrowed as he stared at the screen.

"Don't be so surprised. Do you honestly believe that a man who can get details on thirty Zones in two hours would not have ways of getting a hold of that information? I have ways, my robotic friend. I have ways." Kalar went quiet for a bit, before he resumed. "Now then, the favor. Since Lockdown is the most willing for mods, I have some….cleaning up I need done in another Zone. I would very much appreciate it if you would take a trip there and find one of my…friends, so to speak. Don't worry, he's impossible to miss."

"Just tell me where and who. As long as I get that mod," Lockdown said.

"Of course. His name…Katta Long…you are fortunate, Lockdown. He is only a swordsman. There is only one special thing about him. He has mastered a move that I have heard is referred to as Wind Scar. However, be careful, as he is able to use it without effort. Other than that, he will rely on multiple sword styles. Oh…he also uses two swords as a base. But he has been known to use three…a truly fearsome opponent." Kalar became quiet again. "But," he said, shaking off the silence, "as a show of good faith, I will go ahead and send you the chainsaw. I suggest you step back."

"Why?"

"Trust me." Kalar picked up the chainsaw, which was bigger than him, without effort, before chucking it at the small screen. A dark green Portal appeared, taking it in, shooting the saw through the screen. "This function is actually quite handy. However, it will need three days to recharge completely. Anything shorter than that, and it will implode…if you're lucky."

"And, uh…what if we're unlucky?" he heard Clockman ask from off screen.

"Let's just say…it isn't a pretty sight…Now then. I will send you some pictures, as well as coordinates. Be wary, Lockdown. That man may be only a swordsman, but he is not like any you are likely to have met. Oh, and one other thing. Be wary of his Scar Barrage. I would hate to think what injuries even you could sustain from that."

"Now you're just trying to scare me, aren't you?" Lockdown asked.

"Perhaps I am. But that is for you to decide." With that, Kalar hit a button, disconnecting the call. He was about to turn away when the screen suddenly came back on.

"Wait," Lockdown said on the screen. "What do you want done with this Katta Long?"

"Lock him away if you wish. Oh, I would suggest taking Dark-Slayer along. That man _is_ rather strange."

"And I need Dark-Slayer because…?"

"Because like Dark-Slayer, the man does not like fighting. And because Dark-Slayer is more hesitant than the rest of you, he may be able to talk the man into coming peacefully. Don't worry," Kalar said when he saw the face Lockdown made, "you'll still get to keep that mod. I only want the job done. I don't really mind how. Now, if that is all, I have some other matters I must attend to." With that, Kalar disconnected the line again, turning away from the screen. "Mr. Race," he called. "Bring me those reports on Zone 3A-43Z. There is a deposit of special metal I wish to check on."

* * *

"Yeah…yeah, ok, Katta, ok, we got you," Max said, talking into a phone as he walked into a kitchen. Kassie was currently there, still depressed about Will's sudden absence. "Ok, ok, calm down. Yes, I know your hunches are usually correct. Yes, yes, I'll try to find someone to come. Alright…Katta…Katta? Katta, calm down…Ok, I'm hanging up now…alright? Katta, just stay calm…do you want me to send Blademan? Yes? Alright, I'll get a hold of Blademan. Alright…alright, talk to you later." He turned off the phone and suddenly noticed Kassie. "Kass…hey, you okay?"

"No…no, not really," Kassie answered, lifting her head to look at Max and then putting it back down. "Who was that on the phone?"

"Huh? Oh, that was Katta Long. Crazy old man. Knew my dad when he was still alive. The man kept in touch with us over the years. But he says he's got a bad feeling. Most people just write him off as eccentric, but J and I have known him long enough to know that his feelings are more accurate than most. The man's never been wrong about the weather before." Max started looking through the contact list on the phone. "He met Blademan before dad, apparently. Learned that from his last call. I got his number to Blademan and now the two talk once a day, at least. Uh, hang on a sec." Max put the phone to his ear. "Hey, Blademan. Yeah, this is Max. Look, Katta just called about a bad feeling he's having. Yeah, he wants you to come over. I don't know, but the man's rarely wrong about things. Just…go over and see how he is, okay? Alright, thanks. Be quick. How long will it take you at top speed? Two, three hours? Alright then. See you around."

"I think I'm gonna go to bed," Kassie said, getting up.

"But…it's only 6:00…" Max was about to say more, but stopped and gave a sigh. "Alright, Kass. G'night." Kassie just barely acknowledged him, walking out. Max shook his head, walking out of the kitchen. He looked at his watch and freaked out. "Shit! I'm gonna be late for my shift at Beamer's!"

* * *

A few hours later, Max was finishing cleaning the last of the dishes with J.T. "Well, I guess this wraps it up," Max said.

"Finally," J.T. said. "My fingers were starting to become prunes."

"Oi, Beamer, is that it?" Max called from the back. But there was no answer. "Beamer?" Max walked out to see Blademan talking with Beamer, his eyes grim. Blademan suddenly looked up to see Max. "Blademan? Aren't you supposed to be with Katta?"

"That's the problem, Max. When I got there, he was gone. There were a couple trenches in the landscape, but that was probably from his training. No signs of a struggle. The only thing there was a giant set of footprints and two smaller sets," Blademan said, Max's eyes going wide. "I'm sorry, Max. I guess I didn't get there in time."

"Damn. Shoulda just had you use the teleporter," Max said, slamming his right fist into the closest thing at hand, which was door. The door swung in and they heard a crash. As the door swung back out, they saw Meda on the floor, under a pile of plates, broken, chipped, and otherwise. "Uh…sorry 'bout that, Meda…"

* * *

**You know who belongs to whom. Please Review.**


	64. Visit with Sonic Part I

**Visit with Sonic Part I**

"Alright. So, we're looking at ten, eleven tops?" Max asked, talking on his cell. "Alright. Rampage and Kiryu. Avoid at all costs. Right. I'll be sure to tell her." With that, Max hung up his cell, heading to the teleporter room. "Alright, I'm here. What's going on?" He looked at J and Sonic…wait, Sonic? "Sonic? What are you doing here?"

"Heh heh…uh, well, I'm having some trouble in my Zone," Sonic said, chuckling nervously.

"More than we can handle," Shadow said, startling Max, who hadn't even noticed the black and red hedgehog.

"Geez, Shadow. A little warning next time," Max said. "So, you guys are having trouble in your Zone? Why come to us?"

"Because this may be right up your alley," Shadow said. "There's a being claiming to be working for that Kalar person you told us about."

Max and J gave a sigh. "Of course. Now he's decided to start extending his reach. Damn it, I thought he was still occupied with this Zone."

"But if he's got others going to different Zones, this could be a problem. We may have some of the best fighters of any Zone on our contact list, so to speak, but I don't think we could cover every single Zone," J said. "Not to mention the fact that we don't know if this is the first time. He could have conquered dozens of other Zones already. And we would never know about it."

"Damn. Have I mentioned before that I hate it when you're right?"

"Yes. Yes you have."

"Well, good. Because I really do. Anyways, I take it you want some of the team to help you out. Maybe you could tell us who it is."

"He goes by the name of Cameo," Shadow said and Max and J laughed.

"That joker again? Doesn't he ever give up?" Max said, still laughing, holding his sides. "He's almost as bad as Bubbleman!"

"And that's saying a lot," J threw in, leaning against a panel.

"Wait, you've dealt with this guy before?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah, we have. Oh, man. Oh, I needed a good laugh," Max said, straightening up after a bit, wiping some tears from his eyes. "Uh, black armor, green stripes on the armor? Helmet covers entire head, save for his mouth, and a blue visor over his eyes? A pistol strapped to his hip?"

"Well, sorta…" Sonic said. "But the armor's kinda bulky, with some spikes and serrated edges on two wrist blades."

Max and J looked at each other. "Bulky? Spikes and blades? Since when did he get those?" J asked, Max shrugging.

"Anyways, he's pretty easy to handle. I think I'll grab Lan and Megaman for this one," Max said, pulling out his com. A few minutes later, Lan walked in, Cross Fused with Megaman.

"Hey, Sonic!" Lan said, giving the blue hedgehog a high five. "How's it been?"

"Eh, you know," Sonic said. "Keeping peace in my Zone, enjoying chili dogs, and messing with Faker."

"For the last time, my name is _not Faker_!" Shadow exclaimed, whacking Sonic on the back of his head.

"Ow!"

"Serves you right, bastard!"

"Ok, calm down, guys," Max said, stepping between the two. "As entertaining as it is, how about we get to your Zone first? We'll see what's going on and work from there. Agreed?" Sonic and Shadow agreed, although Shadow continued glaring at Sonic. "Alright then. J, set the coordinates and track us. Hopefully, we can wrap this up in a couple of hours. Oh, and if Kass comes in, tell her Will said hi and he loves her."

"Sure thing," J said. He typed at the computer for a bit before looking back up. "There we go. Okay, in three, two, one. Go." J hit a button and the two humans and two hedgehogs disappeared.

* * *

"Whoa!"

THUMP

"Ooohh…my back," Max groaned, picking himself up. He heard screaming and looked up to see Sonic just before he landed on him. Soon after, Lan landed on top of them and Shadow landed on Lan, but unlike the three prior to him, he landed on his feet. "Okay, I would really appreciate it if you'd get off," Max said from under the small pile. Shadow hopped down, Lan rolling off, and Sonic jumping up and back. Max was flat in the ground, a small outline of his body visible as he picked himself up once more. "We really need to fix that little problem." Max arched his back until he felt a satisfying pop, sighing in content. He took a look around to see grass everywhere and sections of the land that seemed to pop up as loops. "Interesting area. Who does the landscaping?"

"Now is not a time for jokes," Shadow said.

"Are you always serious?" Lan asked.

"Yes. Except when Sonic's in pain."

"Jerk," Sonic grumbled, still dusting himself off. "Alright, let's get moving."

"Hnn…looks like we're gonna need some serious speed to get past those loops," Max said. "Voice Override: Maxwell Escal. Disengage sixth failsafe." A clicking noise was heard from Max's leg gear, six clicks, one for each failsafe.

"Double Soul: Sonic Soul," Lan said, his Cross Fusion armor changing to Sonic Soul armor in a glow.

"_Now_ we can get moving." With that, the four started off, two blue blurs, one gold, and one silver as they picked up speed. "So, Sonic. Where exactly are we going?"

"First, we're going to meet some friends of mine. The Chaotix, Knuckles, Tails, and Amy. They've been holding the fort while we were waiting for you to meet with us," Sonic answered.

"Uh huh. How far?"

"Only a few more minutes," Sonic answered before tripping over a hole that appeared out of nowhere. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" Sonic said between each roll, before finally coming to a stop. "Where the hell did that come from?"

"I think from there," Lan said, pointing out a Mettaur virus.

"Yep. This is definitely one of Kalar's," Max said.

"How can you tell?"

"It's more aggressive than the normal viruses in the Prime Zone. Actually, in any Zone. We weren't anywhere near close enough for it to feel threatened. But it's just a Mettaur. It should be easy enough." Max dashed over and kicked it over an edge, watching as it splashed into a raging river. "Like I said. Easy." He turned around, bringing his hands together before stepping into a hole. He let off a stream of curses as Lan helped him out. After a bit, Max let off with the cursing and exhaled. "Okay. I feel better now."

"Can we continue?" Shadow asked. "Or would you and Sonic like to fall into a few more holes?" Sonic and Max shot him a glare, exuding killer intent. Shadow stared back, releasing even more killer intent than the two combined. They both looked away at the same time, Shadow smirking at them as he let up on the killer intent.

"I really hate you right now, Shadow," Max said.

"I know."

"Let's just keep going," Lan said, although in truth, he was willing to let the three duke it out.

"Right," Sonic said. They took off once more and soon came to a stop, just missing a group of human-sized animals. There was a large green crocodile, a pair of headphones around his head, a purple chameleon with a horn on his nose, a small bumblebee, a pink hedgehog wearing a light red dress, a red echidna with a crescent moon patch of white fur on his chest that pointed up, and a yellow fox with two tails. "Hey guys. What'd we miss?"

"Shut up," the red echidna said as the fox applied some rubbing alcohol to some cuts.

"What happened to Knuckles, Amy?" Sonic asked, turning to the pink hedgehog.

"He's just mad because he fell into a couple of traps and we came out perfectly fine," the pink hedgehog said. "Who are these two?" She turned to Max and Lan.

"Oh, right. The whole reason we stopped here first," Sonic said. "This is Max and Lan. Max, Lan, this is Amy Rose Hedgehog." He pointed to the pink hedgehog. "The red echidna is Knuckles and the fox is Miles Tails Prower. Over there are the Chaotix. The croc is Vector, the chameleon is Espio, and the bee is Charmy."

"Hi," Charmy said, zipping over to the two. "It's nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you, too, Charmy," Max said, grinning as he shook the bee's smaller hand. "And-Knuckles, is it- I feel your pain. Cameo has always been rather good at placing traps. They just don't do their job very well."

"Yeah, I noticed," Knuckles said, still irritated. "Bastard is gonna get his soon enough."

"Whoa, first things first, Knuckles," Max said, holding his hands up. "Get those wounds taken care of. Then we figure out how we're gonna get this done."

"Fine," Knuckles grumbled. "As long as the bastard gets his ass kicked, I'll wait for as long as needed."

"Good. Okay, while Knuckles is being tended to, the rest of you can fill me and Lan in how long this has been going on." They all took a seat where they could find it and Sonic started the conversation.

* * *

**I've been wanting to start some visits to other Smashers' Zones and may as well start with this one. Please review. And I don't own Sonic. Also, seeing as school, and by extension, marching band, is starting up in two days, updates are probably going to become extremely slow. Both for this story and my SSB Failures as well. So please, try to bare with me as I try to get this stuff done.**


	65. Visit with Sonic Part II

**Visit with Sonic Part II**

Max stood up, stretching out his legs, swinging his arms in circles. "Didn't think that would take more than a couple minutes, but it turns out it takes a whole freakin' hour," he said, popping his neck as well. Lan stood up, stretching out his legs as well, but that was about it. By now, Tails had just finished tending to Knuckles's wounds and was now tending to his own, which Knuckles had given him after he had accidently applied too much pressure to one cut on his head, resulting in making it wider and pissing off the already angry echidna. "Now then, who all's coming with us? We gotta think up a plan, which means I need a rough estimate of how many are coming with us and who can do what."

"I'm coming with you definitely," Knuckles said, punching his right fist into his open left hand.

"As are Sonic and myself," Shadow said, speaking for the first time in the past hour.

"I'll go where I need to," Lan answered. Max looked around the rest of the group.

"Anyone else?" he asked, but no one else stepped forward. "Well, okay then. Sonic, Shadow, I've already seen you two in action. But what about you, Knuckles?"

"Hmph. I'm a digger. I have super strength and I can glide for small periods of time," Knuckles answered, smirking.

"A digger, eh? That could be useful. That could be very useful." Max closed his eyes, everyone getting quiet. After a few minutes, he opened them. "Okay. First things first for this mission. I need to see what all we're dealing with." Sonic nodded, turning around, giving those staying a thumbs-up.

"Don't worry guys. We'll have this settled in no time flat," he said. With that, he raced off, while Max grabbed onto Knuckles' wrist as he passed him.

"I can run on my _own_," Knuckles said, irritated.

"Maybe so, but we need to get going fast," Max said. "Sonic, you like making booms?"

"Oh, hell yes!" Sonic exclaimed. "Finally, a chance to really let loose!" With that, Sonic accelerated, as did the entire group, creating a large sonic boom as they cleared the edge of the little encampment. "Hey, Max. We're coming up on the fortress!" Sonic called over his shoulder after a few minutes of running.

"Wait, fortress?" Max exclaimed, looking up at the large building. It was all stone and was a rather imposing object, out of place in the lush landscape. Sonic came to a skidding halt just before he hit a wall, wiping his eyebrow. He then looked behind him to see Lan, who didn't stop in time, slamming into Sonic from behind, Max following suit, still holding onto Knuckles' wrist. Shadow had already stopped and walked up to the hedgehog, echidna, and two humans stuck in the wall.

"If you four are done, perhaps Max would like to take a look at this fortress," Shadow said.

"Uh, yeah….I think we're stuck," Max said, just managing to turn his head from Lan's back. Shadow sighed before walking up and yanking first Knuckles, then Max, Lan, and finally Sonic, although he had debated whether or not he should have left the blue hedgehog in the wall. In the end, he did so only because he had decided he needed the hedgehog to defeat Cameo. After that small matter was attended to, Max looked up, giving an impressed whistle. "Well, I would say that Cameo is definitely going to give a much more entertaining fight now. Who knows? He might actually be worth the time." He turned to the motley group, their abilities, strengths, and weaknesses running through his mind. "Alright. Here's how we're gonna play it. I'll attack from the top down. Lan, you're gonna go straight in with Shadow, while Sonic and Knuckles are going to come from under."

"Why do I have to go with Knux?" Sonic asked, raising his hand.

"Because I think that leaving you with Shadow would be a very bad idea."

"Point taken."

"Now then, any other questions before we begin?"

"Yes," Shadow said. "How do you plan on reaching the top of the fortress?"

"Like this. Beast Fusion: Falzar!" Max was surrounded by light, which soon disappeared to reveal that he was in armor similar to Lan's Falzar Beast Out. The difference was coloring, which seemed to be a photo negative of Lan's normal Falzar armor. "Take these." He handed a com to Sonic, Shadow, and Knuckles, one apiece. "Keep these with you at all times if you can. _But_, we must maintain radio silence as much as possible. I set these up so that they'll only have about a forty foot radius of contact. I don't want to draw unnecessary attention, alright?" The other four mock saluted. "Okay, if you guys are done being smartasses, let's get moving." With that, Max's wings flared before lifting him up, taking him to the top of the tower. Lan readied his Mega Buster, while Shadow went over and kicked down the door, a SMG in his right hand. Knuckles had just put on what looked like shovels to his already spiked out knuckles before turning his attention to the ground, digging like there was no tomorrow. Sonic followed him down the hole, tripping over a rock and landing on Knuckles.

Sonic gave a sigh as Knuckles pushed him off. "You get the feeling he shouldn't have paired us up like this?" he asked.

"Oh, good. It isn't just me," Knuckles said, an edge in his voice.

* * *

"Alright, where can I set down?" Max asked out loud. He looked around the top of the fortress, seeing an opening he could easily fit through. "Ah. There we go." He released his current Aura Fusion before noticing the robots all looking at him. All of them were based off of the Big Axe EM virus. "Uh…I don't suppose any of you fellas could tell me which way the loading dock is? Just brought in a huge shipment of…uh…axes…yeah, that's it. Axes and spare parts for a guy named Cameo. Any of you direct me to him?" But the robots weren't buying it. Instead, they all picked up their axes, walking menacingly toward him. "Heh heh," Max chuckled nervously, backing up, his hands facing them. "Now, fellas, surely we can discuss this in a calm and orderly fashion."

* * *

"Ow! Hey, watch where you're throwing the dirt," Sonic said, pulling a clod of dirt out of his eye.

"Why don't you watch where you're standing?" Knuckles shot back. "I only have a limited amount of space. Just…try and avoid it, alright?"

"Fine," Sonic grumbled. He went to tossing a stone back and forth in his hand, waiting. The stone suddenly slipped from his hand, hitting a small round object, a red light on it. The light began to blink, picking up speed. "Hey, Knuckles…"

"What?"

"Please tell me this isn't a mine."

"What?" Knuckles turned to look at the small object. "Oh…oh, shit…"

FWOOM

* * *

"You hear something?" Lan asked as he and Shadow continued down the hallway.

"Nope. Didn't hear a thing," Shadow answered, taking a careful look around the corner. "Alright, this hall's clear, too."

* * *

"AAAHHHH!" Max ran down the stairs, the robots close behind. "Come on, fellas! Let's discuss this!" he called behind him, but to no avail. "This is one of those times I wish I had an EMP weapon. _Any_ EMP weapon!" He came to a halt in a room, slamming the door shut behind. He began to move various pieces of furniture and electrical equipment to the door before taking a seat on a couch he had placed in front of the door, panting. "Man. I really hate this guy." He stood back up after a bit, looking around the room. He noticed another door at the far end and went to it, opening it slowly. He stuck his head through the opening, taking a careful look around before opening it fully. It was an empty room, save for a set of stairs at one end. "Well, at least it doesn't have any bots." He went to the staircase, walking down it.

* * *

Knuckles punched through the top of the tunnel, his hand meeting air. "Alright, we're in," he said, making the hole wider. He climbed up, looking around the inside of the room he had dug under as Sonic hopped out of the hole. "Well, well. Looky what we got here. Expensive equipment." Knuckles walked over to a panel before smashing his fist through it. "That felt good. That felt _real _good."

"Yeah, I'll bet it did. Save some for me," Sonic said. "I want some payback for all those mines."

"Have at it," Knuckles said, stepping aside and gesturing towards the machines. "And have fun while you're doing it."

"I always do." Sonic cracked his knuckles and began laying into some of the machinery. After a few more minutes of destruction, Knuckles and Sonic stepped back to check their handiwork, Machine parts everywhere. "Wow. That _did_ feel good!"

"Told ya."

"Ah," they heard, turning around to see Max coming through a door leading from what looked like a staircase. "So, it was you two I heard," he said, walking towards them. He looked at the machine parts lying around, nodding. "I love what you've done with the place. Who'd have thought you two had a flair for interior decorating?"

"Well, I like it," Knuckles said. He smacked his right fist into his left hand for emphasis. "Feels 'lived in.'"

"I couldn't agree more," Max said, walking over to a piece of machinery next to a window. "Uh oh. Looks like we got some company outside." Sonic and Knuckles joined him at the window to see some viruses and the axe robots down below. Max took a closer look at the machine before looking back at the window. "You know, something just isn't quite right about this room. Almost like it's got too much furniture. Perhaps we should do them a favor and get rid of this unnecessary item."

"Oh, yes. Let's," Sonic said, pushing against the machine, Knuckles and Max joining him. "Okay. One, two, _three_!" They pushed, the machine falling out the window, flipping end over end before landing on three robots, setting off four explosions, which included the machine itself, setting off a chain reaction of robots exploding, the shrapnel taking care of the viruses. The three turned to look at the room once more.

"You know, after this is over, we should definitely go into business," Max commented.

* * *

"Okay, now I'm sure I heard something," Lan said. "I mean, the ground just fucking shook."

"Yes, I heard it, too," Shadow said. "But it came from outside. Whatever it was, let's just hope it won't come in here."

"Any…there?"

"What the?" Lan said, looking at his com. He put it on his ear, adjusting the frequency dial with his index finger. "Max? That you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Seems we're within forty feet of each other. That's good," Max said from his end. "Where're you two at?"

"Right now, we're in a corridor," Shadow answered this time. "There are quite a few rooms lining this hallway. By the way, did you hear an explosion?"

"That would be our doing," Sonic answered over the com. "Nothing to worry about."

Shadow sighed. "Well, so much for element of surprise. Surely even Cameo would have heard something like that."

"Hey. The corridor you're in," Max said. "Does it have a neon sign in it?"

"Yes. How did you know?"

"Because I'm looking at both of you." Lan and Shadow looked up ahead to see Max waving at them, Sonic and Knuckles on either side of him. Max ran up to them with Sonic and Knuckles. "I see you fellas came out okay."

"Yeah," Lan replied. "It's been quiet."

"Lucky you," Sonic and Knuckles grumbled together.

"Traps?"

"Yeah. Mines," Sonic answered.

"Ouch."

"Tell me about it."

"So, any idea as to where Cameo would be?" Max asked, changing the subject to get everyone's minds back on the mission.

"Well, you were at the very top," Shadow said. "But you didn't find him. We've still got a quite a bit of corridor to check out, so I guess we split up once more."

"Hey…you guys feel something vibrating?" They all looked down to see a slit appear in the floor before they all paled. The split then became a square hole, through which they all fell, landing on a hard floor. "Of course," Max said, groaning in pain. "If he's not up top or at the bottom, he must be under."

"Very good, Max," Cameo's voice came from the shadows. He stepped forward to reveal that Sonic and Shadow had indeed been correct about Cameo's change of armor. "So, what do you think of the new armor? I've decided to upgrade. I even traded out the old camouflage system for a new prototype system."

"Oh? And here I thought that you had actually sudden become brave," Max said, picking himself up. He leaned against the wall, holding up a finger. "Hang on. Just need to catch my breath. Damn, that was one long fall." The remainder of his group stood up, groaning. "Oh, good. Glad you guys are awake."

"Yeah. Us, too," Lan said. He then noticed Cameo. "Wow…"

"Ah. I see you are impressed with my new armor," Cameo said, his chest swelling.

"Uh, no…actually, it looks even dumber than your old armor," Lan said.

"So it isn't just me," Max said, Lan nodding with him. "What do you guys think?" Shadow, Sonic, and Knuckles all nodded, even though they had never seen Cameo's original armor. Meanwhile, Cameo's left eye had started twitching and Max noticed. "Aw, is Cameo getting angry?"

"You fucking bastard, of course I'm pissed!" Cameo yelled, shaking his right fist at the group. "I'm gonna make you regret that comment, bastard!"

Max just yawned. "Yeah, no."

"Can we just get this over with?" Knuckles asked, tapping his foot impatiently. "I wanna get back home." Knuckles charged forward, swinging his right fist at Cameo, who just stood there, smirking. Knuckles fist met with…nothing. His fist went right through Cameo, surprising everyone. "A projection?"

"Nope," Cameo said, slamming his foot into Knuckles' gut, sending him flying back.

"Phase tech," Max said. "Great. Just fucking great."

"Phase tech?" Lan asked, looking to Max for an explanation.

_Wait, Lan_, Megaman said. _Remember Desertman? How he could disappear and reappear and was almost impossible to hit?_

"How could I forget?" Lan groaned. He then understood where Megaman was going. "Oh, I get it. He can…uh…what was that word again?"

Megaman sighed. _Become intangible._

"Yeah, that. But he had to be…whatever the opposite of that word is to attack."

"So, we need someone to set up a distraction," Shadow said. "I believe I can provide one."

"Really? What?"

"This." With that said, he punted Sonic over to Cameo, knocking Cameo forward, because he had been looking at Knuckles.

"Jerk!" Sonic exclaimed, standing back up, only to duck under Cameo's right wrist blade. "Hey, watch it! You almost cut me!"

"That's the _point_!" Cameo yelled. He then attacked with both wrist blades, forcing Sonic back.

"Geez! Why did I have to forget Shahra and Caliburn today?" He continued to duck and weave, looking to the others for help. "Guys?"

"Time to see if that training paid off," Max said, holding up his hand, his open palm facing Cameo. He closed his eyes, a small sphere of white energy building up in the open palm. "Light Palm Strike!" He opened his eyes, his fingers spreading. The shot forward as a beam, Cameo turning around to see it just before it hit him. His eyes went wide as the light tore into his armor, before it went through his right shoulder, coming out of the other end, stopping halfway into the wall. Max's arm went down, hanging limp. He was panting, sweat dripping from his forehead as his armor went back into its jacket form.

"You…bastard," Cameo whispered as he fell onto his knees. His armor was smoking as the phase tech had suddenly shorted out. He then fell onto his face, unconscious.

"Max, when…when did you learn to do that?" Lan asked, but he didn't get an answer as Max also passed into unconsciousness.

"So…what now?" Shadow asked.

"I don't know. I guess we should get these two out of here," Sonic said. "Knuckles."

"What?" Knuckles asked until he saw the remaining three looking at him. "…You can't be serious…"

* * *

Later that day, Max finally awoke. He flexed his right arm, noticing that it felt weak after that attack. He then realized that it was dark outside of the tent he was in. He got up, moving the flap aside to see they were back at the encampment. Cameo was tied up, currently snoring, while Shadow was staring into the distance, though whether it was as a watch shift or personal reasons, Max didn't know. He walked behind him. "So, you're finally awake," Shadow said, not turning around.

"Yeah," Max answered. "I'm awake."

"How is your arm?"

"Oh. It's fine. Feels a little weak, but otherwise okay." They both remained quiet for a bit before Shadow spoke up.

"That attack. When did you learn that?"

"Well…I taught myself. After seeing my late father doing it."

"I didn't realize that you humans had such powers."

"Well, it wasn't so much me as the suit. It's…it's sorta hard to explain. It's kind of like it's taking in energy from around me…maybe even from in me."

"Sounds like fun."

"Oh, trust me, it is. Up until you faint."

"I suppose so. Now then," Shadow said, turning around to face him, "you may as well get back to sleep. Give J a call in the morning."

"Yeah. I'll do that."

* * *

The next morning, Max and Lan were saying good-bye to everyone, while Cameo was glaring angrily at the ground. "Give us a call anytime you need help," Max said, stepping back. He took out his com. "Alright, J, we're ready."

"Got it," J's voice came from the com. Max, Lan, and Cameo soon began to fade out, disappearing completely after a few seconds. Back at the base, Lan and Megaman released Cross Fusion, while J walked over to stand in front of Cameo. "Well, hey there. I would shake your hand, but you seem to be a little tied up at the moment."

"Oh, ha ha, you're hilarious," Cameo said drily.

J turned to Max. "I called up Master Hand. He's going to give us some help with holding Cameo. He gets to spend some quality time with ol' Tabuu."

"Oh, someone shoot me now," Cameo groaned.

"Oh, man," Lan said, yawning. "I think I'm goin' back to bed."

"But you've only been up for an hour," Megaman said.

"So?" Megaman sighed, forgetting for a second that Lan was almost always late to school because he overslept almost constantly.

"Megaman, has Lan always been that lazy in the morning?" Max asked, while J was on a com, Lan leaving the room.

"Unfortunately, yes. For as long as I've known him," Megaman said.

"Alright, it's all set up," J said, putting the com away. "Later on, we'll send Cameo over there. But we need to make sure he doesn't get away this time."

"I think we can arrange that with some chains," Max said. "I'll go give Beamer a call. I'm sure he still has some left over from his move into the restaurant."

* * *

**Well, I've survived school so far, as you can see. I'm actually surprised I even got this done with what little free time I have. Hopefully, I can update this often up until school is done with. Anyways, please review.**


	66. Kidnapping and Betrayal

**Kidnapping and Betrayal**

Kalar took out the small cube, placing it on his desk. Beside him was what looked to be a launcher of some sort. He pushed the button on the cube and it folded out as before. The difference was that this time, they actually picked up almost instantly. "Oh, goody," Dark Protoman said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Another job, I presume."

"Someone is rather grumpy," Kalar said, keeping his voice even, his face expressionless. He saw the screen shake, dust and small rocks falling from the top of the screen to the bottom.

"How the fuck would you feel if you had this to deal with?"

"My, my, my, someone is certainly getting rowdy over there. A shame I can't see who's fighting. But that is of no importance. I do indeed have another job for you. One that will require a trip back here, to the Prime Zone."

"And my mod?" Lockdown interjected, his legs visible just before he ducked down for his face to be on the screen.

"Perhaps a launcher? I've gotten word that you have a rather extensive arsenal of missiles."

"That would be perfect," Lockdown said, a sneer on his lips.

"Good. The target this time is actually part of the team that I informed you of," Kalar said. "His name is Tommy Cavez. Although it is true that he is not an original member of the team, I have recently learned that he is...I suppose you could say 'property' of Bio-Tech."

"And Bio-Tech would be?"

"The company that I am currently funding. Tell me, have you ever encountered a Biometal user?"

"Believe it or not, I have."

"Good. Then I don't have to waste precious time explaining. Right now, all you need to know about him is that he is known as the Desert Mega Man. Take whoever you want with you."

"What about my mod?"

"You'll get it when the job is done," Kalar said, narrowing his eyes at Lockdown.

* * *

Tommy was currently walking along the outskirts of Ground City, few buildings and even fewer people surrounding him. "Damn it, I told you we should have gone the other way," DC said, floating in front of Tommy, who sighed.

"I know, DC, I know," Tommy said. "But it seemed like a good idea at the time."

"At the time? AT THE TIME?"

"Geez. No need to bite my head off," Tommy said. He pulled out his com, switching it for the HQ. "I really need to get a cell phone," Tommy grumbled as he heard someone pick up.

"Yo," he heard J said.

"Hey, J. It's Tommy. Listen, I'm kinda lost." Tommy was about to say more when he suddenly slammed into a black and green column, falling back onto his rear. "Ow," he said, rubbing his head. "Where the hell did that come from?" He followed the column up and became confused as he noticed that it seemed to combine with another column, this one red, white, and black. They became like a trunk. He continued up until he saw Lockdown's face, smiling sinisterly at him. "Well...this can't be good." Lockdown slammed his foot down, just missing Tommy, who had dove out of the way. "Alright, DC, you know the drill!" He grabbed DC, holding him in front of him. "Megamerge!" The surrounding sand swirled around him and soon left to reveal his armor. He drew the sword, taking a defensive stance. "Alright, bring it, you hunk of junk!"

BOOM

"Holy shit!" Tommy exclaimed, jumping out of the way of a blast. He turned to see Rampage, who had what looked like a tri-barreled cannon aimed at Tommy. Tommy groaned when he saw him. "Oh, great, he has a friend." Tommy jumped at Lockdown, who swiped at him with his saw, but Tommy retaliated with his sword, using it to swing him up and over to land on Lockdown's elbow and from there to his shoulder, head, and finally nothing but air. "Ultimate Desert Storm!" With that, he aimed his sword down, slamming it into the ground as he landed a few seconds later, kicking up a giant tsunami of sand. The sand washed over both Rampage and Lockdown, blocking them from Tommy's sight, likewise blocking Tommy from their sight. He took that chance to run around the side of a building, holding his chest and panting. He then turned to see Dark Protoman. "Protoman! Thank goodness you're he- URK!"

"Sorry," Dark Protoman said, his hand clamped around Tommy's throat as he held him against the wall. "I think you've got me confused with someone else."

"Hey" Tommy said, gasping as he tried to free himself. "If...this(gasp) is about that five(hack) zenny, I said I was sorry." Tommy continued to gasp for air, his hands scrabbling at Dark Protoman's wrist, but his vision began to black out, his squirming slowly stopping before his body fell limp. Dark Protoman dropped him to the ground, while Lockdown and Rampage walked up, sand falling from Lockdown, while Rampage seemed perfectly fine.

"Tell me how the hell you two couldn't get him," Dark Protoman said, looking up at the two.

"Hey, we weren't prepared for a giant sand wave, okay," Lockdown shot back. "Besides, we don't have the advantage of looking like one of his teammates."

"That's a very good point." Dark Protoman picked Tommy up, slinging him over his shoulder. "Come on, let's go. We've got somewhere to be in a couple of hours." He then stopped, bending down to pick up Tommy's com. He crushed it in his hand, letting the pieces fall. He then dropped a battle chip, black in color.

"What was that?" Lockdown asked as they began walking.

"A gift for my other self," was all Dark Protoman had to answer.

* * *

"Tommy," J said into the com. "Come on man, you better be kidding here." But there was no answer from the com. "Fuck!"

"What is it?" Aquanode asked as he came into the room J was currently occupying.

"Something's wrong with Tommy," J answered before he heard a cracking sound and then static from the speaker. "Damn it, we need someone over there now."

* * *

Protoman had opted to go with Max and Megaman to find Tommy, as they were the fastest ones on the team. Netto had come along as well, but only because he had wanted to get out for some fresh air. They arrived at the last spot that his com signal had been coming from, but saw no sign of him. After looking around, Protoman was the first to find the broken com and the chip. "Hey, guys, over here," he called, waving Netto, Max, and Megaman over. He bent down to pick up the chip and com. "I found his com, but…I have no idea what this is."

"Looks like a battle chip," Max said. He took the broken com from Protoman, but neglected a closer inspection of the chip. "Maybe Tommy was looking into getting a netnavi." Protoman continued to look it over, but suddenly he froze. Netto was the only one to notice as Protoman's face changed, as if he had just had a revelation. He then freaked out when his sword appeared and he walked up to Max, who had turned away to put the com into some good light.

"Max, behind you!" he exclaimed. Max turned, eyes widening as he saw Protoman swinging his sword at him. But all he hit was air as Max dodged, swinging around behind him.

"What the hell?"

"You must all be served justice," was all Protoman said. He turned his sights on Netto, who gulped.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Netto exclaimed, signing, a copy of him appearing. Protoman stopped for a second, when Netto suddenly disappeared, the clone attacking Protoman, drawing a kunai. Meanwhile, Netto looked up at Max, who was holding onto his collar. "Thanks for the save."

"No problem," Max said, watching the clone fighting Protoman. "Get back to HQ with Megaman. I'm gonna try to figure out what's wrong with him. Or at least hold him off long enough for you to bring more of the team."

"But-"

"Don't worry," Max said, his armor sliding into place. "I've got quite a few tricks up my sleeve."

"Alright," Netto said. "One question…where's Megaman at?"

"He's behind the building," Max said. "Apparently, it wasn't me he had been going for. It was Megaman. I just happened to be in the way. While I got off unscathed, Megaman took a hit on his right arm. He's derezzing in that area pretty quickly."

"Okay, I'll get him and then get going."

"Now," Max said as Netto jumped off the roof of the building he had been on, cracking his knuckles. "Let's see what you've got, Protoman." Protoman sliced the clone in half, the clone disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"Damn," Protoman said. "Just a clone."

"Hey, are you even listening to me?"

"Feh. Useless. May as well leave." With that, Protoman suddenly disappeared. But when Max looked around, there wasn't a sign of him anywhere.

* * *

"Midnight," Kalar said. "At least these guys have some style to them." He was currently in an alley, waiting for Lockdown, Rampage, and Dark Protoman to arrive. The launcher was on the ground beside him.

"There you are," he heard and turned around to look at the three. "And you have my mod," Lockdown said.

"I am nothing if not a man of my word." With that, Kalar picked up the launcher, tossing it at Lockdown, who caught it easily. In turn, Dark Protoman hefted a bag at Kalar, the bag landing just in front of him. Kalar easily picked up the bag. "Thank you, gentlemen. I'll call you after I finish some business in another area."

"Looking forward to it," Lockdown said, a smile on his lips. He was inspecting every inch of his new mod, so far pleased, while Kalar walked off, leaving the three.

* * *

"Sorry Chaud," Max said. He had offered to break the news to Chaud, who was so far taking it okay, although his shoulders were rigid by this time. "But…he didn't even really see me…ignored me completely."

"I…" Chaud began. But he couldn't finish. His voice completely froze, while his shoulders began to move up and down. Max stood up, leaving Chaud to cry in privacy, knowing the teen would want his dignity to remain intact.

"How did he take it?" Netto asked, waiting outside the room the entire time.

"Not…too well," Max answered. "Not too well."

"Damn."

"You said it." Max clenched his fist. "First Katta. Then Tommy and now suddenly Protoman? What is goind on? Is it those Absolute Hunters Will warned us about? Something else?"

"Max, calm down."

"Calm down? How the fuck am I supposed to calm down? This team is starting to tear. Kassie was rendered useless with Will gone. Tommy is now gone, along with DC. We've just lost Protoman, which has also rendered Chaud inert for the time being. I…gah, I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do!"

"For one thing, don't take all this on yourself."

"…" Max inhaled slowly, exhaling equally slowly. "I…I'm going to go clear my mind." With that, Max walked off, leaving Netto to stand by himself in front of Chaud's room. After a few minutes, Netto heard the front door slam, confusing him. Normally, when Max needed to clear his head, he would go to a training room, but he had never once gone outside the HQ to do it. He was almost tempted to follow him, but decided that it would only add more stress.

* * *

"Huff….huff," Max was panting, on his hands and knees. He was currently in the middle of nowhere, sweat dripping off of him. He slowly stood back up, staggering a bit. He was in the middle of a large crater, trenches surrounding the holes. He felt like someone was staring at him and he looked around, but didn't see anyone at the moment. "Must be…more tired than I thought." His armor slid into place again, while closing his eyes.

"Haven't had enough?" he heard. He opened his eyes to see his father in armor, transparent and missing his feet.

"Dad?"

"Well, Max, looks like you've been busy," James said, inspecting the crater. "Must be near dead for me to be here, though."

"Well…I…"

"Nah, don't worry about it. I went through the same thing when I first started using the suit," James said with a chuckle. "That's the problem with this suit. Major stress means major destruction."

"Yeah…guess so…" James looked at his son's face.

"Now, hang on. Why are you so glum, eh?"

"I…"

"Max…don't tell me you're really becoming one of 'those'."

"Those?"

"Yes, 'those'. What your uncle would call a maggot."

"Huh?"

"Well, I just call it pathetic. Your uncle was…rather strange. But, that's not the point. Right now, you're acting pathetic."

"But-"

"No, hear me out. I know what's happened in the past coupla weeks. And then today, what with losing two people. And it seems to be taking its toll on my usually centered son. Making him….mopy. Almost like you're whining about how unfair everything is." He waited for Max to say something, but nothing came. "Max, I'm not telling you this to scold you. I'm telling you this because I'm hoping you'll figure it out."

"Figure what out?" James sighed.

"I can't tell you that, Max. You have to figure it out." Suddenly, James' form started to waver. "Whoops. Looks like my time's up for now. Listen, just remember that you have people you care about and who likewise care about you, son. Until next time." With that, James disappeared completely, while Max continued to stand there. He then gave a chuckle, shaking his head.

"And dad wondered why we always went to mom for life lessons," he said, his armor sliding back into a jacket. "But I think I understand a little bit, dad. Thanks."

* * *

**Gah, school is taking up too much time! Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this chapter. You all know who belongs to whom. Please Review.**


	67. Max's Talk

**Max's Talk**

"Thanks, Master Hand," J said. "We'll be on the lookout for them. And no need to worry about them seeing Chaud. He's…well, he's in his home Zone for now. He doesn't really…feel like he's going to be able to contribute anything to the team without Protoman."

"Alright," Master Hand said on the monitor. "And I apologize for keeping such secrets from you and your team. But at the time, it seemed like the best choice."

"Nah, we understand," Max said. He was back to normal, the past few days seemingly forgotten by him. "When you're dealing with different Zones, you have to be careful what you do. The wrong action or statement could influence too much."

"Alright, then. I'll contact you if we manage to get something out of Cameo."

"How's he doing, anyways?"

"Well…let's just say he and Tabuu don't exactly get along." In the background, Max and J could hear some thuds and what sounded like heavy hits. "And there they go again. Like clockwork. I must remember to send Packer and Wily a thank you card sometime."

"We'll pass that along," J said. With that, Master Hand cut off his side of the conversation, their screen going black. "Well, it should be fun meeting the Hunter Eradication Army. I wonder how different the Shadow on that team is."

"Actually, I'm looking forward to meeting that Bass guy," Max said. "I'm sure Beamer would, too."

"Last time Beamer met one of his Zone doubles, they got into a 'friendly'," J said, using his fingers to make air quotes at the word friendly, "spar and nearly destroyed half of Ground City. And that was just the ten minute warm-up."

"Oh, yeah," Max said, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess they did, huh?" J just looked at him. "What?"

"Don't you have something to do?"

"Uh…no?"

"Oh, no you don't. When you got back in last night, you said you would go talk to Z," J said sternly, his arms crossed, tapping his foot. "Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"Uh…is there a medium way?"

"Oh, sure, why the hell not. It will be just like the hard way. Only a _little_ less painful."

"What's the hard way?"

"Let's just say…it involves a 'friendly' spar with Beamer."

"Uh…I'll take easy way for five hundred?"

"That's right."

"Right then…I'm off," Max said, walking out of the room.

"Oh, no. Not yet," J stopped him. "Because I'm going to make sure you at least find Z."

"Oh, come on, don't you trust me?"

"…No." Max's shoulders slumped.

"Gee, thanks for thinking about it."

* * *

Z was currently wiping her face with a towel, having just finished a work out in a training room, her hair tied up somewhat like Julie's had been when she had sparred with Rayne. "Uh, hi," she heard and turned around to see Max standing behind her, while she saw J's leg disappear from the door as he walked off down the hall. Z then turned her attention back to Max, who was currently looking at her hair. _The hair's a giveaway,_ he thought to himself. _Man, I am an _idiot_! _Z continued to stare at him and to be honest, he was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. He began to shuffle from foot to foot, trying to keep his legs from falling asleep on him.

"Hi," she finally said after a few minutes. "Need something?"

"Well…no, not really," Max answered. "Just…wanted to talk…"

"About…?"

"Uh…actually, I'm not really sure. I guess…just talk…"

"Oh," she said, putting the towel down, letting her hair fall as well as she took out the clip that had been holding it in place. She went over to a bench on the wall, picking up her spare set of clothes. "Just give me a bit and I'll be back."

"Uh, sure." A half hour later, Max was sitting in the main living room, asleep, when Z walked in, now wearing a purple T shirt and a pair of blue jeans. She saw him asleep and looked down at the chair beside her. She grabbed one of the pillows and tossed it at the teen, waking him up. "I'm up! I'm up!" He looked around before his eyes finally came into focus to see Z standing in front of him. "Oh, you're done." He rubbed his eyes, checking his watch. "Geez, I was out that long? Knew I shouldn't have stayed up so late last night."

"Well, now that you're awake, we can talk," Z said, taking a seat beside him. But silence persisted.

"You…you wanna go to Beamer's?" Max asked after a bit. Z looked somewhat taken aback and Max wondered for a second if he had just made a mistake. But that small fear was allayed as Z nodded.

"Sure," she said with a smile. Max gave an inward sigh of relief, standing up with her and they both headed to the door.

Unbeknownst to the two, Jen and J had been watching the entire time. "How did you finally get him to do it?" Jen asked her beau, looking at him.

"Simple," J answered. "I threatened him with a fight with Beamer."

"That's just mean," Jen said, giving him a playful punch on the shoulder. J smiled at her.

"But at least it worked!"

* * *

Max and Z walked out of Beamer's later that night, Max finally relaxed. It had been almost a full month since the two had just sat down and actually _talked_. He couldn't even remember why he hadn't talked with Z in awhile, but didn't really care anymore. He was just glad that he had finally fixed things with her. He looked at the girl, who was laughing a bit at a little joke he had shared with her. He then did something that Z wasn't expecting. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. She was surprised at first, but relaxed, wrapping her own arm around his waist, resting her head near his neck. They walked like that to the HQ, no longer talking, each enjoying the company of the other.

* * *

**Got stuck at home sick today and because I'm sick, I'm having a little trouble getting my brain to actually work. I hate being sick! Mostly because I'm not used to it. Hope this chapter was enjoyable in some way. Please Review.**


	68. Hunter Eradication Army Arrives

**Hunter Eradication Army Arrives and Lockdown Meets J**

"So, this is the place," Shadow said. He walked right into the HQ, leading a group of people, Bass among them. "Excuse me," he called out, trying to find someone. He managed to find Max and Beamer in a training room, interrupting their sparring match. The group that had been watching the two included Blademan, Zero, and Axl-R. "Sorry to interrupt, but I'm here on business from Master Hand."

"Hang on," Max got out, just dodging a punch from Beamer. Even still, the punch just grazed his cheek, but sent him flying back into the wall. "Ow…" He got up, nursing the wound. "Geez, Beamer. I thought your limiters were supposed to be set at full power."

"Sorry," Beamer answered, whacking his wrists. "Damn things must be on the fritz again. I guess J is gonna have to take a look at them."

"Actually, you'll have to wait or ask Sasuke. J's out at the moment."

"Ahem," Shadow said, getting the attention. "Hi there."

"Oh, sorry," Max said, letting his hand fall to his side. "You that Hunter Eradication Army Master Hand told us about?"

"Yes," Shadow answered. "We are."

"Well, nice to put some faces to the group now. How about some names as well?"

"Right. Master Hand informed us that you already know about me and Bass. So I'll just skip us. And we shall begin with Scar." Shadow pointed to a boy with bronze colored skin and scarlet eyes, a X-shaped scar on his face, white hair on his head. He was wearing a white shirt, a yellow open jacket, and blue jeans. His left arm was covered in tattoos that were unfamiliar to Max and those assembled. The boy nodded to them, looking around the training room. "Jing." His finger went to a kid that was roughly Lan and Netto's age. He had wild, spiky black hair and onyx eyes. He was wearing a long yellow jacket with white circle markings on it and tattered at the end. Under it, he had on a black sleeveless shirt and baggy gray pants and black boots. "Kir." They looked at a black albatross with big blue eyes and a red scarf. "And last is Viral, our most recent addition." They turned to the last member of the group. He was a tall man with cat-like golden eyes with long, nearly white hair that ended at just above his shoulders. He also had shark-like teeth and large clawed paws instead of hands, with clawed paw-like thumbs. He was wearing a red, gentlemen-like shirt with orange highlights. He also had long red pants.

"Great," Viral said. "More naked apes."

"What did you just call us?" Zero asked.

"What, you deaf or something? I just called you naked ape, you naked ape."

"I dare you to say that again." Zero drew his Z Saber, his eyes slightly steely now.

"Na-ked…Ape-uh."

"That's it!" Zero slashed at him, but Viral simply raised his arm. Zero's saber was coated in fire and when it hit Viral's arm, the arm from elbow to hand exploded. Zero just stood there dumbfounded, while the others had wide eyes, Axl-R vomiting the other way. "Well…that's never happened before…"

"Crap, Zero, don't you think you could have handled that better?" Max asked. He stepped forward. "Sorry about, Mr. Viral. Zero doesn't always keep his temper in check."

"Hmph," Viral just snorted. "Completely unnecessary. I'm what you would call…" At this point, bits of bone and muscle were suddenly regenerating right before their eyes on the arm. "Immortal," he finished. "A 'gift' from the Spiral King. Before his death at the hands of a boy who now travels his world as a vagabond with a staff holding a drill on top."

"That's…yeah, that's a little disgusting," Beamer said, trying to not vomit with Axl-R.

"Think how I feel," Viral said as the arm finished regenerating. He gave his hand a clench, moving the arm up and down. "There. Good as new."

"If you're done messing with them, Viral," Shadow said. Viral just returned Shadow's look. "Alright then. Now," he turned to Max, "I understand that one your team, a boy named..." He took out a piece of paper, giving it a quick scan. "…Will…is traveling with the team from my own Zone, as well as a few others. If I remember correctly, he was the one who…" Shadow suddenly stopped, looking at the door. The rest turned to see Roll standing there, listening to the conversation. She had luckily come in after Zero had destroyed Viral's arm, but had heard him say something about good as new. "Roll…what are you doing here?"

"Well…I'm on this team," Roll answered, confused by Shadow's tone of voice.

"But…no, you were…taken…"

"..One of you mind explaining what's going on?" Max asked as Shadow just stopped talking completely, still in shock at seeing Roll.

"Well…his Maylu and Roll were kidnapped. By a man riding a motorcycle, after defeating Arthur in a duel with the Earthbound God, Ccapac Apu," Jing explained. He then noticed that they hadn't really followed him. In fact, he was pretty sure he had lost them at duel. "You know what? Just…just remember my first sentence, okay?"

"That's…man…it's…" They looked over at Shadow to see he was finally snapping out of his trance. Roll had left the room, after feeling increasingly uncomfortable. Shadow shook his head, coming fully out of the trance. "Anyways…as I was saying…" They suddenly heard a beeping and looked at Max. Max gave a sheepish smile.

"Sorry," he said, pulling out his com. He put it on his ear. "Go."

"Max," J said form the com. "I got a slight problem…"

"Oh, crap. I think I can guess."

"What? Guess what?" Shadow asked.

"Oh, fuck. It's…it's Lockdown…and…wait, Chaud? What the hell is Chaud…oh, right…Absolute Hunters had a darker Chaud…forgot about that…"

"Damn it, we're here for less than twenty minutes and already we're busy!"

"No…J, what's going on?"

* * *

"Right now, Chaud's in some weird armor. He looks like that Omega character that ZS-Zero told us about," J said, looking at Lockdown, who was the only one attacking. He took a hit from his hook, slamming into a wall. "AGH!"

"J, what the hell is going on?"

"I'm stuck between a hard place and an even harder place, that's what. I'm getting my ass handed to me and the Copy Converters don't have anything to handle this chainsaw. I think it's made of Metal Zeta."

"Well, fuck!"

"How do you think I feel?"

"Hidden data found," Mally said. "Would you like to unlock this data?"

"No!"

"Calculations show that unless another factor is introduced in your favor, your odds of success are one to three thousand, four hundred, and twenty two."

"I can't go back to that data. Not again."

"J," Max said over the com. "I…do it…just do it."

"But!"

"I remember the promise you made me, J. But right now, whatever they have in store for you is not worth keeping that promise. Do it!"

"Uggghhh…" J groaned. "Alright, Max. I'll do it. But you better make sure Dr. Cossacks is there when I get back!"

"I will, J."

"Okay. Mally, I want you to shut yourself down for the time being."

"Mally shutting down…"

"Alright. Now that that's done…" J stood straight up, the Copy Converters returning to normal, J putting them at their positions. "Protocol 001-AG8N. Activate." What looked like small vents began to pop up around J's armor, releasing what looked like steam in large amounts. When the steam cleared, J's armor had changed slightly, the vent like attachments staying there, while the side spikes on his head were now reversed and at a downward diagonal. His eyes were closed right now and Lockdown planned to make good on that. He swung down with the hook, but was surprised when J's hand caught it neatly, holding it in place. J slowly opened his eyes to reveal they were now a solid, softly glowing red. He looked at Lockdown before releasing the hook, sidestepping at the same time. He put his hands together, almost as if he were holding a hilt, as the steam began to form a sword easily nine feet long, close to two feet wide.

* * *

"What's going on over there?" Shadow demanded.

"J is fighting Lockdown and Chaud is watching," Max answered.

"Damn it. Get together, fellas. I'm gonna warp us there."

"No need," Max said.

"What do you mean, no need?" Bass asked.

"J…J is a special netnavi…technically speaking, he's a solo navi. The perfect fighting machine. Except for one flaw…he couldn't kill. Would've been deleted if it hadn't been for my dad stepping in and Dr. Cossacks setting up blocks around his original programming…they broke once. But only once…"

"So basically, you're saying he can hold his own, huh?"

"Yeah."

"I'm still going," Shadow said. He looked at his own team and they all nodded, choosing to go with him. "Chaos Control!" With that, the group disappeared, while Max walked out of the room, the others watching him go.

* * *

"So, the little data being got a bigger sword?" Lockdown asked. "So what? Doesn't make him any better." But he was about to change his mind as J moved easily with the sword, going almost as fast as Sonic and Max had in their match at the Smash Tournament. Lockdown slammed the chainsaw down, but J stopped and blocked with the sword, sparks flying off of the two weapons. J then pushed back, jumping up to kick off of Lockdown's left elbow joint, stabbing the sword at Lockdown's face. Lockdown moved his face back only a fraction of an inch, just enough to dodge, sneering, up until J's left leg slammed into the side of his head, sending him head over a heels a couple of yards. "Okay, maybe it does make him better." J charged him again, this time slashing at Lockdown. Lockdown moved back, thinking he had dodged. It wasn't until he swung his hook at J that he saw what it was that J had taken off. "My hook! He cut off my slaggin' hook!"

"Hmph," Chaud snorted, drawing the sword on his back. J suddenly turned to look at him. Before Chaud could even react properly, J had appeared in front of him, swinging the sword. Chaud just managed to block with his own, sending J back with a quick swipe. Chaud's left arm suddenly fell off and then flew at J, who stood his ground. When the hand got to him, he jumped up, using the clawed hand to jump over Chaud and bring the sword down. It was at that time that the Hunter Eradication Army arrived via Chaos Control. They looked to see a large dent in Lockdown's head, his hook on the ground beside him, as well as a large cut in his right leg that J had managed to get along with cutting off the hook. They then turned to see Chaud with his hands full as J kept up his attack, leaving Chaud no room for counter attack. It was then that Chaud noticed the group. "Fuck. Lockdown, it's time to go!" He threw J off of him, floating over to Lockdown. He turned to make sure J didn't follow him, but J was just looking at him now. "Damn. That other Protoman never said anything about this."

"Yeah, you better run!" Kir called as the two disappeared, taking Lockdown's hook with them. He went over to J to give him a high five, but there was no reaction. "Uh…hello, anyone home?" He knocked on J's head, which resulted in J grabbing Kir's wrist and twisting it behind his back. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Will someone get him off?" J let go suddenly, surprising Kir.

"He only reacts to those with weapons or who attacks him," Shadow said. "Interesting."

* * *

**I'll try and explain what the hell happened to J next chapter. I don't think I used any other OCs this chapter, but just in case, you know who belongs to whom. Please Review.**


	69. The Watchers Part I

**The Watchers, Part I**

"Man," Max said, rubbing his face as he sat up on the couch he had been napping on. "This has been one helluva week." He heard an explosion and sighed. "Damn it, how much longer are they going to go on?" In the past two days, Viral had disappeared and then reappeared in the same Zone as Will, Lan and Netto had gotten into a fight with Shadow-although it's more accurate to say that they were being slaughtered for dying his quills pink-, and J ended up taking on both the darker version of Chaud and Lockdown at once. Oh, and who can forget _Beamer_, of all people, being sent to the hospital with a torn arm and crushed leg after a fight with Viral. Even with his limiters off, at full strength, he just couldn't beat the strange being. Every time he blew off a limb, another took its place. On the bright side, he had managed to work up the guts to ask Z out on a date and that had gone off without a hitch. He walked into the training room that Shadow was slaughtering Lan and Netto in and saw the humans and netnavis lying on the ground, unconscious. Shadow was dusting off his hands, acting like nothing had happened, although the state of the room begged to differ. "You just had to go Super, didn't you?"

"What?" Shadow said. "All's fair in love and war."

"Yeah, yeah. Anyways, are you satisfied now?"

"Yes. Very satisfied."

"Good. Here," Max said as he handed Shadow a card. "This is the number of the guy Beamer sees for his anger issues. Kir and Scar asked me for it after Viral returned."

"I'll be sure to give it to them," Shadow said as he put it into what he called his Hammerspace.

"Hey, Shadow."

"Yes?"

"You ever…you ever get the feeling that you're being watched? Like right now?"

"So, it wasn't just me."

"No. It's…kind of nagging at the back of my mind. I…kind of know what it is, but at the same time, I don't…Does that make sense?"

"Uh…yes?"

Unbeknownst to the two, they were indeed being watched by two people. One was a girl with long blue hair in golden armor. There was a matching body suit under the armor, hugging her body. Her helmet was open on her face and around the back of her head, letting the hair fall down. Her facial features were soft and she was giggling at Max. "He's kinda cute," she said, holding her fist to her lips.

"Iridesca, don't forget, he's no longer single," her companion said. He was a man in his late seventies, his graying hair short. He wore armor that was blue, completely covering his body. On his back was a small sword and his gauntlets had small slits on top of the wrists.

"Aww, you're no fun, Sage," Iridesca whined, frowning.

"And you're annoying," he said, to which she huffed at him, crossing her arms.

"Well, I never!"

"Oh, please, Iridesca. Just once, could you be serious on a job?"

"Fine," she said, watching closely once more.

"And stop distracting me," he said. "If I lose focus now, they'll be able to see us and hear us no problem." Once more, she huffed and crossed her arms again, this time turning away from him. He, on the other hand, turned his attention back to Max and Shadow, who were still talking. "I can see why James talks so highly of his son."

"Yeah, I guess," Iridesca said, not wanting to totally agree with him, as she was still a little upset. "Mrs. Elly is always talking about him and J."

"Yeah…uh oh," Sage said, his face paling a little.

"What? What is it?"

"There's a Zone Portal coming. Right next to Max." Shadow walked out of the room, while Max turned away from the door. As he did so, a Portal appeared behind him in the doorway. He didn't notice the tug at first, not until he was swept off his feet. "Shit! Come on, Dessy!"

"I told you not to call me that!" she yelled at him as they jumped into the portal behind him. When they exited, they noticed Max rubbing his head as he slowly stood back up.

"Geez. I already had a headache when I woke up and now I gotta deal with this?" he said out loud. "Figures." His jacket slid out into his armor.

"So, that's the Armor of Light, is it?" Sage asked out loud. "And to think, the original belongs to a hormonal crazed teenage boy."

"Hey, I'm not hormonal crazed!...Wait, who said that?"

"Uh oh," Iridesca said as Max turned to look at them.

"Uh…." Max let the armor slide back into jacket form and as he did, the two people he was looking at slowly faded from sight. He then brought his armor back up and they faded back into visibility.

"Um…hi," Sage said. "I'm sure you're wondering why you're seeing us with your armor…"

"Yeah…yeah, kinda…"

"Well…um….how do I put this?"

"Your parents asked the Zone Council to set a shift of two Watchers at any given time to watch over you," Iridesca said, to which both Sage and Max reacted by dropping their jaws.

"Iridesca, what the fuck is your problem?"

"Oh, please, Sage. You would've taken forever." Iridesca flipped her hair over her shoulder, turning her nose up. "I just took care of two birds with one stone."

"But we weren't supposed to tell him about that if something like this were to happen!"

"So?"

"Man. The Council's gonna kill me. They'll only reprimand you, but they are gonna _kill_ me."

"Oh, stop being so dramatic. You always overreact."

"Um, excuse me," Max said, reminding the two that he was present. "Did you say that my _parents _asked you to watch over me?"

"And J, of course," Iridesca said. This time, Sage just slapped her on the back of her head, his expression one of annoyance. "Ow!" She put her hand to her head, glaring up at Sage. Sage just looked back to Max and gave a sigh.

"Yes. Your parents are alive and well, Max. They are part of a group called the Zone Watchers. We're a part of that group. We're supposed to make sure that the boundaries between Zones are kept. Well, naturally, at least. So, if Zones start combining, we stay away from it. If it's artificial, then we are all over it. We also keep the peace between Zones as best as possible."

"Um….yeah, I don't know what to say to that," Max said.

"But I do," a rough voice said behind Max. He turned to see a man wearing black armor. His eyes were staring out from the only slit in the helmet, as it covered most of his head and his nose, mouth, and chin. He was holding a katana in his right hand. "You two have interfered in the life of a Prime Zone inhabitant. On the Council's orders, I am here to terminate you."

"Now do you think I'm over reacting?" Sage nearly yelled at Iridesca.

"Whoa, whoa," Max said, holding up his hands towards the man. "What's this about terminating? Surely we can resolve this without a fight."

"Quiet, boy," the man said. He lowered into a stance, getting ready to charge at Sage.

"Hey, now. No fighting."

"I said, _quiet_!" And the man dashed at Sage, slashing in a diagonal, going from upper left to lower right.

"Sage!" Iridesca yelled, jumping in front of him. The sword sliced through the armor as she pushed Sage back, moving with him so that the sword only left a shallow cut in her back. Sage caught her as she fell forward, worry written on his face.

"Foolish move, girl. You've just quickened your own death." And with that, the man lunged, intending to impale both her and Sage in one move. But he never made it. Max had suddenly appeared in front of him, clapping his hands together to hold the tip of the sword in place, the sword mere inches from his heart.

"I said, no fighting," Max said, his tone quieter and….serious. He looked straight at the man, his visor becoming clear for a second and the man saw his irises had turned silver. He suddenly felt a pain in his stomach and flew back. Max put his foot down, walking over to the man. He picked up his katana, which the man had dropped, looking at him. And he snapped it in two. "Next time you attack them, this will be your body. _Got it_?"

The man grunted as he sat up against the tree he had hit. But he didn't answer. He was staring at his katana. "How?"

"What?"

"How could you break my katana? That….that just can't be. It was forged by the best sword smith of the Zone Watchers. And you snapped it. Just like that."

Sage spoke up at this point. "Yeah, uh, hate to interrupt here, but we need to get Dessy some help," he said. He was currently holding her up, unable to pick her up due to her wound on her back.

"No problem," Max said. He looked at the hilt of the katana and closed his eyes. The hilt started to glow, while he was surrounded by a swirling silver aura. The energy from the aura started to flow into the sword and it made a new blade of the same silver energy as the aura.

"A Portal Sword!" Sage gasped, nearly dropping Iridesca from surprise. Max walked closer to Sage, raising the sword in one hand. He slashed it down to the side of Sage, a Zone Portal opening just beside him. He walked into it, motioning Sage to follow. Before he was completely through, Max dropped the hilt back to the ground, leaving the man by himself.

* * *

They appeared in the infirmary, where a man with blonde hair that was spiked, wearing a white lab coat, a beige suit underneath, and a pair of glasses was rubbing his chin, which had a beard, a mustache above his lips as well. He was currently inspecting Beamer's new arm, which had been restored at the hospital. "Well, Dr. Cossacks, how does it look?" Beamer asked.

"I'd say they did a fair job of reconstructing your data, Beamer," Cossacks said. "But this point here," he said, pointing at a small part of a picture with what looked like a literal data analysis of Beamer's arm. "There seems to be some data missing. If you want, I can run through files and find what's missing if you want."

"Thanks, doc. Don't know where I'd be without you."

"Probably on a quest of vengeance against humanity," Cossacks said with a serious face. They both then began laughing out loud.

"Ugh…where am I?" Max asked, looking around as his armor became a jacket. "How did we get in the infirmary?"

"You don't remember?" Sage asked, shocked.

"No. I remember that guy cutting Iridesca and then me catching the tip. After that, it's a blank. Wait…Iridesca!" Max turned to Cossacks, who had finally noticed the three. "Doc, can you help this girl? She's been cut on the back."

"Well, how's it goin' Max?" Cossacks asked, going to give the boy a high five.

"Not now, doc!"

"Right, sorry. Lay her on her stomach over here," Cossacks said, patting the table that Beamer had just been sitting on. He had moved off once Sage and Max had spoken up. Cossacks leaned in for a closer inspection of the wound, whistling. "Clean cut. Whoever did this knows his sword style well." He turned to Sage. "If you three will leave me for a bit, I'll have her cleaned and sewn up in no time."

"But-" Sage began, until Max put his hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to look at Max.

"You can trust Dr. Cossacks," Max said. He turned Sage to the door, Beamer following behind the two. He began to question Sage once they were outside, wanting to know first about what had happened during the time Max couldn't quite remember and then about his parents. After about half an hour, Cossacks came out of the room.

"Alright. Wound is clean and closed. I would suggest that you not let her strain herself for about a two week period," Cossacks said.

"Well, thanks," Sage said, "but I don't think it'll matter. They're probably gonna kill us once we get back. If we're lucky, we'll only have to do hard labor for the rest of our lives. That's fine for me. I've only got about twenty good years left in me. But Dessy's got a much longer period."

"I don't get it."

"I…I can't explain it."

"Then tell me," Max said. "Thanks, by the way," he said, turning to Cossacks.

"No problem. I'll be off now," he said with a goofy grin.

"I'll be heading back to the restaurant now," Beamer said, leaving with Cossacks.

"Now, explain," Max said, turning his attention back to Sage.

"It's the Council's rules, okay? We interfered where we shouldn't have. Your parents being alive was to be kept from you up until you chose to join the Zone Watchers, _if _you ever actually joined," Sage said. "Normally, I would just get a warning. But this was given the highest ranked profile. Which means that _any _interference can result in death at most, hard labor for life at least."

"Hmmm…"

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that I want a word with this council."

"What?" Sage exclaimed. "You can't be serious!"

"Oh, trust me. Normally, I'm not. But this time, I am. Once Iridesca's able to, we're going to that Council. And I'm gonna give them a piece of my mind." Max smacked his fist into his palm to prove his point, while Sage started sweating a little. He had seen what happened last time Max had been pissed. After all, he had almost been crushed by one of the columns Max had punched Meda through when the man had still been Andromeda.

* * *

**A new twist? And his parents are still alive? Who the hell is…oh, wait. I'm writing this story…Heh. Whoops. Iridesca and Sage belong to me. Please Review. Oh, and that mysterious man in black armor.**


	70. The Watchers Part II

**The Watchers, Part II**

After waiting a few hours for Iridesca to wake up and then an extra hour or two for Max to tell the team what was going on, he, J, Z, and Jen were all standing with Iridesca and Sage. "Are you sure that you three wish to come?" Sage asked, looking at the three extra travelers.

"Well, duh," J said. "Why else would we be here?"

"It's just…well, we're already in a lot of trouble with the Council," Sage said. "And this could get us in even more trouble."

"Sage, you said yourself that you're pretty much dead. What else could you have to lose?" Max asked.

"Good point."

"Mmphh," a muffled voice said. They all turned towards the sound to see Shadow walking by with Megaman and Rockman tied up.

"Shadow….actually, never mind. I don't even want to know," Max said. "Just make sure they're still alive, okay?"

"Sure thing," Shadow said, walking through the room, Megaman and Rockman's eyes widening as they realized that Max had just given Shadow permission to do everything but kill them.

"Now then, let's get going," Max said as he turned back to Sage and Iridesca.

"Right. Ready, Dessy?" Sage asked Iridesca.

"Please, stop calling me that," she whined. Sage just smirked and closed his eyes, Iridesca doing the same. Sage was soon covered by an aura that matched the color of his armor, the same happening to Iridesca. Their auras soon began mixing, creating a swirl of gold and blue energy between the two. The energy swirled faster and faster until it gave a quick white flash, now a green Zone Portal. Sage and Iridesca opened their eyes.

"Now you see why most of us Watchers travel in twos," Sage said when he saw their jaws had dropped. "Without a partner, inter-zonal travel would be near impossible for most of us. Then there are others, like Kishi, who attacked us earlier."

"Kishi? Was that the guy who attacked us earlier?" Max asked.

"Yes. He's one of the best fighters in the Zone Watchers home, as well as one of the most respected, and with possibly the most pride and honor."

"Well…this just might be a little awkward, huh?"

"Uh, a bit."

"Joy," Max said, his voice drawling. "Just…great."

"Alright, let's get the lead out," J said, pushing Max and Sage towards the Portal. "While you two were talking, the girls went ahead. And from what Sage told me, I'm not sure we should leave your girl and 'Dessy' together for too long. Not if you don't wanna be embarrassed." J's head snapped back as a shoe hit him.

"Did I mention I'm the only one she tolerates calling her Dessy?" Sage asked.

"Why do you call her Dessy?" Max asked, preparing his hand for whatever might come at his head. But nothing came.

"Huh. I guess she really does like you," Sage said.

"Huh?"

"Well…it's kind of strange, but she may have a crush on you." This time, it was Sage who was hit with a shoe. "J," he said, his eyes spinning. "In the future, if that ever comes up, smack me before I start talking."

"Sure. If you stop me from calling her by…the 'D' word," J said. They shook hands, nodding.

"Now then, let's see the Council," Max said, stepping through the Portal with J and Sage. On the other side, his jaw dropped. "Wow," was all he could manage. The buildings were high, slick, and seemed brand new. But there were trees everywhere, flowers, small animals that may have been pets. And the people. Most of them were in armor, of different colors. He saw people wearing silver armor similar to his, blue armor, gold armor, black, a dark brown, and even some fire red. "This is…wow!"

"You said it," J said, gaping. He noticed that the Z and Jen had a similar expression on their faces. "Will would love this. I mean, I don't know if I've ever seen such awesome tech."

"Wait, tech?" Max took a look around and noticed that there was indeed some impressive technology, hidden in various spots. "Oh, that tech."

"Come on. We'll show you to the Council's hall," Iridesca said. They walked through the small city, getting glances from passersby. Some of the glances were what looked like suspicion written on some faces, but those were normally directed at Sage and Iridesca. Max blanked out after the ninth glance and found out later that his eyes had changed to a silver color, which apparently was rather intimidating to quite a few of those glaring at Iridesca and Sage. After that, they stopped getting glares and Max's eye color soon returned to normal. "Thanks," Iridesca said, although Max had no idea what she was talking about until after their meeting with the Council. They stopped in front of a large building, shorter than the others, but no less imposing. "Here we are." She turned as a guard came up to them. "Iridesca Capella and Sage Holmes, reporting to the Council," she said.

"Sage, you shouldn't have come here," the guard said. The guard was wearing silver armor that bore a slight resemblance to Max's own. "The Council is kind of pissed that you two interfered like that."

"I know, Jake, I know," Sage said. "But he wanted to talk with them." He jerked his thumb at Max.

"Is that who I think it is?"

"Yep. Maxwell Escal," he said.

"Oh, man," Jake said, chuckling. "The Council's gonna love this."

"Yeah, I'm sure. So, will you let us in?"

"Well, I can let you and Max in, but his friends are gonna have to stay out here." He turned to the three. "Sorry, but it's the rules."

"Yeah, alright," J said. "Mind if I take a look at some of the tech while we wait?"

"Help yourself. Just make sure that if you take anything apart, you put it back together."

"Of course," J said, walking over to what looked a like a small camera.

"Ok, go on in."

"This way, Max," Iridesca said, leading Sage and Max into the building and down a hallway. They soon entered into a large chamber, various beings sitting around it. "Iridesca Capella and Sage Holmes, reporting."

"Why did you come here? Did you not know that you are to be executed?" a man asked, his armor a fire red.

"It is not that we were unaware, but instead Maxwell Escal asked us to guide him here," Sage spoke up. Max just put up two fingers casually, looking around the chamber. He counted about twenty people, all in one of the six different armor colors he had seen on the street.

"So, this is the boy that James and Elly speak so highly of, is it?" an old man in blue armor asked.

"Yes, Councilor Tarn, it is."

"I see. And tell me, why did you allow his three friends to come as well?"

"Uh," Sage stuttered, taken aback. "Well, that is…"

"I asked it," Max spoke up, surprising Sage and Iridesca. "They were only trying to be good hosts. Something that I believe you all could learn."

"Ha," Tarn chuckled, along with a few others, though some were indignant. "You are most definitely James Escal's son. You have his same stubbornness."

"I wouldn't call it stubbornness," Max said, rubbing the back of his head. "Just…blunt."

"Yes, well," a woman spoke up, her armor that of the dark brown color. In truth, colors were the only thing that Max could differentiate at this point. The shape of the different armored beings was somewhat spotty from a distance. "I understand that you fought Kishi and won?"

"Uh…actually, I don't really think I-"

"Yes, you did," Kishi said, walking into the chamber. He walked up to Max, the hilt in his hand that Max had left. He then got down on both knees, bowing to Max, to which everyone responded with a gasp. "I apologize for my rash behavior and ask for your forgiveness. I did not realize who you were at the time."

"Uh…you're…forgiven?"

"Please, take this hilt," Kishi continued looking up and offering the hilt. Max took it reluctantly.

"Kishi, what is the meaning of this?" the same woman demanded.

"Councilor Tara, the meaning of this is forgiveness," Kishi said, as if it were obvious. "This teenager has soundly beaten me. And has shown me what I have not seen in a decade."

"And what would that be?"

"The Portal Sword, milady." This time, everyone but Sage, Iridesca, and Max gasped. The councilors began to murmur back and forth.

"Kishi," Tarn said. "Are you certain that it was a Portal Sword?"

"Yes, milord. I am certain. A Portal Sword is not something that can be easily missed." Again, murmuring.

"Then prove it to us," Tara said. "Prove that he made this…Portal Sword."

"Uh…how do I do that?" Max asked, Sage, Iridesca, and Kishi sweatdropping.

"Kishi…he…doesn't remember his fight against you," Sage said and Kishi began to sweat.

"What?" he asked.

"But…" Sage walked over and whispered something in his ear. Kishi nodded and turned to glare at Iridesca. He punched Sage in the gut, Sage bending down. He grabbed Sage's sword and dashed at Iridesca, whose eyes had turned wide. But Kishi never made it, as Max had stepped in front of him, the silver aura having returned, the Portal Sword once more on top of the hilt. Everyone in the chamber gasped at this. "Geez, Kishi. I said 'pretend', not to actually do it."

"Well, sorry. But I'm not too good at pretending," Kishi apologized. He put the sword at rest, Max doing the same, his eye color returning to normal. During that time, he hadn't brought up his armor, so his clothing had a small cut from the tip of the sword on the sleeve. Kishi returned the sword to Sage, who accepted it, sheathing it once more. He then bowed to Iridesca. "Apologies, Iridesca. But it was necessary to prove a point." She slapped him and he simply took it, watching as she also slapped Sage.

"Um…ow!"

"Jerk," she said.

"Uh…why am I holding a sword?" Max asked, looking at the Portal Sword. The blade hadn't disappeared and he was currently inspecting it.

"So, he truly does possess the ability to create a Portal Sword," the man from earlier said.

"As you can see, Councilor Blaze," Sage said, "he is a rather…unique individual."

"Council," Jake burst into the room, panting. "I have just received word of Kalar's most recent attack!"

"Kalar!" Max exclaimed. He was suddenly holding Jake against the wall, his grip on the sword tightening. "What do you know about Kalar?"

"Uh…n-nothing m-much. Just that h-he's working with someone called the A-absolute H-hunters," Jake stammered.

"Max!" a voice barked. "Put him down." Max turned to see his father standing with his arms crossed, watching his son. Max let go of Jake, Jake grateful for the intervention of James. "What did your mother and I tell you about being a good guest?"

"Uh…don't attack your host…"

"That's right," James said, walking up to his son. He then smiled and grabbed him, bringing him into a bear hug.

"Gah! Dad, losing feeling in back!" Max exclaimed. James let go of his son, Max landing on his feet. The Council was watching this, Sage, Iridesca, and Kishi watching with expressions of stupor. "Dad, what are you doing here?"

"Well, when I heard about Sage and Iridesca's predicament, I came right over. I didn't know that you were here though." He turned to the Council. "Also, I believe I asked this to be the lowest ranked mission as far as consequences are concerned. Having death as a consequence for failure is not what I had in mind."

"Apologies, James," Tara said. "But you must understand that not all voted for that." There were whispers of sellout from some of the others, although Blaze and Tarn just sat quietly, nodding in silent agreement with Tara. James silenced those whispering about Tara with a glare.

"And I thank you for being honest about it," James said. "But now that my son knows, I believe it best that we drop the matter now. Unless," he said, looking around the room, "there are those of you who wish to settle this with a match. Against me." No one spoke up, so James nodded. "Alright, then." He turned to Max, Sage, Iridesca, and Kishi. "Let's go outside." He turned back to the Council. "I bid you adieu until next time, Council," he said while bowing at the waist. He walked out, the four, plus Jake, following him. Max saw that his mother was talking with J when they got outside and rushed over to her. She noticed him coming to her and opened her arms, while J walked over to James.

"Oh, Max," Elly said. "So you really are here!"

"Mom," Max whispered. Last time he had seen her, she had to bend down to hug him, but now he was taller than she was.

"Come on, you two," James said. "We'll get to our house and talk there, okay?"

* * *

**I kinda feel sorry for Megaman and Rockman. But at least someone's having a good day. Please Review.**


	71. The Watchers Part III

**The Watchers, Part III**

"So," James said, putting down the mug of tea that he was drinking, "you've assembled a team to fight Kalar, kicked his ass about a year and a half ago, lost your memory, regained your memory, fought in the Smash Tourney, kicked Tabuu's ass, and are now here."

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up," J said. "Although you missed some parts, but those are unnecessary details."

"And what about you two?" James asked as he turned to Iridesca and Sage. "How did you two fair while watching out for my son?"

"Well, I was nearly killed by a column about a year and eight months back," Sage said.

"Nothing really happened to me," Iridesca said.

"Oh, one more thing. Kishi, why are you here?" Elly asked.

"Something like a warrior's debt," Kishi answered. "I lost in battle and I will stay by his side for as long as I am needed."

"That's a little weird," Max said.

"Perhaps to you," Kishi said. "But it is quite common in my home Zone."

"Your Zone must be full of fighters," Iridesca said.

"Yes, it is. Fighting is a way of life for most of us. But family comes before all else as well. I belong to a clan who hires out as mercenaries. But we also farm."

"So, you've pretty much got the full set of skills, huh?"

"No. Sadly, I do not have what people in the Prime Zone refer to as a 'green thumb'."

"Hey, um," Max spoke up. "Sage, earlier you said something about my armor…you called it the Armor of Light. What's that about?"

"Ah, that's right," James said. "You don't know about the Zone Armors, do you?"

"Zone…Armors?" Max repeated.

"Sage, you've been a Watcher longer than me. Perhaps you should explain."

"Of course," Sage said. "Zone Armor is…well, actually, we aren't entirely certain what it is. Not completely at least. However, we do know that those who wear it can tap into what's known as their Zone Energy."

"Wait, I know what that is," J said. "It's the energy that people hold in them. Normally, it's what binds them to their Zone, right?"

"Yes. However, it's more than that. Zone Energy is drawn from the Zone itself. Those who live in the Prime Zone tend to hold more Zone Energy, as it is the connection between all Zones."

"Which would explain why it's easier for us to go to so many different Zones," J said, writing into a notebook he pulled from his back pocket.

"Why do you have that?" Max asked.

"Sasuke asked me to write down any information I could."

"Ahem," Sage said, grabbing their attention. "As I was saying, all people have Zone Energy. However, it isn't always evenly distributed. Many people actually have more energy than others. For example, your father has more energy than me and Iridesca combined. He's one of the few Watchers who can traverse Zones without a partner."

"And yet he refuses to leave me here by myself," Elly said.

"What? I get lonely," James said.

"Anyways," Sage said. "Like I was saying, those who wear Zone Armor tend to be able to tap into their Zone Energy. There are six known Armors in total. Three elemental armors and three trait armors, you could say. I wear one of the elemental armors. The blue armor, Armor of Sea. You, Kishi, Iridesca, your mother, and your father all wear trait armors. You and your father wear the Armor of Light, your mother and Iridesca the Armor of Knowledge, and Kishi wears the Armor of Darkness. The other two armors are the red armor, Armor of Flame, and the dark brown armor, Armor of Earth."

"Okay, I think I get what you're saying so far," Max said. Meanwhile, J was already halfway through the notebook.

"Now then, just because the armors are element and trait based, no one armor is necessarily stronger than the other. However, if you were to have three people wearing one of the three elemental armor who had the exact same power without the armor, then the advantages would go as such. Flame defeats earth, earth defeats sea, and sea defeats flame. The trait armor is rather different. In truth, they are equal in power. It is the wearer who determines how strong the individual armors are." There was a knock on the door and Elly went to answer it. They all heard some talking and then Elly came back into the room, followed by three people. The first was a woman with black hair that was put up in a ponytail. She wore the Armor of Earth. Her armor was spiked at the shoulders, knees, and elbows. The second was a man with gray hair, wearing the Armor of Sea. He was well built, his armor sleek and shining in the light. The final one was a man wearing the Armor of Flame. His hair mimicked the color of his armor, his armor mimicking the movements of flame in places. "Ah, councilors Tara, Tarn, and Blaze."

"Please, we are not in session right now. Just our names," Tara said, taking an empty seat beside Sage. Tarn and Blaze took a seat on either side Kishi. "Are we interrupting anything?"

"No. I was just explaining the Zone Armors to Max and his friends."

"Ah. And have you finished your explanation?"

"Not quite. Max," he said, turning to him. "There is one other thing. There is only one original of each armor present in _all _of the Zones. All of the Armors you see here are but copies. You hold the original Armor of Light. That means that your Armor is the strongest of all the Armor of Lights you see here."

"So…I hold the original. Does that mean that I'm stronger than most here?" Max asked.

"Well, in truth, you're already stronger than most in any armor. Your Zone Energy is…very interesting," Iridesca said.

"Huh?"

"I have the ability to discern one's Zone energy," Iridesca explained. "A person's Zone Energy can help to tell which Armor most suits them. But your Zone Energy…fluctuates. I can see flame, sea, earth, darkness, knowledge, and light Zone Energies in you."

"Maybe that's because of your Aura Fusion," Z said, her finger tapping her chin as she looked up thoughtfully.

"Yeah, that must be it," Max said.

"It isn't uncommon to find someone who can use two or three different Zone Armors, but I don't remember ever hearing of someone being able to use all six," Tarn said. "It will be interesting to see if it is true."

"But…I always thought it was just the suit that let me do Aura Fusion. It's actually me?" Max asked.

"Apparently, it is a natural ability."

"I wonder if the same goes for Megaman," J spoke up.

"Dessy, is there something you're not telling us?" Sage asked when he noticed Iridesca had gone silent again.

"Max's Zone Energy…I've never seen so much at once," she answered, to which the three councilors stopped talking.

"How much are we talking here?" Blaze asked.

"More than the entire council, easily," she answered back. "No wonder he's able to make a Portal Sword so easily."

"And that's the third time I've heard that thing mentioned," Max said, completely oblivious to the looks his parents, Sage, Iridesca, Kishi, and the councilors were giving him after Iridesca told them of his Zone Energy. "What is the Portal Sword?"

"Possibly one of the most powerful weapons known to any Zone," Tara said. "We haven't seen one in about a decade, as Kishi earlier said. The last man who could make one died at around that time. In a fight against an Armor of Darkness user."

"Was it Kalar?" Max asked.

"Yes," Tara said, closing her eyes. A tear rolled down her cheek, surprising those assembled. "It was Kalar who did it."

"Tara, please don't start crying," Blaze said, trying to comfort her. "I understand the memory is painful, but right now, we have more important things to worry about."

"Yes, of course," she said, wiping the tear away. She regained her composure before standing up. "I have a matter that I must attend to. I bid you farewell for now." She left, leaving the group there.

"What was that about?" Max asked.

"The man that Kalar killed," Tarn said, "was her brother."

"Oh."

"Anyways, I believe that we should discuss having you trained," Blaze said. "It appears that you cannot quite fully tap into your Zone Energy. We can help you with that."

"I don't think the rest of the Council would go for that," Tarn said. "They all have sticks up their asses."

"True, true."

"Then I shall request it as a mission," James said. "And I would like for Kishi, Sage, and Iridesca to accompany my son back to the Prime Zone to begin his training."

"What?" Sage asked. "You mean…"

"Yes. I mean what I just said. Could the Council do anything to stop a mission?"

"Nope," Blaze said, grinning. "And the best part is, it's gonna piss so many of them off. I need to remember to bring my video camera."

"Then it's decided," Tarn said, standing up. "Come, Blaze. I'll prepare the paperwork, you get the camera."

"This is gonna be fun." The Councilors walked out.

"And now," Elly said, looking at her sons. "James never told me that you two had found yourselves girls. And such beautiful ones at that!"

"Oh," Jen and Z said, blushing. "Well, thank you, Mrs. Escal."

"Please, Elly will do," she said, grinning.

"Mom," Max and J groaned.

"And this is why they come to me for relationship advice," James mumbled.

"Oh, quiet, you," Elly said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Well, if that is all, I am going to prepare for my stay in the Prime Zone," Kishi said.

"We'll drop you a call when we're ready," Sage said. Kishi waved over his shoulder dismissively.

* * *

"We're back," Max called. He heard explosions from two different training rooms, looking at Kir questioningly. "What's going on?"

"Viral and Beamer are learning moves from each other in this room," Kir said, pointing at the left door. "And Shadow is teaching Megaman and Rockman how to use Chaos Energy in this one." This time, he pointed to the one on the right.

"So…why are there more explosions coming from the one on the left?"

"I dunno. I guess Shadow's giving them a five minute break."

"That's…a five minute break?" Max gulped.

"Hmph. Looks like this guy's almost as bad as Kishi when it comes to training," Iridesca said. She was no longer in her armor, but instead in a white tanktop and a golden skirt.

"Almost?" Again, Max gulped and started to sweat.

"Oh, this is gonna be fun," Sage said. He was now in a blue t shirt, wearing black jeans.

"Get ready for two weeks of hell, Max," Kishi said. He was still in his armor, as he had the first day for training Max. "Suit up and let's start."

"Please, kill me now," Max groaned.

* * *

**By the time the two weeks are up, the HQ's probably gonna be a mess. The three Councilors, as well as Jake from last chapter, belong to me. Please Review.**


	72. TrainingBegins?

**Training…Begins?**

"Come on, Max!" Kishi barked. It was now four days after the training had started, for Viral, Beamer, Megaman, Rockman, and Max all at once. Viral and Beamer had been going at it non-stop, learning every move they could from the other, while Megaman, Rockman, and Max only hoped to live through their training. Right now, Max was trying to sustain a ball of his Zone Energy in his hands, his knees bent, his elbows bent in. Strands of his Zone Energy were lashing out and he was sweating, doing his best to keep it in place.

"You can do it, Max!" Z and Iridesca cheered from the side of the training room. As much as Max appreciated the support, he wasn't sure that he _could _do it.

"Keep on it, Max!" Sage called out. "You're almost there!" The ball suddenly started to glow brighter, streams of light appearing all over it. "Uh oh."

"Duck and cover!" Kishi yelled, ducking under a bench, Sage, Z, and Iridesca finding their own cover. The ball of Zone Energy exploded, sending Max flying back into the hole he had left in the wall earlier that week, knocking into Megaman.

"Aw, man. This was my only break of the day, Max," Megaman whined.

"Ugh," Max grunted, standing up. "Sorry. Never thought controlling my Zone Energy would be so hard."

"Zone Energy? Try working with Chaos Energy!"

"Hey, enough chit chat!" Shadow barked. "Back to work, maggot!"

"Argh," Megaman moaned. "Damn it."

"Same goes for you, Max!" Kishi yelled. "Get back in here!"

In the next room over, Viral and Beamer were taking a lunch break, eating one of Beamer's pizzas. "I can't believe how fast you mastered the Earthbreaker with that Spiral Energy stuff," Beamer said, tearing into a piece.

"I should say the same of your control over your Spiral Energy," Viral said. "Very impressive."

"So, what do you want to learn next?"

"Perhaps that Insanity Strike you tried on me during our fight."

"Alright, it's a deal. And I want to learn more about this Enki Sun Attack you told me about. Sounds explosive."

"But alas, since Enki was destroyed, I don't know if I can teach you how to use it."

"You got any data analyses of it? I might be able to copy it from data records."

"Ah, yes, that Get Ability program you told me about, right?"

"Yep. That's the one."

BOOM

"Oh, hey Max," Beamer said. "How's your training going?"

"Swell," Max said. "Just swell."

"Hah. Sounds like you're having fun!" Max sweatdropped at his friend. "I wanna learn more about this Zone Energy stuff. See if I can't use it."

"Well, theoretically, a non armor user _might_ be able to use it if they have enough," Sage said, walking in through the hole. He helped Max back up, patting him on the back. "When the training sessions for today are done, Dessy said she'd take a look at those who asked about their Zone Energy."

"Who all asked?"

"Let's see…Omega-xis, Pat Spriggs, Solo, Eva, Yami, Rena, Awai, Maylu and Roll, Viral," Sage listed off, Beamer looking at Viral who shrugged.

"Just curious, is all," Viral said.

"There's also J, Z, and Jen, and I believe Kassie asked as well. Oh, Lan as well."

"Kassie, huh?" Max said. "At least she's starting to get out of her slump. Although, Will calling everyday may have helped a little." He walked back through the hole.

"Three more times, Max!" Kishi barked from the next room. "Otherwise, we're going back over the basics!"

"Not the basics! Anything but the basics!" Max cried from the room.

"Then get it right!"

"I'm fucking trying, you prick!"

WHAM

"Max," Beamer said. "I thought you learned yesterday not to call him that."

"Oh, shut it," Max said, upside down and glaring at Beamer, his arms crossed.

"Now, three more times, you little punk," Kishi hissed. He stomped in through the hole, grabbed Max's leg, and stomped back out, Max tapping the ground.

"You know, after four days of _this_, I'm rather surprised we haven't killed each other."

"Same here," Kishi replied.

"Kishi, perhaps you should try something else," Iridesca said as Kishi came back into the room, Kishi casually tossing Max back into the center of the room. "Perhaps the Portal Sword."

"Except that I have no idea how the theory behind it works," Kishi said. "All we know is that for whatever reason, he can only do it with the hilt of my old katana."

"You mean this thing?" Max asked, pulling the hilt from out of his belt. "I still don't get what's so special about that sword thing. It feels like a normal sword."

"But it isn't, Max," Kishi replied. "It is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful weapons there is in existence. A sword that can slice easily through the barriers set up between Zones. It can't be destroyed by conventional attacks. It can cut through damn near anything. Before Councilor Tara's brother, there had only been four others who could use a Portal Sword. And unfortunately, my young friends, Kalar is one of them. But thanks to that Forbidden Advance you used on him, he still seems to have lost a good portion of his memories as a Watcher. Including the Portal Sword."

"That's right," Max said. "You told us about how he used to be the best of the best. But you didn't tell us he could use a Portal Sword."

"Yes…Wait, what the hell? We're supposed to be training, not lollygagging!"

"Shit," Max said under his breath, while Iridesca gave him a small smile, as if apologizing. "Kishi, maybe I should try to see if I can channel my Zone Energy into the hilt."

"Hmph. Fine. Try it. You get three tries. If you can't do it, we go back to basics. Just like your exercise with the ball."

Max gulped, gripping the hilt with both hands. "Here goes." He closed his eyes, imagining his Zone Energy as a physical manifestation. He then imagined himself molding it into a sword. He heard everyone gasping, even Kishi, which shocked him enough to open his eyes. He saw that the blade was slowly forming, his jacket flapping back and forth as wind was kicked up. He then looked around to see that the wind was actually affecting all of the rooms, Beamer's trench coat going crazy, Viral's hair whipping back and forth. Z and Iridesca's hair was going everywhere, Iridesca holding her skirt down. Kishi was the closest to Max and currently had his spare sword plunged into the ground, trying to stay in place. Sage was plastered to the wall, being the second closest Max when the wind had kicked up. Shadow was looking on, his quills swaying in the wind, Megaman and Rockman watching in amazement.

"Max, stop!" Kishi yelled over the wind. "If you keep going at this rate, you're going to rip this place apart!"

"Uh…Right!" Max called back. He tried to cut off the flow, but his eyes widened when he found he couldn't. "Kishi, I'm having trouble cutting the flow!"

"Damn it! Shadow, knock him out if you can!"

"Got it!" Shadow called back. "Chaos Spear!" He fired a spear of Chaos Energy, but it was just sucked into the sword. "What?"

"This isn't good! Viral, Beamer, can you two do anything?"

"Maybe an Earthbreaker!" Beamer called, Viral nodding in agreement.

"But what if it absorbs my Spiral Energy and your dark energy?"

"Then I'll just have to knock him out the good old way, won't I?"

"Beamer, skip the breakers and just hit me! Hard as you can with your limiters on!" Max yelled.

"Are you sure? That's still gonna hurt like hell!"

"JUST DO IT!"

"Alright! Here goes nothing!" Beamer jumped forward, running at Max, bringing his right fist back, Viral right behind him in case he failed.

WHAM

Max went flying behind Z and Iridesca, dropping the hilt. As soon as the hilt left his hand, the blade disappeared, the wind dying down. Max was out cold, while Kishi went over to the hilt. He cautiously tapped it and some residual Zone Energy sparked off, creating a small explosion, leaving a small two inch crater underneath the hilt, while Megaman jumped into Rockman's arms, Beamer into Viral's, Z and Iridesca grabbing each other, and Kishi jumping back, his hand on his sword. "Get off me!" Viral exclaimed, dumping Beamer onto the ground.

"Me, too," Rockman said, letting Megaman fall to the ground.

"Hmph," Shadow grunted. "Wimps."

"Easy for you to say," Kishi said. "Unlike you and Viral, we aren't exactly ultimate _anything_."

"Yeah," the rest in the room, except Viral, Sage, who was unconscious, as well as Max, piped in.

"Whatever," Shadow said. "I suppose now is as a good time to break for today, anyways." Megaman and Rockman sighed in relief, silently thanking Max for his Zone Energy going out of control, even if it had almost killed them.

"Hey, Iridesca," Beamer said. "Before you get to everyone else, can you go ahead and tell me about my Zone Energy?"

"Ok," Iridesca said, looking at him. "Hmmm…it seems you have both flame Zone Energy and dark Zone Energy. Oh, my. You also have more than Councilor Blaze!"

"Is that a good thing?"

"Considering that Councilor Blaze is ranked second in terms of Zone Energy, yes, I believe it is," Kishi said. "You definitely have enough to use without the use of Zone Armor."

"Uh…what about me?" Viral asked, pointing at himself.

"Hmmm…It would seem you are more of a Knowledge, Flame, and Darkness user," Iridesca said. "And you have quite a bit. Enough to train with Max, if you and Beamer wish to join us for the Zone Energy training."

"Hmm…I'll consider it," Viral said.

"Well, let's go ahead and get some much needed rest," Rockman said, walking out of the room.

"I've got Max and Sage," Beamer said, picking the two up.

"So, Kishi, what exactly does your Zone Energy training involve?" Viral asked as he followed the Watcher out of the room.

* * *

**I kinda felt liking doing two for one updates. Please Review.**


	73. Visit from the Parents

**Visit from the Parents**

"Now, explain to me," Kishi said, a tick mark appearing on his forehead, "how in hell these two, who don't even have armor, can master in three days what you couldn't master in _five_!"

"Uh…" Max had no explanation. Right now, Viral and Beamer were watching the exchange with interest, both holding a ball of Zone Energy. Viral's was a mix of black, gold, and red, while Beamer's was just a mix of black and red.

"You know, Kishi, considering just how much Zone Energy Max has _yet_ to tap into, I'm surprised we're even progressing this much," Sage spoke up. "Councilor Blaze himself said that it took him at least a week before he could even do a simple Zone Energy ball exercise, due to the amount of Zone Energy he holds. Compared to that, Max is already months ahead of where he should be."

"Hn. I suppose you're right," Kishi admitted grudgingly.

"If anything else," Sage continued, "that Portal Sword fiasco should have been a clue as to how much we're looking at. Although for all we know, that was but a fraction of what he has. And Iridesca herself said that he had more than all of the council combined, easily. Maybe even more than that."

"Okay, I get it!" Kishi snapped. He then groaned, running his hand down his face. "This is gonna be a pain in the ass. But on the bright side, once you've mastered this exercise, you can practice tapping your energy on your own. And don't even bother asking about that Portal Sword. Like I said, I don't know the theory behind it. If you wanna find out, you're gonna have to find some way of talking to Kalar without getting killed. And that's assuming the man even has that memory of making one."

"Geez," Max said. "Hey, can we go ahead and call it a day? It's already twenty after ten and none of us have had dinner."

"Good idea," Sage said. Kishi nodded, Viral and Beamer releasing their concentration, the balls of Zone Energy dwindling and then disappearing completely.

"Hey, can you guys tell me the difference between this Zone Energy stuff?" Max asked as they made their way to a kitchen.

"Well, Dessy would be able to provide a better explanation, seeing as how she can discern the individual energies, but I can give you a basic run down. For the most part, a person's Zone Energy can be determined by their personality. Now, let's say you have someone who is honorable and ferocious in combat, much like your friend Beamer. His energies are Darkness and Flame, respectively. These energies also reflect strengths and weaknesses. As some people are able to use extraordinary abilities, Zone Energy can also be influenced by these as well. Now, judging from Kassie's Zone Energy, she is mostly a fire type user, correct?"

"Yes."

"Well, there you go. A fire user will most likely have Flame Zone Energy."

"So, if someone were to be a heavy dark move user, they would have Darkness Zone Energy?"

"Now you're getting it. Although there have been cases where this is not so. For example, I knew a man who had Sea Zone Energy, but he was a fire user all the way. This is because his personality completely canceled out and over powered the influence from his ability to use fire."

"So, even if someone had an ability in which they could control water, if they had a tendency to fight fiercely, then they could end up with Flame Zone Energy."

"Exactly."

"Man," Max said, his eyes spinning. "This is some confusing stuff."

"Well, like I said, Dessy tends to explain it better."

"Hey, Megaman, Rockman," Max said as they walked into a kitchen. "How's your training going?"

"It's awful," Megaman said.

"I thought when he said we'd be going to hell and back, he just meant he'd push us to our limits," Rockman said.

"Yeah, we reached our limits after the second hour of beginning."

"Now he's just pushing."

"Well, it _is_ for a good cause," Max said. Someone set a plate of steak down and he looked up to see his sister. "Taly? When did you get here?"

"I got here at about one this afternoon," she answered, turning back to the stove. She had a griddle set up, steaks sizzling on it, making Beamer and Viral's mouths water. "When I asked Z where you were, she just said training. Didn't elaborate. So, I take it this must be some pretty rough training."

"You have no idea," Max said, grabbing a nearby fork and knife. "This pri-" He looked at Kishi, who was already reeling his fist back. "I mean, man, is really pushing me."

"Yeah, that better be what you were gonna say," Kishi said, putting his fist down. He saw the plate being set down in front of him, looking up to Talina and felt his heart skip a beat. "Uh…thanks." She gave him a warm smile and he blushed. He was rather grateful he had yet to take his armor off for that day. How would he explain to those gathered his blush.

"She's single, you know," Max whispered to Kishi, making him blush harder. "She and her beau had a…falling out. The bastard cheated on her. I was going to beat the shit outta him, but Taly beat me to it."

"Huh?"

"She's a big girl, Kishi. She can fight with the best of them. Without armor." Max went back to eating, while Kishi took his helmet off. Unlike Max, Sage, and Iridesca, his armor actually came in pieces, each one corresponding to a different part of the body. The torso of the armor was a black vest, waist down was a simple belt and a pair of black shorts, the right gauntlet a watch, the left a black band with the kanji for dark on it, his helmet a necklace with what looked like a mini shuriken attached to it. The arms of the armor were from a band on each arm around his biceps, looking like small weights. Kishi took a bite of the steak, savoring the juices and tenderness of the meat. "She's also an amazing cook," Max threw in when he saw how Kishi was slowly chewing the steak. Kishi nodded in agreement, his blush, thankfully, gone.

"So, who are these three?" Talina asked.

"This is Viral, Kishi, and Sage," Max said, pointing to each in turn. He noticed that she was looking at Kishi and was tempted to embarrass the shit out of both of them. But he then considered the consequences that he would face from two amazing fighters and decided against it. But when Talina walked by him to set a plate of steak in front of Beamer, he grabbed her arm, bringing her a little closer and simply whispered, "He's single, sis." She blushed and he smiled, releasing her arm. Kishi, Sage, Megaman, and Rockman looked at him questioningly, but he grinned, shrugging. "Oh, off hand, sis. Did I tell you about mom and dad?"

"No. Iridesca told me," Talina said.

"Ah, so you met Iridesca."

"Yep. I think she's a little infatuated with you, little brother."

"Yeah, I think so. Must be that Escal charm at work."

"Or maybe it's just dumb luck," she said, laughing at his reaction. "That's right, dad only told you and J about the so-called 'Escal' charm. Truth is, when he met mom, he just happened to bump into her. The same thing happened a couple more times and after a while, he managed to find the courage to ask her to coffee, as a friend."

"So dad lied to me and J about how he met mom?" Max asked, flabbergasted. (**Side note: Holy crap! I haven't used that word in forever!**)

"Of course, Max. That's why I asked _mom _how they first met."

Max sighed, putting his head down. "Our parents are like complete opposites when it comes to advice."

"Well, they do say opposites attract."

"I know, but mom and dad take it to a whole new level."

"Is this what you kids do when we're not around?" James's voice asked behind Max, making both him and Talina jump. They turned to see James and Elly standing behind Max.

"Geez, dad, a little warning next time!" Max said, holding his heart. "I think you actually managed to make my heart stop."

"Bah! You'll get over it!" James said cheerfully, slapping his son on the back. Talina came around the table to embrace her parents. "And you've grown!"

"That's what kids tend to do, honey," Elly said, returning Talina's embrace.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Max asked.

"Well, I was going to come visit Katta, but since we were in the neighborhood, I decided we'd stop here first," James answered. He turned to Beamer and Viral. "Beamer and Viral. Never thought I'd ever see both of you in the same room."

"Do, uh…we know you?" they both asked.

"Nope!" James said, grinning like an idiot. "But I know you. One of the cool things about being a Watcher. Freak people out with your knowledge."

"Dad," Max said. "If…you're right, shouldn't you know about Katta?"

"Oh, you mean how Kalar got him? Of course I do. I also know that J beat the living energon out of the bounty hunter who did it. Shame he's still alive," James said, shaking his head. "But I'm heading to where they're being kept to get them out."

"What? Can I come?" Max exclaimed, standing up so quickly, his chair went flying back.

"Sorry, Max," Elly said. "But we can't let you do that. This was a mission requested by an anonymous Watcher. When your father brought in the request, I took a look at the list and noticed a few names that were familiar. The first was Katta Long and then that Tommy Cavez boy that you told us about while you were in the Watchers' Zone. We accepted right away."

"But why can't I come?" Max whined.

"Because it was a requirement of the mission. No outside help. And those who aren't Zone Watchers are considered outside help."

"But isn't that dangerous?" Talina asked. "I mean, this is Kalar. The guy that Max nearly died just to defeat."

"Don't worry, Taly," James said, rubbing his daughter's head, smiling with his eyes closed. "A simple Zone Portal in there and we're done."

"Wait, you're going to do a transfer there? Just like that?" Max asked.

"Just like that."

"So…this entire time, I could have done the same thing with J," Max said, looking down.

"Nope. You couldn't. Kalar's seen what you call a Zone Transfer. What we do is a little different. While you bring people here in a flash, you can't stabilize the Portal for more than a millisecond or two. What we're going to do is stabilize one for a few minutes."

"The theories are similar, but still just enough of a difference to get past that system Kalar set up to detect a Zone Transfer," Sage said, taking a quick sip from his cup. "I've personally taken a look at the security system he has set up. It can detect the flash from a Zone Transfer, but a simple Zone Portal won't set off a thing…I think."

"But still," Max began, before James silenced him with his hand.

"Max, just relax. In about an hour or less, that Tommy kid's gonna be back here, safe and sound. Katta will be in another hut, making that tea of his. And everyone else Lockdown was hired to capture are going to be back in their own Zones and homes," James said, winking. "I guarantee it." Max sighed, nodding.

"Alright, dad." James and Elly turned to leave, but Max stopped them with a question. "Before you guys go back to the Watchers' Zone, could you check up on Will for me? He hasn't given us a call in a few days."

"Sure thing, son. We'll make sure he's okay," Elly said.

"Wait a second," Beamer said after they had left. "Wasn't Kir supposed to show Max something earlier this week?"

"What?" Max asked.

"Eh, I'm sure it's nothing too important," Viral said.

"No…no, I think it was a video from someone on that team Will is with right now," Beamer said. "I'll ask him later."

* * *

"Let's see now," Kalar said, walking down to the dungeon that Lockdown had actually set up in what used to be the unused basement of the building. "What shall I use today?" He opened the door to see the room empty. "Oh, fuck. That's it. I am never trusting Lockdown with my security system ever again." He slammed the door, walking back up the stairs. "And he just finished the last job I had for him. And he's already gotten every mod he wanted. Damn it."

* * *

**Heh heh, someone's an unhappy camper. I almost feel sorry for Kalar. Please Review.**


	74. The Fruits of Training

**The Fruits of Training**

"Alright," Shadow said to Megaman and Rockman. "Today is your last day of training."

"Finally!" Megaman cheered, fist pumping.

"Ahem."

"Oh, sorry."

"Now then, as I was saying, today is your last day of training. And after talking with Kishi, we have decided that today will be a test of your training. You, Max, Viral, and Beamer will all fight. In a battle royal."

"What?" both of the netnavis gasped. They looked at Max, who just shrugged.

"First I've heard of it," he said. "What about you two?" he asked, turning to Viral, who was in what he called a gammen, a large robot, and Beamer. They both shook their heads, shrugging. "Then this is something of a pop quiz, huh?"

"That's right," Kishi said. "But we won't be using grades. Just seeing how you fair in a real fight. Because you all have permission to fight without restraint."

"Heh," Beamer chuckled. "I can go all out, huh?"

"Finally, a real fight," Viral said, his gammen's fists slamming together.

"Wait!" J yelled. "They can't fight." Megaman, Rockman, and Max were silently thanking J. Even with their training, they were still scared of Viral and Beamer, who had progressed just as fast as them in the two week period. "We need to take this to the desert. If they go all out, the HQ and possibly the city could very well be destroyed." Megaman, Rockman, and Max fell over, silently cursing J.

"Alright," Shadow said, nodding. "We'll start once we reach a spot far enough away."

* * *

"Okay, fellas," Iridesca said. The entire team was there, including Tommy, who had been returned by Max's parents, as promised. Blademan was there as well, having heard about the battle royal and wanting to see how it would go. "Begin!"

"Let's have some fun!" Beamer exclaimed, slapping both wrists and his ankles. His limiters fell off, leaving craters in the ground, while Viral's gammen banged its fists once more.

"Okay. I'll give this the best I've got," Max said. His jacket began to flap back and forth as the wind kicked up, his Zone Energy becoming visible as it swirled around him.

"Us, too," Megaman and Rockman said. They were both soon surrounded by what Max hesitantly identified as Chaos Energy.

"Um, are you sure we're safe?" Eva asked Tara, who had decided to come to the Prime Zone to witness the battle.

"No, not really," the councilor answered. "But with me, Tarn, Blaze, and James and Elly Escal here to set up a Zone Barrier, you can rest easy that at the very least, you won't receive any life threatening injuries."

"Okay."

"Earthbreaker!" Viral shouted, officially starting the fight. His gammen rose an arm, building up a Spiral Energy version of an Earthbreaker. He released it, tearing a large crater in the ground, knocking the other four combatants off their feet.

"Starting off so recklessly?" Max called over to him. He disappeared, reappearing above Viral's gammen with a ball of light in his hand. "How about this? Advanced Light Palm Strike!" He slammed it into the gammen's top, making an even larger crater, pushing the gammen into the ground.

"Hurgh," Viral grunted, feeling the force of the blast. His gammen slammed its arms onto the ground, popping it out of the hole. He was about to stomp on Max when Beamer knocked him to the side.

"That Earthbreaker was good, but I'm past that old thing. This is the new deal," he said. He brought both arms over his head. "Zonebreaker!" He released a large ball of his Zone Energy, easily three times bigger than an Earthbreaker. It also seemed there was some Spiral Energy stuck in there, resulting in an eerie glow from the explosion. It blasted a crater into the landscape, bigger than both Viral and Max's combined. Beamer ran his thumb over his nose, smirking. "How'd ya like that?"

"About as much as you'll like this!" Megaman yelled over the sound of the wind. "Chaos Claw!" Megaman jerked his arms to his sides, yelling. His Chaos Energy was lashing out, wrapping around Beamer and Max, slamming them together before slamming them into the ground. They both got up, moaning.

"Chaos Spear!" Rockman shouted, aiming the spear of energy at Megaman, who took it in the leg. Megaman retaliated with his own, but his split apart into five more.

"How do you like my Chaos Divider?"

"Not very much," Rockman said, wincing at the pain in his leg.

"Maybe I should change out my energy," Max said to himself. "Zone Change: Flame!" His aura changed to a red color before becoming actual flames, his jacket changing to the color of fire, shocking the Watchers gathered. Well, excluding Kishi, who had helped Max develop a technique for switching between his energies. "Try this on for size! Blazing Strike!" Max's aura was then concentrated into his right and left fist. He ran at Megaman and Rockman, knocking both of them in the gut. The aura exploded, sending them flying into a nearby cliff. The cliff collapsed at the top, raining debris on the two netnavis.

"Chaos Barrier!" they both yelled. The debris began to bounce off of a barrier of the Chaos Energy, leaving both netnavis completely unharmed, except for the pain in their stomachs.

"Come on, Viral!" Beamer called. "Surely you have more than that in you!"

"Damn right, naked ape!" Viral yelled in reply, caught up in the heat of battle. "Try my new and improved Enki Sun Attack! Now backed up by Zone Energy!" His gammen released a beam of gold, red, and black, hitting Beamer dead on. Beamer was now in the center of a large explosion, tearing his trench coat apart, tearing off bits of data from his body. He was now derezzing, but suddenly, his data streams stopped and his body began to regenerate.

"Gotta love that Get Ability Program," he said with a grin. "Too bad it can't fix my coat."

The spectators didn't know who to watch. Beamer and Viral were now fighting just each other, while Max, Megaman, and Rockman were caught in a three way battle. The cliff wall that the latter three were fighting next to was no longer there, completely reduced to gravel. "Come on, step it guys!" Max exclaimed. "Otherwise, you'll get left behind!"

"What the hell does that even mean?" Megaman yelled over the sound of fighting. He then saw Max's jacket slide into red armor that resembled the movements of flames. "Oh, shit!"

"That's right, fellas! I'm getting serious now! Zone Change: Earth!" His armor changed to the dark brown color, his armor getting spikes along the wrists, the flame resemblance now gone. "Energy Quake!" He slammed his right fist into the ground. Spikes of the ground shot up from the point, more emerging in a path straight for the two netnavis he was fighting. They both dodged, rolling to either side. Megaman was the first to make a counter attack, using his Chaos Divider to attack low, while Rockman attacked high with a Chaos Claw of his own. "Shit!" Max flipped over the Chaos Divider, planting his right hand on the ground and pushing off with all his strength, taking him just out of reach of the Chaos Claw's hand. When he landed, he stayed on his knee for a second. He then stood up, taking out the hilt. His aura began to swirl like crazy, almost as if it were reacting to the hilt. The Portal Sword formed on the hilt, while the missing Zone Energy from his aura was replaced quickly, so fast no one could tell that it had even been gone. "Zone Change: Light." The aura and the sword changed back to a silver color, his armor returning to its normal form. Max swung the sword to his side, the sword disappearing up to the hilt and then reappearing once it was at rest position. Viral's gammen suddenly lost its arm as the sword appeared to slice clean through the shoulder, interrupting another Earthbreaker in progress. Beamer and Viral stopped fighting, looking at the limb on the ground.

"Wow," Beamer said, Viral nodding in agreement. They then resumed beating the crap out of each other, reverting to good old fashioned fist fighting, trading blow for blow.

"Chaos Divider!" Megaman yelled, firing off the spear that split into five. But they suddenly changed course, sucked into the Portal Sword. "Aw, shit! Forgot!" He jumped forward, intending to plant a kick on Max's shoulder, but Max simply swung his right leg back, the right side of his body following the leg, so that Megaman's leg missed, leaving him vulnerable for half a second. Max took that half a second to stab at his navimark, but it missed, instead the sword's blade disappearing, reappearing in a boulder. As Max pulled the sword away, the blade reappeared, sliding out of the boulder and disappearing at a point an inch over the boulder.

"I think I won," Max said. "If this had been serious, you would be dead."

"He's right!" Shadow called from the barrier. "Get over here, behind the barrier. You're done anyways. There's no way you can fight with injuries like that." Megaman looked at Shadow in wonder, before noticing that he had cuts all over his legs and arms. His eyes widened when he realized that they had all been left by Max sometime between his leg missing him and the sword going towards his navimark.

"Just you and me now," Rockman said.

"Yep. Bring it," Max said. Rockman charged at him, concentrating his Chaos Energy into his left fist. He swung it at Max, but Max blocked with the flat of his Portal Sword, letting the blade absorb the Chaos Energy. Max pushed him back, his sword glowing. "Portal Obliteration!" He swung the sword, small portals appearing around Rockman, releasing small bursts of Max's Zone Energy at all angles in concentrated shots at Rockman. Rockman grunted with each hit, but refused to go down. Once it was over, he dropped to his right knee, panting hard. He then jumped forward, knocking Max to the ground, Max's hand dropping the hilt, the Portal Sword disappearing as the flow of Zone Energy was cut. They resorted to rolling around in the ground, punching, kicking, trying to gain top position. They managed to separate, Max going for his hilt, Rockman kicking a rock at it, knocking it out of reach and subsequently releasing the residual energy in it, leaving a small crater in the ground. Max turned around, throwing a fist at Rockman, Rockman throwing his fist at Max, creating a cross counter. They both fell at the same time, their jaws bruised. They didn't get up, but stayed down, too spent to move. They were breathing heavily, laughing, while Megaman, who hadn't moved from his spot, joined them in the laughter. "I don't think I've ever had so much fun." The two netnavis agreed and Max and Rockman dragged themselves over to the debris, propping themselves up on the boulders. They watched Beamer and Viral continue, limbs flying as the same limbs regenerated.

"This might go awhile," Kishi said, sweatdropping at the ferocity they were both exhibiting.

"Of course it is," Cossacks said, startling those gathered. "Beamer is the ultimate solo netnavi, complete with the Get Ability Program. He's fighting the ultimate immortal. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what kind of battle that would ensue. Whose idiotic idea was this?" Both Shadow and Kishi sweatdropped, but didn't speak up. "Oh, well. Beamer doesn't get many chances to go all out. And next to that therapy he's taking, this is the next best thing to venting his anger." Shadow and Kishi sighed in relief.

"So, shall we let them continue?"Blaze asked. "Or would someone like to go out and stop them?"

"I think we can wait," Pat said.

* * *

**Good idea, Pat. Hope this chapter was enjoyable. You know who belongs to whom. Please Review.**


	75. Normal Routine and Unsettling Discovery

**Normal Routine and Unsettling Discoveries**

Kishi was walking down one of the many hallways in the HQ, just wandering around. He wasn't really paying attention to where he was going and bumped into someone, knocking them down. He looked down to see it was Talina and he helped her back up, apologizing. "Sorry about that," he said, trying to fight the blush that wanted to flash across his face. "Wasn't looking where I was going."

"Oh, no, that's okay," Talina said, looking shyly down. Kishi looked at her questioningly. She had never been like that around him in the two weeks he had met her and it was…confusing to him. "I, uh…was actually looking for you."

"Oh?"

"Um, I was w-wondering…" She stopped and Kishi waited for her to continue, his heart beating faster, feeling that he knew what she was going to ask him. "Um…?" she asked quickly, Kishi stunned at the words. Inside he cried, feeling his heart stop for a second. But he maintained a neutral expression on the outside and nodded.

"Sure. We'll just need to see Iridesca about what kind of energy you have. And whether or not you have enough to do it." He saw her face fall for a second at the last sentence and quickly added, "But I may be able to get my hands on the Zone Armor that best matches you if you don't have enough." His heart fluttered at the smile she gave him. She hugged his neck, surprising him, as she thanked him about twenty times in ten seconds. She then let go of his neck, turning around and walking away, blushing as she realized what she had just done. Meanwhile, Kishi was bent over, an idiotic smile on his lips, until Max caught his attention.

"Trying to get time with my sis?" Max asked, making Kishi flinch to the side, both arms up. Max gave him a weird look. "What's wrong? Catch ya offguard?"

"No," Kishi answered quickly, regaining his composure. "And no to the second question as well."

"So, no is what's wrong?" Kishi glared at him.

"Really not in the mood for this, Max. Even with the warrior debt I owe you, I won't hesitate to give you a good beating every now and then." Kishi let his right gauntlet slide from the watch, showing he was serious.

"Just messing with you, man. Geez. Learn to take a joke every now and then," Max said. "But seriously, she is single."

"Would you come off it?" Kishi snapped at Max.

"Even if I told you what she thought of you?" Kishi had been in the process of turning, but stopped at the question. "So, is that a yes? Or a no?" Kishi was about to say "Yes, tell me," but he stopped. Did he really want to know? What if she didn't think of him like he thought of her?

"Forget it, Max," Kishi said, deciding that he could live without knowing. For now, at least. Max sighed as Kishi walked off.

"Something wrong?" Z asked as she came out of a room. Max looked in to see it was the only study in the entire HQ, but it was only half the size of Jen's uncles' study. He also saw Jen and Sarah between bookshelves, caught up in their own books.

"Trying to decide if I should keep playing cupid for my sis and Kishi," he said, sliding his arms around the girl's waist. "But so far, I'm batting zero for five."

"Five?"

"You don't wanna know what the second, third, and fourth were," Max said, sheepishly smiling. "But the third time is most definitely something the two won't soon forget."

"What did you do?" Z asked, a warning tone noticeable in her voice.

"Nothing much. Just _accidentally_ forgot to mention to Kishi that the shower he was going into had an occupant."

"That's just cruel."

"True, but in truth, they deserved it. Kishi had beat the shit outta me earlier that day, all because I accidentally scratched up his sword, and Taly had ended up dislocating my shoulder for the twentieth time in my life. I figured instead of killing two birds with one stone, I'd go for three."

"What did you do to make Talina dislocate your shoulder again?"

"I don't even know. She just came up, slapped me, and then locked my shoulder before popping it out. Although, now that I think about it, she did see me accidentally scratch up the sword."

"Aww, that's sweet. They aren't even together and they already protect each other," Z said, giggling.

"Now if I could just get them together for good. Talina needs a good beau and Kishi…well, I'm not even sure Kishi's ever had a girlfriend before."

"But why do you think it should be him?"

"Well, at least with Kishi, I know he would treat her right. He's also probably the only boyfriend that she would ever have who would willingly wrestle her. You'd be surprised at how many boys dumped her when they found out she could kick their asses."

* * *

"Are you two done now?" Cossacks asked, looking at the training room that was currently being occupied by Beamer and Viral. "If you want me to check you, then now is the only chance I have."

"Right, doc," Beamer said. Viral climbed out of his gammen, landing lightly on his feet. "Go ahead and check Viral's gammen. My arm can wait a bit."

"Alright," Cossacks said. "If you're sure." But he didn't wait for an answer. He instead went to work, pulling out what looked like a small camera. He ran it over parts of the gammen, looking at a pad in his hand that had data scrolling down it. "Well, everything _seems_ to be working fine on the outside. But you have a couple of pieces that aren't quite lined up. Considering your gammen's regenerative ability, I'm not surprised that it's held together so long. But that doesn't excuse the fact that it needs to be taken better care of. Give me a couple of hours and I'll have all the small pieces back in place. Perhaps I could get Wily over here to take a look at it as well. The man could give this thing some serious upgrades." He stood up, pocketing the small camera like object and the pad. "And now for that arm." He took out what looked like a PET and aimed it at Beamer, a red light sweeping up and down his body. After a few taps, the screen showed the arm that Viral had torn during their first fight. "Well, it seems it's completely healed. That Get Ability Program seems to have saved it from further damage. And it's restored some other data as well. Very interesting."

"Other data?" Beamer asked. "Like what?"

"Well, it looks like there's some old memory data from your first days as a solo netnavi. And some old weapons data as well."

"Old weapons? You mean, I actually have more than just the default buster?"

"Apparently so. But initial reports," Cossacks said, reading from the screen, "show that they're nowhere near as strong as the new techniques you've learned recently. In fact, they're nowhere near as strong as any technique you've learned over the years. But it may be worth a check either way." He pocketed the PET, rubbing his right eye, yawning. "Time for some rest. I'll be back later to fix up the gammen." He left the training room, yawning once more.

"So…should we continue where left off or…?" Viral asked.

"I dunno," Beamer said, shrugging. It was then that he looked at a nearby clock that had somehow escaped destruction during their "spars." "Crap. I gotta get back to the restaurant. If Dr. Cossacks comes back before I get back, tell him where I went."

"Yeah, sure," Viral said. He went over to his gammen, deciding to check those out of line pieces that Cossacks had mentioned as Beamer walked out of the room.

* * *

"Okay," J said. He looked at the small box shape in front of him, turning his eyes towards Sasuke. "This is a near perfect replica of that small Zone Portal generator we made a while back. Hopefully, it won't explode this time."

"But in case of such an occurrence," Sasuke said, "I believe it wise to test it from a safe distance." He stuck his head out into the hall, beckoning to someone. He brought his head back in and a few seconds later, Omega-xis floated into the room.

"You need something?" he asked.

"Nothing much," J said. "Just need you to press this button for us." He pointed at the device, a small red button on the side.

"Why?" Omega-xis's tone suggested he was now suspicious.

"We just want to make sure that the results of this thing are consistent."

"What does it do?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just makes…doors…yeah, that's it. Doors." Sasuke looked at J, but J just gave him a it's-mostly-true look.

"Uh-huh," Omega-xis said, crossing his arms. "And you can't do this because?"

"We've already tested it ourselves." _Before the first prototype exploded_, J thought to himself.

"Well, okay," Omega-xis said, reluctant in answering. "If you really need the results, I guess I'll do it."

"Alright then," J said, stepping to the side. When Omega-xis's back was completely to them, they both backed up a few extra steps as his finger neared the button.

BOOM

They looked at the Omega-xis shaped hole in the wall. "Well, I guess that answers that question," J said.

"And what question was that?" Sasuke asked.

"Whether or not we could rebuild the thing by substituting parts."

"Ah."

* * *

"Well?" Talina asked Iridesca. Two hours had passed since Kishi said she would teach her to use her Zone Energy and she had finally managed to find Iridesca.

"Your Zone Energy is that of the Sea," Iridesca answered. "But…you don't really have enough to do the training without the armor." Talina nodded, thanking the girl, leaving Sage, Kishi, and Iridesca by themselves.

"I'm rather surprised she didn't become depressed at that," Sage said. "I wonder why."

"Um," Kishi said. "I…might have told her…that, uh...well, I kinda said I might be able to get my hands on the right Zone Armor." Sage and Iridesca looked at him, surprised.

"And…how do you plan on getting it?"

"Heh. That's the problem." Kishi was rubbing the back of his head, his eyes looking everywhere but at his fellow Watchers.

"Yes, it is," Iridesca said. "Kishi, you know only Watchers can have the armor. And only those with the original armors as well."

"Well, technically speaking, she should have received the original Armor of Light," Kishi said. "If I remember correctly, the armor is given to the first born."

"Except that she refused it," Sage said. "And even if she hadn't, she still wouldn't have been able to use it. The armor is only given to the first born if their Zone Energy matches the armor. If her Zone Energy is Sea, then it's useless. Max was rather fortunate in his Zone Energy."

"But still…isn't there some way I can teach her?" Sage and Iridesca looked at him again, silent.

"You really feel something for this girl, don't you?" Iridesca asked, realization dawning on her.

"No," Kishi answered hastily. "Just…well, she asked me and…I already said I'd pretty much do it. There's got to be some way."

"Not really. Unless you don't mind defying the council, that is," Sage said. Kishi suddenly looked up, an idea forming in his mind.

"Or I just ask the right councilors," he said.

"No…no, you aren't thinking…"

"Oh, yes, I am."

"Kishi, stop and think about this for a second. Although Tara, Tarn, and Blaze are more open minded than the rest of the council, the decision itself must go through the council."

"But-"

"No, Kishi!" Sage snapped, surprising both Iridesca and Kishi. "Do you know what happened the last time something like this occurred?"

"No, I don't."

"They exiled a man from the Watchers. Stripped him of everything. Armor, weaponry, reputation, even his name. If they had a way of capping off Zone Energy, I have no doubt they would have done it."

"Who was it?"

"A man who was rather famous among the Watchers. Max knows him as Katta Long."

"You mean the man that his parents rescued?" Iridesca asked.

"He probably didn't need to be rescued. I knew the man personally when he was still a Watcher. He was an…odd fellow. Had a tendency to go with the flow. Never liked fighting, either. Do you know how James Escal knew him?" The two younger Watchers shook their heads. "Because Katta Long taught Max's father how to tap into his own Zone Energy. The council had forbidden it. The only reason we haven't been exiled is because Max's training was requested as a mission by James personally. You're lucky that only Tara, Tarn, and Blaze attended that little fight. If the rest of the council had seen Beamer and Viral using their Zone Energy, we would have been in a lot of trouble." He let it sink in, watching the realization slowly dawn on their faces.

"Hey, who are you?" they heard Max yell. They heard what sounded like a punch landing, followed by a crash. They ran to the disturbance to see Max standing over a man in dark armor. It was similar to Kishi's, except that it also had a visor to hide the eyes. The man groaned, but other than that, he didn't move. Max bent down, grabbing the collar of the armor and pulling the man up. "I said, who are you?" They heard the man chuckle.

"Like I would tell you," he said.

"Considering what your armor is, I think it's safe to assume you're a Zone Watcher," Max said. The man grew stiff, but only for a second. "And I'm guessing I just hit the nail on the head. Now, how about explaining why you're here."

"Classified."

"Let's try this again," Max said. He slammed the man against the wall, a ball of Zone Energy in his hand. "Now, I don't really know any interrogation techniques. But I did pick up a few things from Ibiki. For instance, aim for where it hurts." Max shifted the aim of his hand lower, just under the belt. He could feel the man trembling under the armor. He noticed the other three Watchers observing the exchange, but otherwise not moving to help the man. "Now then. Why are you here?"

"C-classi-" The man stopped as he saw Max's fingers flex a bit. "The council! The council sent me!"

"Oh," Max said. "And why would the council send someone here? There are already three Watchers here."

"They told me about that," the man said, feeling his throat drying. "But they ordered this to be kept classified."

"And why would they do that?"

"They said something about a possible threat." Max asked the man a few more questions, but that was all the man had to offer. Max released him, letting the ball dissipate. He turned to the other three Watchers in the hall.

"A possible threat?"

"They mentioned you," the man suddenly said, but kept quiet after that. That sentence had caught everyone's attention. Sage, Iridesca, and Kishi looked at Max, who was looking at the man again.

"What else were you sent here to do?" Max asked, his voice and tone now hushed.

"To set up counter measures." The man was suddenly an open book, sensing the unspoken anger in Max's voice.

"Such as?"

"…To…keep you in check…they wanted…to know who you were closest to…" Max's fist slammed into the wall, but went through it. The man shrank back, curling into a ball. Max took his hand out of the wall, pulling out the hilt that Kishi had given him.

"If you three wish to come," he said, "then be quick in following me." With that, the sword formed and he slashed the air in front of him, opening a Zone Portal. He stepped through, leaving Kishi, Sage, and Iridesca to look at one another before following him altogether. The man exhaled in relief. He then felt a hand on the back of his armor's collar and felt himself jerked back, disappearing through the Portal. Once he was through, it closed.

* * *

**Uh oh. Now they've gone and done it. They've pissed him off. Please Review.**


	76. Max's 'Talk' With the Council

**Max's 'Talk' With the Council**

Max stepped out of the portal, dragging the man in the black armor by his collar. Sage, Iridesca, and Kishi joined him, all of them letting their armor slide out. Max looked around before looking at the hall. "That's quite a walk," he said. "Let's cut that time down." Max again cut the air with his sword and they saw a Zone Portal appear just by the entrance to the council building, surprising the guards. They were even more surprised when they saw Max stepped through. Sage, Iridesca, and Kishi ran through the portal just before it closed. Kishi was trying to figure out why Max was acting so strange when he caught a glimpse of his eyes. The irises had turned silver and inwardly, Kishi shuddered. He had seen in the training what Max was capable of when he was placed under stress or was angry about something. Not only did the fight become serious, but he tended to blank out and had control over his Zone Energy that went beyond anything that Kishi had seen anyone capable of.

"Max," Kishi said, wanting to double check if his irises had indeed changed color. When Max turned to look at him, he saw that he wasn't mistaken and gulped. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Oh, yes. Very sure," Max replied, kicking the front doors open. The guards started towards them, but stopped when Max turned his glare on them. They froze, shivering. Max saw Jake among them and simply nodded to him. Jake, who was still a little freaked, seemed to understand.

"Alright, fellas, let 'em through," Jake called out.

"But, sir," a man began.

"No buts. Let them through." Jake put a more commanding tone in his voice and Max nodded once more in thanks. He continued through the doors, making his way to the chamber. He kicked the doors open once more, stopping a council member in mid sentence.

"What is the meaning of this?" the man exclaimed.

"I could ask you the same thing," Max said. He put the man on his feet, motioning him forward. The man complied, obviously fearful of Max. "Why did you send someone to set…countermeasures, as he put it."

"I don't know what you are talking about," the same man replied.

"Hmmm," Blaze said. "I'm sorry, but I don't recognize this man."

"Nor do I," Tara said.

"And she knows all of the Watchers," Tarn put in. "Which means that something strange is going on."

"Oh, good," Max said, exhaling a sigh of relief. "None of you three know what this is." He then looked around the chamber. "But what about the rest of you?"

"What _about_ the rest of us?" a man asked. The same man from before.

"Why did you authorize 'countermeasures'?" Max asked. "Against a 'possible threat'?"

"Possible threat?" Blaze repeated. "Councilor Lai, what is he talking about?" He turned to look at the man who was the only other one to speak. Max took a closer look at him to see that he was wearing the Armor of Sea. His armor had what looked like white splotches on it, almost like it was imitating the foam of the sea itself.

"Again, I do not know what he is talking about," Lai replied. But his answer had wavered slightly.

"You're lying," Max said. "One of you had better come clean."

"If I were in your position, young man, I would not speak so bluntly," Lai said. "You are in enough trouble as is. This is the second time you have interrupted the council's business. And you three," he said, turning his eyes to Sage, Iridesca, and Kishi. "You three have allowed him to do so. And you, especially, Kishi. I know that you were planning to teach a person who is not a Zone Watcher how to control their Zone Energy. And you know that it is forbidden. If you continue, then you will be exiled. And that person…well, we can deal with them when the time comes." Kishi's eyes narrowed. Not only had Lai threatened him, he had also threatened Talina. But Kishi didn't have to move at all. Max did it for him. Lai looked down his nose to see the tip of Max's Portal Sword just touching his neck. But when he looked up, the rest of the sword wasn't there. Max was standing in the same spot, but his arm was extended in Lai's direction.

"Do not threaten my friends. Do not threaten my family," Max said, putting emphasis on each word.

"So. Am I supposed to be intimidated because you possess a Portal Sword?" Lai laughed, as if he had just made a joke. "Please."

"Heh," Max chuckled, putting the sword down. He tossed it to Kishi, the sword disappearing as it always did when the hilt left his hand. He took off his jacket, handing it to Iridesca. "Then let's see you back up such talk." Max gestured to him, inviting him to come down.

"Alright," Lai said, smirking. "But I'll have you know that I am the fourth most powerful of the council. You don't stand a chance against me." He jumped down, settling into a stance, his feet firmly planted, his fists held parallel with the ground, even with his shoulders.

"Don't bother with that," Max said. "I can already tell you aren't versed in any martial art."

"Alright then," Lai said. He jumped at Max, swinging his right fist, now held in a ball of aura that resembled churning water. "Typhoon Fist!" He hit Max dead on, the aura expanding like a typhoon, throwing Max back against the wall. Tara and Tarn were watching this calmly. Blaze was…well, Blaze was gone. A Zone Portal appeared by his seat and he sidestepped out of it. He handed Tara a salad, Tarn a cup of fries, and for himself, he had nachos covered with cheese. Over his helmet was a baseball cap and in his right hand was a small flag with Max's face on it.

"This should be good," he said.

"Pah! This is the Maxwell Escal that was so talked about?" Lai asked out loud. "And yet I defeated him in a single hit." He held his arms up, the rest of the council cheering.

"Idiot," Tarn said. Lai turned to look at the elder councilor to say something, but stopped when he heard scuffling. He turned around to see the wood from the wall was moving.

"What the hell?" Max's hand shot out, in a fist. It held a ball of Zone Energy in it and he fired it directly at the pile, shattering it to splinters. Max was relatively unharmed, a few splinters sticking out here and there.

"That the best you got?" Max asked.

"Alright. Time to get serious," Lai said, cracking his knuckles. He built up his Zone Energy before releasing it at Max as a wave, the wave smashing him up against the wall. Max took it before running at Lai, charging up his Zone Energy for an Advanced Light Palm Strike. But Lai grinned before kicking his foot up, the debris and dust from the wall flying into Max's eyes. Max stopped, falling to his knees, holding his eyes, hissing in pain.

"That's cheating!" Iridesca exclaimed. She was about to run over to Max, but was suddenly grabbed by the back of her collar. She turned to see it was Tara who had grabbed her, while Blaze and Tarn had a grip on Sage and Kishi.

"Let's see how Max handles this," Tara said.

"What? No big talk now?" Lai asked, laughing once more. He stopped when he heard a chuckle from Max.

"You know," Max said, standing up. "Now that I know that you can't win without such a dirty move, I won't feel so bad about beating you to a pulp now. Hey, you use the Sea Zone Energy, right?"

"Yes, you idiot," Lai said with a sigh.

"Good. Zone Change: Flame!" Max's jacket changed to a red color, even without being in contact with him.

"Fool. You're gonna fight with the energy weakest against Sea?"

"Don't be so cocky, Lai," Tara said. Lai turned to look at her, incredulous. "You don't seem to grasp yet that he has been letting you fight with a handicap."

"What are you talking about, you stupid broad?"

"Ignoring that comment," she said. "One. He has not used his Portal Sword. Two. He is without his armor. And three. Well, take a look and you'll figure out number three." Lai looked and was shocked to see that Max now had an aura of Flame Zone Energy around him. But the aura was moving like real flames, surprising him even more.

"What's wrong, Lai?" Max asked. "Scared to go against the 'weak' element?"

"Of course not," Lai said, regaining his composure. "I'll end this in a matter of minutes."

"Wrong," Max said. "I will." He then turned his back to Lai. "And then I'll take on any of you who wishes to fight me. I'll even let you fight all at once." He turned back to Lai. "Now, go."

"So. You not only plan to fight me with the weaker element, but without your sight as well? You truly are a fool." Lai charged at him, planning to hit him with two of his Typhoon Fists, but Max sidestepped, surprising Lai, who tripped. "How did you?"

"I can sense the movement of your energy," Max said. "I can't discern the difference between energies, but I don't need to." Max ran at him. "Blazing Strike!" Max slammed his right fist, now covered in the Flame Zone Energy, into Lai's gut, sending him flying back into the wall. Lai didn't get up, unconscious. "Oops," Max said. "Looks like I put a bit too much into that."

"Eh," Blaze said. "He had it coming."

"Councilor Blaze," someone gasped.

"Oh, please. You know I don't like any of you. Except you two, Tara, Tarn." They both nodded.

"I share the same sentiment," Tara said, resulting in more gasps.

"As do I," Tarn spoke up. At this point, some of the councilors were going into shock. "And I would like to move for a vote. To make Maxwell Escal an honorary Zone Watcher."

"That's impossible," a woman spoke up.

"Wrong. It is possible. We have done it in the past before. In fact, I remember the first time we did it, so many decades ago. Ah, memories." They waited for Tarn to continue and he soon did. "As I was saying, we have done it before."

"I would like to second the vote," Blaze said, Tara nodding her agreement.

"Lai's out, since he's…well, out." The rest of the council didn't move to agree.

"I would rather earn that title," Max said. "So, whoever's next, step forward. I wanna see how fast I can earn it." At that, the rest of the council agreed. Later that day, Max was in the infirmary at the HQ, Z sitting beside him.

"I don't know why you people keep doing this," Cossacks said, examining some X-rays. "But there doesn't seem to be anything broken. Although your eyes being that silver color are a little worrying."

"Silver?" Max asked. Z handed him a small mirror beside the bed and he looked at it to see his eyes were indeed silver. "That's weird." He was then surprised further by his eyes suddenly changing back to their normal brown. "The fuck?"

"Max," Kishi said, coming into the room. "Oh, your eyes are back to normal. Tell me…do you remember what happened in the past half hour?"

"Yeah," Max answered. "How could I forget? I kicked that Lai guy's ass, became an honorary Zone Watcher, which you people have yet to explain to me, and persuaded the council to let you teach me sister how to use her Zone Energy. Even got a hold of some Zone Armor. And then there was the speech by Tara about how disgraceful their behavior was and how shameful their actions in going behind fellow council members' backs with that countermeasures stunt." Kishi was surprised. This was the first time Max's eyes had changed color and he hadn't blanked out. "Oh, and we're supposed to meet Tara, Tarn, and Blaze at Beamer's."

"Uh, right," Kishi said. "Do you…remember anything else?"

"Well, not that I can think of. By the way, what about that guy the council sent for those…countermeasures?"

"He's been…dealt with. Stripped of armor for a month by Tara, Tarn, and Blaze. Although, your little performance probably helped influence the vote a little. He'll be back in action soon enough anyways."

"Alright." He slid off the bed, wincing as his foot touched the ground. "I thought you said nothing was broken, doc."

"I did," Cossacks answered. "Never said anything about bruised or sprained. What'd you do, run into a wall?"

"Heh heh," Max chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Something like that." Z took Max's arm and put it around her shoulders.

"Go ahead and lean if you need to," she said. He smiled at her, letting only a little of his weight rest on her. Just enough that he could walk almost normally.

"Come on. Let's find me a crutch and get to Beamer's," Max said, following Kishi with Z out into the hallway. "By the way, how are you going to train Taly? Are there different types of training for different Zone Energies?"

"Once you get past the initial Zone Ball exercise, yes," Kishi answered. "Training branches off depending on your Zone Energy."

"Okay. Just wondering."

"So, what are these Flamer pizzas I keep hearing about?" Max and Z grinned.

"Let's just say…like your meeting with my sister earlier this week," Max said, Kishi blushing at the memory as he slapped Max on the back of the head, Max taking it in stride, "it'll be hard to forget."

* * *

**Well, it looks like the council and Max have come to an understanding. Don't piss him off and he won't wipe the floor with you. Please Review. And Lai belongs to me. Though this may be the only time you see him.**


	77. Tara's Summons

**Tara's Summons**

"Max," Sage said, walking into a training room. Now that Max had been made an honorary member of the Zone Watchers, with most of the privileges and duties of one, the council had asked Sage, Iridesca, and Kishi to remain with him to complete training as a Zone Watcher. "Councilor Tara has just sent us a summons."

"What would the council want with me already?" Max asked, dodging a shuriken shaped coagulation of Kishi's Dark Zone Energy. "I thought most of them didn't want anything to do with me. Not after what I did to that Lai person."

"Well, this is just Tara, by herself." Kishi stopped in midthrow, his arm just past his head. He looked at Sage, surprised.

"Councilor Tara only?" he asked, not sure he had heard right.

"Yes. As well as Lan and Megaman, Geo and Omega-xis, and X."

"Did she say why?"

"No," Sage said as he shook his head. "Only that she would like to see all of them. As well as you, Iridesca, and myself."

"But," Kishi said. "I'm supposed to help Taly after Max's session."

"You're on a nickname basis with sis already?" Max asked. His reply was some Zone Energy in the shape of a kunai to the rear. "Yow!" He pulled it out, watching as it dissipated. "Geez, all I did was ask!"

"Next one's goin' where no man can stand it," Kishi said, holding up three more kunai of Zone Energy. Max gulped, nodding.

"Yes, sir," he said.

"Kishi, perhaps you could bring Iridesca with us," Sage suggested. "This would be a good time to teach her how to utilize her Zone Energy for creating temporary Portals with the help of another."

"Well, I guess," Kishi said. "Can we wait just long enough for her to get here?"

"Yes, I suppose. I'll need some time to get together the others she asked for, anyways." Sage left the room and Kishi turned to Max.

"Let's go ahead and call today's session. Take this time to go get yourself presentable for Councilor Tara." Max nodded, his armor returning to his jacket, Kishi's armor returning to its various pieces as the two walked out of the training room.

* * *

"Ok," J said, pulling a disk out of a slot. "This is every single Zone that we have info on," he said, holding it up. "Thousands upon thousands. Maybe even millions. Pulled from every resource in the Prime Zone. And there's still the Zone Watcher library, archive, or whatever it is they use to keep info on Zones in to look through." He turned around, looking at a small shelf full of similar disks. "I can't believe it's taken so long to make a backup. I thought a year at most. Not two or three."

"And this is what you wanted to show me?" Shadow asked. He had stood behind J's chair as he had pulled out the disk.

"Yeah. Here, you can look through almost any Zone you want, without having to leave the Prime Zone." J leaned back after putting the disk in its place, his hands behind his head. "And the best part is that they automatically update every day. With Sasuke's help, we managed to construct a shelf for disks that kept it hooked up to a constant stream of data. Old data is stored on a back up hard drive, its memory almost unfathomable. It's impossible for the _human_ mind to comprehend, but you've been around for millennia, hopping around your own Zone's timeline and other Zones. That's why I'm giving you full access to this. Anything you need to know about a Zone, just come here and say what Zone. Coordinates, name, even something as simple as an abbreviation, will normally take you right to the info you need."

"And the not normally?"

"Then you have to narrow down the Zone. There are some Zones with exact copies of nearly everything, but those Zones normally have alternate timelines. That's the only difference. Like, let's say in our Lan's Zone, he fought the Cybeasts before he ever even heard of Wily. Then another Zone could very probably be created, resulting in a dual tunnel Zone. One tunnel leads to the future that Lan currently has," J said, putting out his right hand, "but the other," this time sticking out his left, "is a future where he may not even be alive any longer. His world destroyed, that Zone even ceasing to exist, the only remnant of it the Cybeasts, traveling through other Zones. Kinda like Unicron eating planets," J added.

"Unicron?"

"Never mind. Just a really big Transformer present in almost every Zone inhabited in some area by Transformers."

"Ah."

"Anyways, like I was saying, just use this anytime you need. Considering your line of work, I'm sure you'll find it very helpful." J got up, stretching his arms. "But I still need to see about the Zone Watchers' database, whatever it may be."

"Wanna see if they have one you can look through?" Max asked from the door. "I'm going there anyways."

"What for?"

"Tara asked for me and some of the others to meet her for something."

"Well, sure then. See if you can't get it for me."

"Top of my to do list, bro. Top of my to do list," Max said as he walked down the hall.

"Could this system find a specific person?" Shadow asked. He had walked over to the shelf, observing the wiring streaming from everywhere.

"Well, theoretically, yes," J answered, turning back to Shadow. "If you were to say the name of the person, maybe provide a recent picture, it may be able to." J rubbed his chin, swiveling around to face the panel he had been using earlier. "Maybe a night or so making some adjustments and I think between me, Sasuke, and Love, we can figure something out." J turned around when Shadow didn't answer and finally noticed that he was gone, having left in mid explanation. J gave a sigh, shaking his head. "Why do I even bother?"

* * *

"So, does anyone know why Tara asked for us?" Lan asked as they walked towards the Council Building.

"Not really," Iridesca answered. "She just asked for us."

"Well, let's stop babbling and get moving then," Max said. They made it to the hall and Jake let them in, which was surprising to Max and the Watchers. Jake was the only guard there. "Where are the other guards?"

"All with their appointed councilors," Jake answered. "You don't really believe that all of us guard this building day and night, do you?"

"Well, kinda."

"No," Jake said, laughing. "Each guard is appointed to a councilor. Tara is my responsibility."

"The more I come here, the more I learn," Max said, shaking his head and walking face first into the door. He stepped back, rubbing his nose. "Ooooww," he groaned. "Wasn't this door just open?"

"The door's weighted," Jake explained. "It'll close by itself."

"Now he tells me," Max grumbled, while the rest of the group laughed or giggled at the young man's expense. They then walked down the hall after a few minutes, leaving Jake to continue guarding the building. They walked into the Council Chamber, where Tara was waiting for them, sitting in the middle of the chamber. They walked over to her and she greeted them.

"I see you received my message," she said, standing up. She introduced herself to the others gathered and they all sat at the table in front of them. There were some items on the table and the group was currently trying to figure out what some of them were. She was the first to speak after they sat down and studied the items. "I have called all of you here to present you with items that you may find useful to you."

"Oh," Sage said. "This is why you called us." Everyone sweatdropped at Sage. _Isn't that what she just said,_ they all thought. Tara only smiled.

"Yes, Sage, it is." She picked up an item that looked like a rod shape wrapped in cloth, holding it out to Sage. "This is something that a man left for you some time ago, Sage. I just haven't found the time to give it to you." Sage accepted the item, untying the bit of string at the end. The cloth fell back to reveal a sword. The blade of the sword was a pure, clear blue. Sage held it up, looking through the blade.

"This…this is Katta's sword," Sage said. "But…I never thought he would part with this particular blade."

"He said it would be more useful to a man with Sea Zone Energy," Tara said. "But he had also just finished a pitcher of what he referred to as…some rum…oh, what did he call it? Something about an animal…Oh, forget it," she said, moving onto the next item. When she picked it up, it began to glow a little before taking on the same color as her armor. "This was left for Iridesca. I'm still not quite sure what it is for, but perhaps you do. Or will find out." She handed the small square shaped item to Iridesca, who took it. The item glowed once more before changing to the color of her armor. She put it away into a pocket on her skirt, nodding her head in thanks. "For Kishi, I have something that your father wanted to get to you."

"My father?" Kishi repeated.

"Yes. He said that this was a sword he finished specifically for you." She handed him a cloth wrapped item that was the same shape as Sage's, but was longer.

"No. No, this can't be what I think it is," Kishi said, slowly undoing the string at the end. It fell off to reveal a sheath that was a foot longer than a traditional katana's. But when he drew the hilt, this sword was only half the length of the sheath. "It is." He grabbed the opposite end of the sheath and pulled, revealing a hidden blade, again, half the length of the sheath. "The Kage Nodachi."

"What a what?" Max asked.

"Shadow swords, basically. A nodachi is too short to be a katana, but too long to be a dagger," Kishi explained, holding the blades up to the light. The blades themselves were pitch black in color. "These were forged by my father years ago. The ultimate Dark Zone Energy weapon. But…I never thought that _I _would ever be able to lay hands on them."

"Why?"

"Well…last time I touched them…I kinda…well, how do I put this?" Kishi rambled.

"He blew up half of his house," Tara said. Kishi grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"I…didn't know about Zone Energy at the time. So when I touched the blades, they kind of…'unlocked' my potential. The Kage Nodachi work on the principle of drawing out the power of the wielder, absorbing their Zone Energy," Kishi said, his expression returning to neutral. "The stronger the wielder, the more power absorbed. And the easier to cut through items."

"Wow!" Max said, his face lighting up. "That's fucking awesome!"

"Yeah, it is."

"Ahem," Tara said. "If I may continue, this is something that…my brother left behind." Tara closed her eyes, fighting back tears. She picked up a small notebook and a hilt that had a diamond pattern to it, a small white jewel at the bottom of the hilt, acting as a pommel. "This notebook is everything my brother ever wrote down concerning the Portal Sword. And…this is his hilt." She handed them to Max, who was at first reluctant, but took them nonetheless. "These are best cared for in your possession, Maxwell. I am not sure if you can use the hilt, but perhaps his notes may provide some help in your training."

"Thank you," Max said. He looked at the hilt, admiring the craftsmanship. "Did…did your brother make this hilt himself?"

"Yes, he did. He claimed that one capable of creating a Portal Sword can best draw out the full potential of that sword by creating the hilt themselves. I believe that there are instructions in there for making one on your own," Tara said. Max nodded, clipping the hilt beside the one he was already using for his Portal Sword. But for the notebook, he opened it up, looking through the first few pages. "Now then, Megaman and Lan." The two looked up, Lan half asleep, Megaman doing a crossword he had brought with him. Sage shook his head, Kishi sweatdropped, and Iridesca sighed at them.

"Yes?" Megaman asked, putting the crossword away.

"I understand that you contain what is known as an Ultimate Program. As well as the power of the Cybeasts and the Double Soul, yes?"

"Yes, ma'am," Megaman replied.

"And tell me. Did you know of the secondary limits placed on your body?"

"Yes."

"I see. And…do you know about the Final Program?"

"The…what?"

"So, you do not," Tara said, picking up what looked like a battlechip. "Then, here." She handed Lan the battlechip.

"What is this for?" Lan asked, holding the chip up to look at it. There was no writing on it, only a picture of a silhouette of Megaman's navimark.

"Something like a key," Tara said. "To unlocking the Final Program. You will know when to use it, I am sure."

"Why do people keep telling us that?" Lan asked.

"Now then, Geo Stelar and Omega-xis," Tara said, looking at the two. "An AM-ian, I believe." Omega-xis nodded. "Able to utilize the Starbreak, Tribe On, and even the Noise Change, I understand." Again, a nod. "And have you ever used all in combination?"

"Only the Tribe On," Geo answered.

"Well, perhaps you will find this useful," Tara said, holding up a battle card. "This is an upgrade card," she explained. "Plug this into the top of your VG Hunter." Geo did so and Omega-xis started gagging, holding his throat as data streamed from the VG Hunter's screen into his mouth. "I apologize, for the discomfort, Omega-xis," she said as he continued to gag, "but this was asked of me by your Zone's AM Sages."

"The Sages?" Omega-xis gasped, still gagging.

"Yes. They wanted me to get this to you and Geo as soon as possible."

"But…how do they know?" Max asked.

"Do not be so surprised," Tara said, smiling. "Beings of such power rarely have trouble traveling between Zones. The Zone Watchers and the AM Sages go back centuries." Omega-xis finally stopped gagging as the stream of data stopped. He gasped for breath, his eyes closed. "Again, apologies for the discomfort."

"What was the point of that?" Omega-xis exclaimed, throwing his arms out to his sides.

"To allow you to use your Starbreak, Tribe On, and Noise Change together," Tara said. "It was my understanding that you lost your ability to Starbreak a few years back, so a good portion of that upgrade card was centered towards reawakening that power."

"Oh," Omega-xis said, blinking a few times. "Uh…thanks, I guess."

"And your welcome, I guess," Tara said. "Now then, X. You are the last one. I understand you have the Neutral Armor that was developed by a man named Doctor Light."

"Yes, ma'am, I do," X replied, nodding.

"This is something developed by that man as well," she answered, handing him a collar. "When attached with the Neutral Armor, your power is temporarily increased by a magnitude of…well, he didn't really say what in his notes, but he said that it would be unlike any you have ever felt. He said that there was a chance that the amount of power could very well destroy your body." X took the collar, examining the inside of it.

"This…this was definitely made by Doctor Light," he said, pointing with his finger at a small inscription. "I recognize the signature."

"Well, I believe that is all," Tara said, looking at Talina. "And I would like to say good luck to you in your training with Zone Energy, young Talina."

"Thank you," Talina replied, brushing her hair over her ear.

"Now then, I must get back to my home," Tara said, standing up, the others following suit. "I am having guests over tonight and I must get started on the dinner." She walked out of the chamber, taking a small door opposite the larger one. The others left via the main hall, finding Jake now gone.

"Well, that was certainly a productive meeting," Max said as they walked down the street. He had pulled the hilt that belonged to Tara's brother, looking at it again. "That notebook's got quite a few instructions and details on the Portal Sword. I'm starting to wonder if her brotherc had been a researcher at some point in time."

"I believe at one point in time, he had done something like that," Sage said, nodding. "Before he became a Zone Watcher, that is."

"I would have liked to meet him," Max said. "Learn about Portal Swords from him."

"But what did she give me?" Iridesca put out there, pulling out the small square. "I can't figure out what it is."

"Let me see it," Max said, holding out his hand for it. Iridesca handed it to him and the square glowed as it had before, but this time, it didn't stop. It instead kept glowing, the glow switching between the colors of the Zone Energies. "I wonder if it's like a litmus paper for Zone Energies. Kakashi told me that there's a special litmus paper for chakra. Maybe this works on the same principal." He handed it back to her and it stopped glowing, going back to gold. "Before we go, can you guys take us to wherever you keep records of Zones? J wants to add to our own Zone database."

"Sure," Kishi said. "Right this way." He walked off to the left.

"Uh, Kishi," Sage said. "Library's this way," he said. "That's how you get to the blacksmith's shop."

"Oh, right. My bad."

* * *

**Yeah, not much to say on this chapter. Please Review.**


	78. Ninja's Return

**Ninja's Return**

"Alright, Kishi," Max said, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. "I've had all I could stand. I'm finishing this here."

"Likewise," Kishi said, adjusting his grip on his twin nodachi, holding the right one parallel to the ground, the left perpendicular to the right. He was battered and bruised. Neither of them had any armor on. They charged at each other, Max's fist glowing with Light Zone Energy, Kishi's blades bathed in Dark Zone Energy. They had been close to each other to begin with, and were now shortening the distance quickly, swinging their respective weapons.

WHAM

"I thought I told you idiots to stop with these sudden death fights!" Talina yelled at the two, her fists still held high. Max and Kishi groaned, their faces stuck in the ground. "Do I even want to know what started this?"

Max peeled his face up first, holding up a finger. "I'll answer that later," he said, a tooth hanging by a thread. He then let his face fall back down with a resounding THUD. Talina then put her fists on her hips, tutting at the two.

"You both agreed that you would stop fighting for at _least_ two weeks," Talina said. "But ever since you two came back from the Zone Watchers four days ago, you've done nothing but get into death matches!"

Sage sat on a bench, shaking his head, while Aquanode ran through various martial arts sequences, one ear on the conversation. "Those two still at it?" Aquanode asked Sage.

"Unfortunately, yes," Sage said. "This time may have made sense if it had been a simple brawl, but a death match makes no sense."

"What was it this time?"

"I believe it was something about Portal Sword theory and Max calling Kishi a prick."

"Same old, same old, then." Aquanode finished a sequence and grabbed the towel he had brought with him, wiping his sweat off with it, joining Sage on the bench. "Although I'm starting to think that if we were to run a pool on these fights, we'd make a killing."

"How so?" Sage asked, shooting him a questioning look.

"Talina always wins," Aquanode answered matter of factly, his arms crossed.

"That…is very true," Sage said, nodding.

* * *

"Oh, wow," J said as he looked through the copy of the Zone Watchers' database. Being a netnavi, he was able to go through it faster than a human, but there was so much information, even four days of continuous study had gotten him through half of the total information. Although being next to the training room that Max and Kishi often used for their fights didn't really help matters. "I never would have guessed that there were so many Zones and copies of Zones!" Zack was with him, reading through other Zone bios.

"Yes, it is quite intriguing, isn't it?" Zack asked. "Although…this Zone here," he said, pointing to a map in the book he was looking at, "somewhat disturbs me."

"Why?"

"Well…have you ever wondered what it would be like if Bud were to rule a Zone?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Would you like to?"

"Uh…" Zack handed him the book and J flipped through the book to the section that held that Zone's bio. He began reading and gulped. "Wow. Let's make a special note for that Zone."

"Yes," Zack said.

"J," Max said, walking in, holding an icepack to the back of his head. "Any news on Kalar or his lackeys?"

"Well, none so…hold on," J said, looking down at the console he was seated in. "Whoa. Oh man, this could be trouble."

"What is it?"

"Ninja. He's…he's just taken three Zones," J said. "How…how could we miss something like this?"

"More importantly, how could something like this escape the Zone Watchers notice?" Max asked, the ice pack and the bump on his head now forgotten.

"It hasn't," Blaze said, scaring the three boys. "We've lost twenty four good Watchers to that reploid."

"Twenty four!"

"This being is nothing like anything we've seen," Blaze continued. "And apologies for bursting in like this. It was decided by the council that Tara, Tarn, or myself should be the only ones to approach you in your home Zone."

"Why?"

"Well, considering what you did to Lai, I'm not surprised. Anyways, about this Ninja being. What all do you know about him?" Blaze asked.

"Well, not much," J said, typing on his keyboard, bringing up a profile of Ninja on a much larger screen. "He's a unique reploid in that he has a chakra system."

"Chakra, huh? Haven't heard that in a while," Blaze interrupted. "Sorry, continue."

"Well, actually, that's all we really know," Max said. "Other than his name and the chakra system, we don't know anything else. We don't even know what kind of jutsu, if any, he can perform."

"Now, I do know that he has exceptional taijutsu skills and _does_ know at least one fire jutsu after a mission over a year ago," J said. "He seems to be a user of jiujutsu and perhaps what could be described as a variation of Kiai Kyusho."

"Kiai Kyusho?"

"A martial arts style based on pressure points. I had the unpleasant honor of fighting Aquanode when he was first learning it. Hurts like hell," J said, unconsciously rubbing a spot on his left side, his face grimacing at the memory.

"He warned you before hand," Max said.

"Yeah, but I thought he was over exaggerating it about it." J keyed the screen off and turned around. "If you were having trouble with him, why didn't you come to us?"

"Because there are rules when you are a Zone Watcher. Asking for outside assistance is not ruled out, but as it would be interfering in a Zone, it is written off as a very unwise choice right away," Blaze answered. "But because you and your team know of the Zone Watchers, then we can now ask for that outside assistance. And seeing as one of you is an honorary Zone Watcher, the council was much more willing to ask for help."

"Except Lai?" Max asked.

"Except Lai," Blaze confirmed. "Quite frankly, I wished I could have been in your shoes in that fight. I'd been wanting to do that for a long time."

"Ahem," Zack coughed, bringing the room's attention to the small boy. "I believe that we need to discuss what to do about Ninja."

"Yeah, we do," Max answered. "Compared to our team, how skilled were the Watchers you sent after him?"

"Unfortunately, they were rookies compared to your team. You know about the mission requests, correct?" Max nodded. "Well, some of these mission requests have extremely high rewards. Senior Watchers will normally handle these, but only when they are sure they can handle the risk level. The rookie Watchers are less…experienced when it comes to assessing risk level."

"You haven't found anyone to handle the mission?" Max asked, surprised. "Surely my father at least."

"Actually, he's a little busy with another mission. I would like to ask someone like Katta Long, but seeing as how most of the council feel about him, it would be unwise for my position. Perhaps…you could ask him to help?"

"I don't know," Max replied. "J and I don't know him all _that_ well. But…"

"Maybe Blademan?" J asked, Max nodding.

"That's what I think. If Blademan could talk Katta into going, then you couldn't possibly be connected to it directly," Max said, looking at Blaze. "Maybe Aquanode and Love would like to see some action as well. They've been with us for a couple months now and haven't seen much in the way of missions. By the way, what about the reward?"

"Uh, reward?" Blaze asked.

"Well, as you're asking me and I've just accepted, do I not get the reward?"

"That's…a very good point," Blaze said. "I certainly have no problem with it, but the council might."

"Okay then. See what you can do about the reward and we'll work on putting Ninja down."

"Deal." Blaze and Max shook hands, nodding to each other.

"Alright, you go prep the teleporter and I'll get a hold of Blademan and tell Aquanode and Love as well," Max said.

"Wait a second, Max," J said.

"What?"

"We haven't transferred their partners yet."

"We haven't?"

"No, Max. How do you miss something like that?"

"Uh…" Max chose to run out, leaving a cloud of dust behind.

"I really hate that leg gear sometimes."

* * *

"Pulse," Max said to an EM being, a lion with ice blue waves, white armor, and red eyes. He then turned to an EM being, another lion, this one with red waves, orange armor, and blue eyes. "Shock." He looked back and forth between the two. "Good to see you again." The two lions just stared at him and he started shifting back and forth. "Well…I'm gonna go now." He turned to Blademan, who was standing beside a man. The man was in his late thirties. His black hair was somewhat messy, his bangs stopping just short at his eyes. He was wearing an outfit that seemed like a robe with legs, the legs being black and white, his shirt a dark gray color. He was wearing two swords at his left side, one more sword on his right hip. His eyes were a forest green. "Blademan, Katta, I'll leave this mission to you two and Love and Aquanode. Stay safe."

"Sure thing, Max," the man, Katta, replied, smiling, his eyes closed. He rested a hand on the hilt of the blade on his right hip. "We'll get this done in no time." Max groaned. "What?"

"Last time you said that, _nothing_ got done in _any_ time. In fact, we were attacked by an angry mob because _you_ didn't take the job seriously."

"Oh, right," Katta said, still smiling. "That little fiasco a few years back. Ah, well, water under the bridge." Max shook his head, sighing. He walked out of the room, deciding it would be useless to debate such issues with Katta. Love and Aquanode had watched the exchange and were a little worried about having Katta in charge.

"Is Max absolutely sure about this?" Love whispered to Aquanode. Aquanode shrugged.

"Oi, what are you two whispering about over there?" Katta asked with a cheery tone.

"Oh, nothing," Aquanode answered. "Come on, Shock. EM Wave Change, Aquanode, On Air!" Aquanode was soon in a Chinese fighting shirt with a fire design on it, black fighting pants, Chinese fighting slippers, orange fingerless gloves, a head band with a fire design, his necklace and bandana mimicking the head band, his bandana around his neck. He also held a red spear with blue eyes.

"EM Wave Change, Love, On Air!" Love followed suit, her outfit changing. She was soon in a white t-shirt with extensions on the top that ruffled, holding her necklace in it, ice blue gloves that went up to her elbows, a light sky blue skirt that stopped just before her knees, white boots going just above above her ankles, her bandana a light blue color and on her head. Her hair was white, and she now wore an ice blue visor. In her hands was a white spear with red eyes.

"Okay, if you're all ready to go, please get on the pad," Alia said.

"Where's J at?"

"He and Sasuke are working on a new project right now," she answered. "Something about a being called Palkia, I think."

"What's a Palkia?" Aquanode asked.

"A very scary Pokemon to meet," Blademan said.

"Ah, he's not that bad," Katta said.

"You've…never seen him pissed, have you?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Yeah, that figures."

"Why is he scary?" Alia asked, wanting more information.

"Well…Palkia is sorta one of the reasons there are Zones. He can form them and just as easily destroy them. When you know that there's something out there that can do that, you tend to be a little respectful." Aquanode, Love, and Alia looked at Blademan dumbfounded. "For some reason, I was expecting that reaction."

"Say, don't we have a mission to get to?" Katta asked, the only one standing on the teleporter's pad. "At this rate, we won't be back for a few days."

* * *

"So, where did you say you two were from?" Katta asked as they walked along a rundown sidewalk, buildings crumbling around them. They had been transferred to a city that looked like it had been the site of a war.

"Well…nowhere near Ground City," Aquanode said.

"Your clothes, speech, accent, even the way you hold yourself," Katta said to Aquanode. "I would guess another Zone, most likely one similar to the AM Sages' home Zone." Aquanode's head whipped around, shock on his and Love's face. "Did I forget to mention I'm an ex Zone Watcher?"

"Kind of," Love said.

"Oh…well, I'm an ex Zone Watcher." Katta smiled as the two sweatdropped, while Blademan continued walking, long used to Katta's personality. "Judging from your clothes, I would guess you know some form of martial arts. That and your build would be wasted in anything else."

"Yeah," Aquanode answered. "I mostly prefer fighting with tiger style."

"Are you familiar with Kiai Kyusho?"

"A little bit."

"How about Dim Mak?"

"Well, I've only heard about it. I would like to learn some, but it's surprisingly hard to find a teacher in my Zone."

Katta suddenly stopped walking, looking at a building. "Someone's in there," he said. He walked right up to the door, opening it. Aquanode and Love were a little surprised at how casual he was about the mission. A man fell forward as the door was opened, proof that he had been watching them. Katta looked down at the man before squatting, looking him in the eye. "Hi, there! I don't suppose you could point us to Ninja?" The man looked at Katta dumbfounded. He had never met a person so direct.

"Are you friends of his?" the man asked.

"Nope," Blademan answered. "We're here to take him down."

"You'll just die," the man said. "Just like those other eight before you."

"I think you'll find us to be a little more resilient," Katta said, now sitting cross legged, holding a pot of tea that he had pulled from his shirt, a tea cup in the other hand. He took out another cup, pouring the tea and offering it to the man. "If you'll just tell us where to find him, we'll be on our way." The man looked at the cup suspiciously, Katta realizing why. "No worries. It's my own blend." Katta drank from his own cup and the man took the cup, though still hesitant.

"What will you do if I don't tell you?"

"Well, I suppose we'll just have to leave and spend a long time searching for him. Which means that the amount of time we spend looking for him is just that much more time he can use to get away or even set up something to get rid of us." Katta calmly sipped his tea, almost as if he was completely indifferent to the man's opinion on the matter. And the man saw that he actually was.

"He's in that building there," the man said as he pointed to a large warehouse in the center of the city. "There are traps all over the place, guards, you name it."

"There, see? That wasn't so hard, was it?" Katta asked with a smile. He finished his cup of tea before standing up, leaving the man, who had lifted himself into a sitting position, on the ground. "You can keep the teapot and cup, if you like." Katta walked away, beckoning the others to follow him.

"Well, Katta?" Blademan asked.

"He was telling the truth," Katta said. "His Zone Energy was a mess, but it didn't once quiver." He turned to look at Aquanode and Love. "The man mentioned guards. Can I trust you two to handle that?"

"Of course," Aquanode said, holding the spear so that it rested on his shoulder. "No problem at all."

"Good. Because I need you to start now," Katta said, pointing behind Aquanode and Love. They turned around to see that there were four guards looking at them. The guards features were indistinguishable, their faces completely covered, no obvious weapons.

"This'll be a cinch," Aquanode said, popping his neck. He swung his spear at one, but the guard ducked under, charging under it. As the guard extended their right fist, Aquanode released his spear, which fell to the ground. He crossed his wrists, pushing the guard's arm up, and then he took a step inside the guard's zone, slamming his right elbow into the guard's now exposed side. The guard fell, never releasing a breath, before disappearing in smoke.

"Shadow clones," Blademan said. "Shoulda figured."

"Reitō-ha!" Love exclaimed, swinging her spear in a wide arc, releasing a wave of ice at the remaining three clones. They disappeared like the first, in smoke.

"Well, that was easy," Aquanode said, dusting his hands before picking up his spear. Blademan groaned.

"Kid, if there's one thing I've learned in all my years of knowing Katta, it's that you never, _ever_ say that was easy," he said. They all turned around to see a small army of shadow clones. Blademan glared at Aquanode. "See?"

"Well…fuck…"

"If you two have a move for mopping this up, use it now," Katta said, unsheathing two of his swords. "I'm gonna need a little time. I haven't trained in a few months and I need to build and store some energy for a couple of seconds, a minute at most." Aquanode and Love nodded, stepping forward, while Katta stepped back.

"Kōri to denki no tora!" Love extended her hand, releasing a mixture of ice and electricity at the shadow clones, the ice and electricity taking the form of a tiger.

"Lăohŭ huŏ hé diàn!" Aquanode followed suit with a tiger made of a mixture of fire and electricity. Together, the tigers tore into the shadow clones, snapping left and right as they charged through. After a minute, Katta stepped forward, his swords held at neutral. He slowly raised them, his eyes closed. A few seconds passed before his eyes snapped open and he swung the swords.

"Double Wind Scar!" He released two blades of glowing energy at the shadow clones, hitting those the tigers missed. The blades kept going, knocking into the building, finally dissipating. "Well, I think it's safe to say we lost the element of surprise," he said cheerfully.

"Gee. No reason to be so sad about it, Katta," Blademan said with a sigh. "I guess I'll get us in there. Give me a little space." He shifted his stance, putting his right foot back, his weight on that foot. His right hand was now a fist and his left hand covered that fist. Yellow crackling energy began sparking around his right fist. "Thunder Blade!" He ran forward, right fist held back. Any shadow clone unfortunate enough to get too close was hit by stray strands of the energy. When he reached the wall, he slammed his right fist into the wall, completely shattering it to dust. He stepped back, rubbing the back of his head. "Whoops. Might have overdone it a bit." Behind the wall was another small army of shadow clones…or rather, there had been. The discharge from the attack had destroyed more than half their numbers, while the rest had been blown back into their own traps. There were spears, darts, arrows, and every other bladed weapon imaginable shooting back and forth for a few minutes. Once it finally stopped, Katta walked forward.

"I would suggest you all stay here. I'll be out in a matter of seconds," he said. Blademan walked over to a tree, sitting down at its base, closing his eyes.

"Take your time," Blademan said. "We've got plenty of it."

"In that case, I'll be a few minutes." Katta walked through the new door, leaving his temporary team behind. "Let's see now…this way." He walked to the left, making turns with a purpose, but after ten minutes, he noticed he had passed the same markings a few times. After thinking back, he finally realized that he was trapped in a large maze, his sixth sense for feeling Zone Energy useless to him…or was it? "Well, if I can't go around, I'll just go through." He drew the right sword. "Wind Scar!" He swung the blade, releasing another glowing blade of energy, this one heading directly for where he felt the most Zone Energy emanating from a being. He stepped through the holes, heading towards the only other source of Zone Energy in the building…Ninja.

* * *

"So, how long do you think he'll be?" Aquanode asked.

"Knowing Katta, he may have gotten lost by now," Blademan said. "That or decided to have more tea. He's…a very unique person." Blademan had his eyes closed, but they suddenly snapped open, his left ear twitching. "It sounds like he just wrapped it up."

"What do you mean?" Love asked. Just as she finished her question, multiple Wind Scars began to fly out of the building, too many to count.

"What the hell was that!" Aquanode exclaimed.

"His Scar Barrage," Blademan said, closing his right eye, leaving his left open. "He may be more than a few minutes. If he's already pulled that out, then he may start taking this fight seriously."

* * *

"So," Ninja said, "you've mastered the Wind Scar." His appearance was different from what it had been when he had first begun to work for Kalar. He now had small, thick bracelets on his arm, no decoration to them, his suit was actually slimmer, the sleeves now cut short, and his bandana a little longer, a scarf now part of his ensemble.

"Oh, sorry," Katta said, sheathing his swords. "Didn't see you there. I was just tryin' ta get through this maze." Katta pulled out a second teapot and two more teacups. "Join me?" Ninja was taken aback, fully expecting a fight. "I realize you're a reploid, but this Zone is similar to the Prime Zone in many ways. One such way is that robotic beings tend to feel the need to eat and drink." Katta poured tea into both cups, using his right leg to pull a crate in between them, placing the pot and cups on it, grabbing a smaller crate to sit on.

"What are you-"

"Doing?" Katta finished. "I prefer to not fight. It's much easier to just talk things over, no?"

"Wait, we are enemies! Since when do enemies talk things out?"

"Oh, plenty of times. Just look at biometal Model DC. Before his match learned the truth, he was enemies with Max's team. But now he fights alongside them. He was able to settle matters with them by talking with them. In fact, we are talking things out right now, from a certain point of view." Katta had already drunk three cups by now and began pouring his fourth. "If you don't sit, I'll end up drinking all the tea myself."

"But…"

"Come on."

* * *

"What's taking so long? It's been half an hour," Aquanode said, pacing back and forth. Love watched him, Blademan cracking his right eye open.

"That long, huh? And here I thought he was actually going to fight," Blademan said, sitting up, stretching out his legs. "But if it's been half an hour, then he's having tea with the guy. I warned Max about this, but he never listens to me as is."

"TEA? We've been out here for thirty minutes and he's having TEA?" Aquanode exclaimed. "What the hell is wrong with that man?"

"What's wrong with who?" Katta asked, making Aquanode jump. Ninja was standing beside Katta, noting with amusement that the teen had managed to jump a good four feet straight up.

"Katta, any reason that the enemy is standing beside you?" Blademan asked, his hand on the hilt of his katana.

"Enemy? I believe you mean _your _new student," Katta said. "Ninja, meet your new teacher, Blademan."

"Blademan-senpai," Ninja said, bowing at the waist, while Blademan turned stiff, Aquanode and Love dropping their jaws.

"Senpai? Heh, haven't heard that used in a while. You from a Zone with a country by the name of Japan?" Katta asked.

"Yes," Ninja answered. "How did you know?"

"Just a lucky guess," Katta said.

"St-student?" Blademan exclaimed. "What the hell do you mean, 'student'?"

"Well, I would think it's rather obvious what I meant. You, Blademan, will teach this reploid, Ninja, in the ways of the shinobi."

"And how do you plan on explaining this to Max?"

"I dunno. I just figured I'd wing it. Or tell the truth." Blademan looked close to drawing his naginata on Katta at this point.

"Katta, if it weren't for the fact that you could easily kick my ass, I would so kill you right now."

"Why not just have tea?"

"Enough with the fucking tea!"

"And these two are supposed to be good friends?" Love whispered to Aquanode.

"I'm gonna call in before Blademan does end up drawing his naginata on Katta," Aquanode said. "Five back, right?"

"Of course," Katta said.

"Wait," Blademan said. "What about those three Zones?"

"I…can't really do anything about the first two," Ninja said. "But this one can be…lost…I left a shadow clone behind."

"And with a little help from me, we made it look horrible," Katta piped in.

"The last thing Kalar will see of this Zone is my shadow clone 'dying' in an explosion," Ninja finished.

"So…just like that, you're erasing yourself," Blademan said.

"Yes. It is what must be done."

"And tell me, how did Katta talk you into this?"

"He is a very persuasive man." Katta held up two fingers for victory, smiling.

* * *

**So, one Zone is free again, Blademan has to restrain himself from killing Katta, and…well, Katta has a thing for tea. You know who belongs to whom. Please Review.**


	79. Meet the Harusame Twins

**Meet the Harusame Twins**

"Hey, Max," Kyuubi said, walking into the training room currently occupied by Max and Kishi, who were in the middle of a training break. He was holding a piece of paper that he had found. "I think you'll wanna take a look at this." Max took the paper from Kyuubi, giving it a quick scan. "I found it just after Shadow left with the rest of his group a week ago. I just now took a look at what it really is."

"So, it's about Roll," he said. "So what?"

"Take a closer look." Max did so, this time actually reading what was on the paper, his right eyebrow raising.

"Since when could she do Perfect Synchro and Double Soul…and when did she become pregnant?"

"Well, as far as I know, neither the Roll here, nor the one I know, is like that."

"Wait…didn't Shadow say something about Roll being kidnapped when he first saw her in the HQ?"

"Uh, yeah."

"I wonder…"

"Wonder what?"

"I'm taking a trip to the Watchers. Kishi, mind coming with?"

"No problem," Kishi said, sheathing his Kage Nodachi. He had been in the middle of polishing the blades, lavishing care on them whenever possible. "Think we should notify the council you're coming?"

"Why? In case they have another under the table deal going on?"

"No. So that they'll be on their best behavior."

"Didn't think of that. Yeah, may as well."

"So…what do I do?" Kyuubi asked.

WHAM

"Shinobi…what are you doing?" Max asked, looking at the netnavi, who was upside down, against the wall, his legs hanging over his head.

"Testing out that Palkia program J and Sasuke have been working on for the past week," Shinobi answered casually. "Why?"

"Well…you kind of left a hole in the wall…although I suppose it couldn't possibly make this room look any worse than it does now." There were patches all over the room, covering holes left from fights between Viral and Beamer, Beamer and the Hunter Eradication Army's own Bass, fights between all three at once, and Shadow's training of Megaman and Rockman. "In any case, don't get yourself killed."

"Will do," Shinobi said, giving Max a thumbs up as he walked out of the room, Shinobi still upside down.

* * *

"So, how do you think the council would react to this?" Max asked as he and Kishi walked towards the hall. Both were in armor, as Max had soon learned that as an honorary Zone Watcher, armor was required whenever meeting with the entire council. He still hadn't been told why that was the case, but he had some assumptions as to why this was the case.

"Well, councilors Tara, Tarn, and Blaze probably wouldn't care," Kishi answered. "Councilor Lai will most likely freak out and the rest may well follow him."

"Of course," Max said. "I don't understand why. From what I understand, Tara, Tarn, and Blaze are the three strongest of the council and then there's the fact I beat him pretty easily."

"Probably because he was still wearing his armor," Kishi said.

"Wait, what?"

"Here's the thing. Councilor Lai's armor is rather special. You see, he has very little control over his Zone Energy. When he became a Zone Watcher, he asked for a suit of armor that could keep his Zone Energy in check. His armor absorbs the Zone Energy, storing it and slowly releasing it back into his body. If you had fought him without his armor, you may have had some trouble."

"You know, sometimes I don't think you give me enough credit."

"You're wrong. I don't give you any credit." Max stumbled for a second.

"I walked right into that one," he mumbled. They soon made it to the hall, Jake nodding his head in greeting. He stepped aside, quite aware of Max's new status. "Hey, Jake."

"Max, Kishi," Jake said, watching them walk in. They walked into the council chamber, the entire council, save for Lai, there.

"Councilors," Kishi said, bowing, Max following suit. "I trust you have received the data we sent prior to our arrival."

"Yes, we did, young 'un," Tarn said. "It was rather interesting. I've heard of Perfect Synchro and Double Soul, but I've never heard of any being other than a netnavi called Megaman master it. If I remember correctly, you have one such on your team, do you not?"

"Yes, Councilor Tarn, I do," Max said.

"And yet, there is another being with the ability to use both of these. And _she_ is also the reincarnation of a hedgefox named Roll Sakurai. I must say, this is very intriguing." Tarn stopped as Lai walked in, who was grumbling under his breath. "Is something wrong, Councilor Lai?"

"It is a matter for another time," was all Lai had to answer. "Damn that hand," he mumbled under his breath, but Max heard it nonetheless.

"Hand? By any chance, are you referring to Master Hand? Or perhaps Crazy Hand?" Max asked, to which everyone replied with a wide eyed look. "What?"

"You know of them?" Blaze asked.

"Well, yeah…I fought in their tournament." This time, Lai began cursing. "Did I…say something wrong?"

"Well, no…however, the Watchers and the Hands…have never really gotten along," Tara said. "We can be civil when needed, but…well, to be honest, their tournament should never have even began. But we cannot stop it, seeing as they have permission from someone who is…rather intimidating."

"Palkia?" Again, wide eyed looks, followed by gasps. "Okay, if this going to become a regular thing, I'm gonna leave, like, right now."

"You know of Palkia and his brothers?" Tarn asked.

"Well, yeah. Most of the people in the Prime Zone know of Palkia and the other two. Seriously, do you guys not keep updates on the Prime Zone?"

"We thought we did," Lai said. "But I've just come back from the archive. It would seem some…files have been rearranged."

"And then there's the blocked Zone," a council member muttered, Lai shooting them a glare.

"Blocked Zone?" Max asked, confused. Lai sighed, knowing he'd be better off answering the question now.

"Yes. It seems that there is a Zone with some…special conditions currently surrounding it that prevents travel of beings in and out of the Zone. Well, beings that are somewhat…weak in Zone Energy. I have no doubt that Palkia or his brothers could make it. Perhaps even you, with that seemingly limitless supply you have. But what's troubling is that the conditions arose after a large influx of beings," Lai said. "As we cannot get into the Zone, we cannot see who or what arrived, meaning we can't update our information on it."

"Do you know where they came from?"

"Unfortunately, no. It would seem something referred to as magic was used to arrive. I do know that the Zone the beings arrived in actually sees magic as something common. That tells us it was someone who has lived there for a long time."

"But not born there?"

"That's the thing," Tara said. "A person does not necessarily need to be born in a specific Zone to learn things. If they had the potential to do something that is rare in their home Zone, but common in another, they could live in the other Zone, unlocking that potential, which could take years. As such, their specific Zone Energy is gradually influenced to match the frequency of the Zone they are currently residing. Now, their _type_ of Zone Energy can also be influenced, but it is doubtful that it will be a noticeable change."

"Which means we could be dealing with a wanderer," Lai continued. "But for now, we will have to wait for the conditions to dissipate before we can see what is happening there."

"A shame," Tarn said. "It seems I will be missing my monthly tea with Makarov."

"Councilor Tarn, please, keep your mind on the conversation," Tara gently chided.

"Of course, of course," Tarn said, waving his hand dismissively. "Perhaps we need to have a meeting with this 'Hunter Eradication Army.'"

"I'll do it," Blaze said. "I need some outside time anyways. Two birds with one stone."

"Alright, then. You shall go to meet with them, if they are willing to," Tarn said. "And at a time that is convenient for you, of course."

"Thank you, Councilor Tarn."

"Excuse me, Councilor Blaze," Max said. "I apologize for my ignorance, but how are you going to find them?"

"We have our ways, Max. We have our ways."

"Also, that theory you sent in with the data," Lai said.

"Theory?" Kishi repeated, looking to Max.

"What about it, Councilor Lai?" Max asked.

"It took longer than expected, but it did prove correct. The Shadow who is a member of the Hunter Eradication Army does in fact know this Roll Sakurai. It seems he adopted her as his sister. He also wants to kill that Zone's Megaman, the reincarnation of Sonic the Hedgehog, for…deflowering his younger sister."

"Kinda figured that."

"And I believe that is all that we had to discuss," Lai said. "Unless there is something else you would like to add."

"Oh, no. Nothing left to say," Max said. He and Kishi bowed once more to the council before walking out of the chamber, heading back out of the building. "Well, I'd say that was somewhat productive."

"A little, yes," Kishi said.

"Only a little?"

"Well, there is still the matter of that blocked Zone. I've never heard of something like that. I'd like to stop by the archives to find out more."

"But why not get it back at the HQ?"

"Because not everything can be learned from a book."

"…What does that mean?"

* * *

"Welcome to the archives," a woman said as Kishi and Max walked, both now out of armor. The woman had white hair, but she looked to be in her early twenties, her hair reaching her lower back. Her dress stopped just at her ankles, swirling around her legs with each step. Her shirt was a simple black color, the sleeves cut short at the elbows. She had a pouch on her right hip that seemed out of place. "Oh, Kishi. It's good to see you again."

"Hi, Addy," Kishi replied. The girl came from behind the counter to give him a hug, which, to Max's surprise, he returned. "Is Gent here?"

"Sorry, but he's currently out at the moment," she answered, giving him an apologetic smile. "Uh, who is this?"

"Maxwell Escal," Max spoke up, extending his hand to her. She took it lightly, smiling.

"Addy Harusame," she replied. "You're quite the talk of the Zone Watchers."

"I am?"

"Of course. Being the son of James Escal, for one thing. And if the rumors are true, you have one of the largest amounts of Zone Energy seen in the Zone Watchers' history. Not to mention the Portal Sword ability." Max rubbed the back of his head as he smiled sheepishly.

"Addy, can you tell us about this blocked Zone business?" Kishi asked, trying to get Max back on track.

"I'm afraid not. The best I can offer is that magic is common in that Zone and that there was a large influx of beings from quite a few different Zones. But they all arrived from the same place." She walked back around the counter, her hair swaying a bit from a breeze in the doorway. "Oh, Gent's back."

Meanwhile, Max was shivering a little. "Why did it get so cold all of a sudden?" he asked, his breath coming out as mist. "The hell?"

"Gent," Kishi said, turning around to face the newcomer. He was a thick build, taller than Max by a foot, easily putting him at over seven feet in height, ducking his head slightly to get under the door. He wore a light blue long sleeved turtleneck, his gray sweatpants hanging loosely around his legs. His white hair was cut short, his sideburns reaching his chin. "How's it goin'?"

"It's goin' good, Kishi," the man, Gent, answered. He then noticed Max and bent down to get a closer look. "Hmm…Judging by your Zone Energy, I'd guess you're Maxwell Escal."

"Uh,yeah," Max said. "Hi."

"Max, this is Gent Harusame," Kishi said. Max gave him a questioning look and Kishi nodded. " They're twins, if that's what you're wondering. If you need information that you can't get through official channels, this is the man to come to." Gent suddenly pulled out a deck of cards. "He's also a habitual gambler."

"Can I interest you in some five card draw?" Gent asked, shuffling the deck, throwing it between his hands.

"No thanks," Max said. He rubbed his shoulders. "So, did someone turn on the AC or something?"

"Oh, my apologies," Gent said. The room slowly began to warm. "I forget that Addy and Kishi are the only ones who can ignore my Zone Energy."

"Max, Gent is known in many Zones as Sub Zero Gent," Kishi said. "Although there are only six _officially_ recognized Zone Energies, there are other types out there. Gent is an Ice Zone Energy user. However, because there is not a Zone Armor made for Ice users, he instead uses the Sea Zone Armor."

"Although I prefer making my own," Gent threw in. "The reason it was cold was because I just came from a mission. I tend to forget to keep my energy in check after missions."

"So, what type of Zone Energy does Addy have?" Max asked.

"Well, in a way, she's like you, Max," Kishi answered. "Except she's missing the Darkness and Light Zone Energies. She's a rarity among Zone Watchers. The most a person has had, before you and Addy became Watchers, was two."

"Say, Max. You have a kid named Solo on your team, right?" Gent suddenly asked.

"Uh, yeah," Max answered. Gent handed him a gold medallion with the emblem on Solo's shirt engraved in the center of it.

"I don't know if it's the right one, but mind giving that to him? The guy on my mission had that on him."

"Uh, sure." Max pocketed it.

"Sure I can't interest you in a game of poker?"

BONK

Addy's fist was covered in Earth Zone Energy, still holding Gent's head down. "I apologize for my younger brother," she said, still with an innocent smile on her face, while Max and Kishi sweatdropped. "His gambling habit is becoming quite a problem." She lowered her gaze to Gent, ducking her head so he could see her, never once losing her smile. "Go on. Say sorry," she said sweetly.

"Uh, sorry," Gent said. Addy let the Zone Energy dissipate, taking her fist off his head, letting him stand back up to his full height. To his sister, he said, "And just because you were born a few minutes earlier doesn't mean a thing."

"But of course it does," she said, giggling. "It means I'm the oldest."

"Uh, we're gonna take our leave here," Kishi said, walking out, Max behind him.

"Be sure to come back," Addy called behind them.

* * *

**Talk about weird. Please Review.**


	80. Blaze Meets the Hunter Eradication Army

**Blaze Meets the Hunter Eradication Army**

"YAAGH!"

"What the hell was that?" Kishi asked when they walked into the HQ.

"Shinobi is still testing that Palkia program. Sasuke and J added the Dragon Claw move to it, but they're having a little trouble with the rest," X said. He was fiddling around with the collar that Tara had given him, trying to figure out how he was supposed to attach it to the neutral armor.

"Hn. I hope J can spare a few minutes to scan this medal for me," Max said, pulling out the medal Gent had given him only an hour ago.

* * *

"Well?" Max asked.

"It looks like its Zone Frequency matches Solo's perfectly," J said. "And then there's the design on it. But…I don't know how to quite put it in words. I guess…like it's holding something back. Some kind of hidden power, perhaps."

"Maybe Solo can tell us more about this, then." Max picked the medal up, holding it up to the light. He put it down, walking out of the room. He went off to look for Solo, eventually finding his way to the roof, where Solo was staring at the setting sun. "Hey, Solo. Been trying to find you."

"Max," Solo said, turning around. "Wondered where you'd gone off to."

"Seriously?" Max was a little taken aback. Solo seemed…different today. "Why?"

"Well…" Solo was quiet, turning his attention back to the sunset.

"Solo…is something wrong? You seem a little…complacent. I mean, more than usual."

"I don't know." Solo turned back to him. "I've been getting…dreams, I guess. Maybe visions. Something about my home…about Mu." Max's hand went to his pocket, touching the medal. He pulled it out, Solo's gaze narrowing.

"Did something like this ever appear in them?"

"Where did you get that?" Solo's voice had gotten rough, quiet…dangerous.

"Well…at the Watchers' Zone."

"By who?"

"A guy…named Gent Harusame. He said he recovered it on a mission he had finished, asking me to get it back to you." Max held it out to Solo, who snatched it from the open hand. "Do you know what it is?"

"Yes…It's the insignia of the captain of the Mu Guardians. My father's medal."

"Whoa…"

"This medal…I'm returning to my Zone. To my very home, the continent of Mu."

"Just like that, huh?"

"Just like that." Solo strung the medal around his neck, looking at it. "This medal…it's too much of a coincidence. Something big is going to happen. And I need to be there for it."

"Well, if that's how you feel then get what you need." An hour or so later, Max was standing behind Alia, who was at the panel. "It's been fun, Solo. Hope you figure it out."

"As do I."

"There's always a place for you here if you need it."

"Hmph. I've lived my life as a loner. As far as I'm concerned, I was never part of this." Max only smiled.

"Typical Solo. Guess I shouldn't expect anything less."

"Wait!" someone called from the hallway. Pat came running in, Gemini behind him. Pat put his hands on his knees, breathing in and out. "I need to go with him."

"King Cepheus has called for all FM Warriors still under his command to return at once. There is something changing in our Zone," Gemini said. "The EM waves are changing."

"So…we lose two fighters…in one go," Max said. He sighed, shaking his head then shrugged. "Oh well. Can't be helped. If you two need to go, then you need to go."

"Thanks," Pat said. "Tell the others I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye."

"The same goes for me," Gemini said.

"What about you, Laplace?" Max asked. "Any words?"

_Yes_, Max heard in his head. He looked around, before settling his gaze on Laplace. _It's been fun, Maxwell Escal. Tell the others I look forward to our next outing, if fate should allow it._

"How did…"

"So, Laplace has decided you are worth trusting," Solo said. He snorted, crossing his arms. "You're the third person he's trusted like that."

"Who were the other two?"

"Me and my father." Max opened his mouth to say one more thing, but the group of four disappeared, already sent back to their Zone.

* * *

"This is…a very…quiet area," Blaze said. He was going to say something else, but decided not to, so as not to insult his host. Although on the inside, he was screaming. He preferred to have a little background noise, no matter how soft. "Thank you for contacting them."

"It is not a problem," Master Hand said. "I'm just glad that it was _you_ who came to ask for my assistance."

"As am I, Master Hand. I shudder to think what you would have done if it had been anyone other than Tara, Tarn, or myself." The two were quiet. "So…what is this I hear about Max participating in your tournament?"

"Oh, that. It was actually asked of us by Palkia-dono. After studying what was known of him, my brother and I were only too happy to comply."

"And what of his team?"

"Well, one thing in our research led to another and soon, I had a good portion of the history of the individual members' lives."

"Ah…so, how long did you say it would be until they were in the Prime Zone?"

"Roughly two hours."

"…Feel like settling our draw?"

"…" A chess board floated from Master Hand's desk over to the table in front of them, the pieces arranging themselves. "I believe you have first move." The man who had accompanied Blaze just stood in the corner, quietly watching, smiling at the two. _Twenty says Master Hand will defeat Councilor Blaze_, the man thought to himself.

* * *

"AAAAHHH!"

BAM

"Shinobi, why did you agree to be the test subject?" Z asked. She continued to flip through her book, while Shinobi sat dazed against the wall.

"Oooo, look at the pretty birdies," Shinobi said, pointing at the space above his head.

SPLASH

Shinobi shook his head vigorously, the water flying off. "Thanks, Kishi," he said. Kishi put the bucket down, nodding. "Alright," Shinobi continued, cracking his knuckles. "No more mister nice na…oh, shit." Shinobi was hit by a blue laser, once more flying through the walls.

"I don't remember Palkia-sama having a laser," Kishi called through the hole.

"It was just a test," J called back. "We're taking it off now."

"What about Ancient Power?" Z called through the hole.

"Still working on it," was Sasuke's reply. "We only have one or two adjustments before…hm? Rockman, what are you babbling…what?" Sasuke nearly yelled the last sentence. "J, this project will need to be put on hold temporarily."

"HALLELUJAH!" Everyone stared towards the newest hole, Shinobi pumping his fists.

"Well…as I was saying," Sasuke said, adjusting his glasses on his face. "I have a Zone that I would like to explore for a bit. It seems Rockman has just gotten off the phone with Will. There is a place called Rush Valley that holds the material needed for something called Automail."

"Automail, huh?" J half asked. "I think I've heard of the stuff. Supposed to be an engineering miracle, or something along those lines. I'll come along as well. Never know when that stuff will come in handy."

* * *

"Check," Blaze said, placing his queen one square away from Master Hand's king. Both were down to their queen and king. Master Hand's king slid one square away, taking a diagonal slip away. "Perhaps we should take up something a little less complicated," Blaze suggested as he moved his queen to follow. "Like shogi."

"I was thinking something more along the lines of Go," Master Hand replied. The man who had accompanied Blaze was now leaning against his spear, snoring. "Oh, come now, Pyre. I understand that chess can be slow, but that is no excuse for sleeping on the job." Pyre awoke with a start, snorting.

"Of course," he said. "Apologies, Master Hand." He bowed at the waist to Master Hand, before standing back up.

"And for goodness sake, man, please come out of the shadows. I understand that it is just a personal preference, but it is somewhat unnerving knowing that you are being watched from the dark." Pyre did so, revealing that his armor was the Darkness Zone Armor. His armor was very similar to Kishi's, except that instead of only his eyes showing, it was his mouth and chin that showed, his eyes covered by a visor. "Thank you." Master Hand then turned to the clock on the wall. "Oh, my. We seem to have lost track of time."

"Damn. Four minutes until they get there," Blaze said, standing up. "I've cut it close before, but this is really pushing it. Come, Pyre. It is time for us to take our leave."

"Of course, Councilor Blaze," Pyre said. Blaze was surrounded by an aura of Flame Zone Energy that began to bleed off of him, slowly becoming a green Zone Portal. Blaze stepped through, Pyre following him.

* * *

"Palkia," Max said, seeing a large, dinosaur like being in the training room that J and Sasuke had been working in. The pokemon was mostly white, with pink stripes that seemed to be illuminated racing down its body. The pokemon also had small tusks on its mouth, its red eyes spotting Max.

"Ahem," Palkia said. "Manners, young Maxwell."

"Oh, apologies, Palkia-_sama_," Max said, bowing at the waist. "A pleasant surprise, this is. May I ask why you are here?"

"I have escorted the Hunter Eradication Army here for Blaze and Zonic to…'interrogate' them. I also wanted to get a look at that program they were working on for me. I was surprised to learn that the project was undertaken once more, considering the results from the first time I allowed you to copy my biometrics."

"Well, unfortunately, the project has been put on hold temporarily," Max said. "They just left a few minutes ago to another Zone for some Automail material. But I think I can start the program up for a quick test," Max added as an afterthought. Max walked over to the terminal in the room, his fingers slowly working the keys. After a bit, a hologram slowly formed, taking the shape of Palkia.

"Oh, how fabulous," a person said, making Max jump. He turned around to see a blue haired person standing beside the real Palkia. He…er, she…uh…it? The person was wearing a vest over a slightly purple uniform, wearing make-up and earrings. "The very spitting image of Palkia-dono."

"Yes, Leeron, it is," Palkia said.

"Um…who's…your friend?" Max asked. He couldn't tell if this Leeron person was a man or woman and he was getting creeped out, for reasons unknown to Max himself.

"Max, this is Leeron. Leeron, this is Maxwell Escal." Leeron held out its hand, which Max gently shook, fighting every instinct to keep from cringing.

"Perhaps you could show us just what this little beauty can do," Leeron said, putting a hand on its face.

"Uh, sure. Shinobi!" Max yelled. Shinobi came in on crutches.

"Yeah, Max…oh, hell no," Shinobi said. "No, no, _fuck_ no!"

"Shinobi, please? You're the only one this simulation is programmed to target."

"Fine," Shinobi grumbled. The simulated Palkia roared, swinging its tail at Shinobi, who ducked under it. "Phew. That was close." He then looked up to see the simulated Palkia open its maw. "Oh, son of a-"

BOOM

Max stood there, sweatdropping. "When did you get a laser?" he asked. Palkia was also sweatdropping.

"I wasn't aware I had one," he answered. "Although I must say, I do like quite good doing it."

"Yes, you do," Leeron agreed.

"Perhaps I should work on that."

* * *

"So, you're the Hunter Eradication Army," Blaze said, walking into a room with the group gathered, as well as a Sonic look alike. The difference was that he had no quills, wore yellow and red clothing, and a visor. "Zonic, I assume."

"And you must be Blaze," the Sonic look alike answered.

"You're late," Shadow said, tapping his foot. His appearance was a little different from the last time he had been in the Prime Zone. His gloves and shoes were both pitch black in color, the gloves with a flame pattern on the back, his rocket skates sporting flame patterns on the sides. The red markings that had once been on his arms were now flame patterns, a flame pattern now on his patch of white fur.

"Oh, I am?" Blaze asked. "Apologies."

"Can we just get this over with?" Viral asked. He and Bass were both bored out of their minds, as was the rest of the Hunter Eradication Army. "I want to get back to watching Simon getting beaten up."

"Gee, thanks," a boy said. He had blue hair that feel just short of his eyes. His blue jacket went to his knees, open to reveal that he wasn't wearing a shirt, but his torso was wrapped in bandages, his brown shorts looking slightly ragged. On his head was a pair of goggles and something akin to a mole, around his neck a small drill hanging off of a length of thread. The small mole thing squeaked. "At least Boota's on my side."

"Ahem," came a voice. Blaze looked to see a teenage girl wearing a black bikini top with a flame pattern on it. Her shorts were extremely short, stopping just above her thighs, while on her back was a large rifle that was almost as tall as herself. Her red hair was put up into a ponytail.

"Oh. You too, Yoko."

"Thank you."

"Pyre," Blaze said.

"There are no discernible weapons, save for the young girl's rifle, Councilor Blaze," Pyre said, appearing behind Shadow, who was at the foremost of the group, surprising those gathered, save for Blaze. "I cannot say for certain whether this hedgehog is holding weapons in his hammerspace, but it would not surprise me, given this one's reputation."

_How the hell did he get behind me?_ Shadow thought to himself. _And then to appear without anyone else noticing him _in front_ of their noses. _Out loud, he simply said, "You can trust that I am _always_ armed."

"Of course, Shadow-dono," Pyre said. He walked over to stand in the corner and seemed to melt into the shadows provided, surprising those gathered once more. "I'll just be here if you need me, Councilor."

"Thank you, Pyre," Blaze said. "Now then, let's get down to business. I'm sure we all have questions. And I give my word that I will answer any questions you have to the best of my ability. But not until Zonic and myself are done. Is there anyone who does not find this acceptable?" Kir and Jing slowly raised their hands. "That aren't you two." They slowly put their hands back down, while everyone else just sat or stood in their spots. "Alright then."

* * *

**What **_**is**_** that medal supposed to be? And someone who can sneak up on **_**Shadow**_**? The Palkia program seems to work well enough, Solo and Pat are gone, and Blaze and Zonic have to figure out **_**what**_** they need to ask the Hunter Eradication Army. Things can't get any harder, right? Please Review.**


	81. The Interviews

**The Interviews**

"Alright," Blaze said, sliding the chair out and sitting in it, Zonic already seated. "First things first. Names."

"Seriously?" Zonic asked.

"Hey, if you had to deal with someone like Lai, you'd do the same," Blaze retorted. "Oh, almost forgot." He created a mini Zone Portal, reaching through to pull a small recording device from it.

"Is this guy really that bad?"

"Yes, he is."

"Fine," Shadow said. "I am Shadow the Hedgehog."

"Viral."

"Yoko."

"Simon. And the little mole pig on my head is Boota."

"Kir."

"Jing."

"Scar."

"Bass."

"Alright," Blaze said. "We're off to a good start."

"Yes, yes, we get it," Jing said. "Can we move a little faster, old man?" Blaze felt a tick mark beginning on his forehead, but he smiled.

"Sure thing, 'sonny'," he said. "But call me old man again and I might be tempted to break one of your arms, okay?"

"Whatever, old man." Blaze smiled once more before jumping across the table. It took the entire Hunter Eradication Army, save for Shadow, Yoko, and Simon, to pull Blaze off, but not for long.

"I'll have you know I'm twenty one, you little punk!" Shadow smirked, rather enjoying the beating that Jing was getting. He began to laugh even harder when Kir was mistakenly pulled into it. By that time, the rest of the group had decided to just let Blaze calm down. After a few minutes and a couple of cracks, Blaze went back to his chair, straightening his hair and smoothing out the wrinkles in his outfit. "Pyre, please tend to their wounds."

"Yes, Councilor," Pyre answered. He came out of the corner, walking over to the two, his hands bathed in Zone Energy. "I would normally say that this won't hurt at all, but given the extent of your injuries, well…it won't feel good." He went to work, letting his Zone Energy seep into their injuries, the Zone Energy mending the broken bones. "Oh, my. Councilor, I believe you may have gone a little overboard."

"Now then, let's start with you, miss Yoko," Blaze said, pretending he hadn't heard. "How long have you been with this group?"

"Only for a short time," Yoko answered, watching as Jing and Kir's oddly bent limbs slowly straightened with help from Pyre's Zone Energy. "Um, I know you said that we would have to wait until after, but I don't know if it can wait. How is he healing them?"

"I'm wondering that myself," Shadow said. "I saw quite a bit from my stay at this HQ, but I do not remember mention of healing with Zone Energy."

"Well, I suppose I can answer that question at least," Blaze said, tapping his chin. "If you don't mind, Zonic."

"Oh, no. I'm rather intrigued myself," Zonic said.

"Well, it's one of Pyre's abilities. He is something of a healer. But healing with Zone Energy is somewhat...difficult. Kind of like performing medical jutsu. If you don't know what you're doing, you can do more harm than good. His ability is also one of the reasons that he is my guard. When I fight…well, due to my style of fighting, as well as how I _use_ my Zone Energy, I tend to acquire injuries without realizing it."

"And…what is your style like?" Shadow asked.

"Hey, I said one question."

"Then consider the one question a two part," Shadow said, glaring at Blaze.

"Well…how do I put this…I burn my own nervous system. I shoot it to _haran_, as a friend of mine was once fond of saying." Yoko and Simon looked ready to faint, while Shadow tilted his head.

"You burn your own nervous system? As in, kill off the very nerve endings themselves? With your Zone Energy? And what of the pain you feel at doing this?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. That is why Pyre is my guard. He is the top healer in the Zone Watchers. His precision is so accurate; he is able to fix my nervous system over and over again. And as for the pain, it's so quick, my brain no longer reacts as it once did…gah, what am I doing? _We're_ supposed to be asking the questions!"

"Perhaps I should take over for a bit," Zonic suggested.

"Yes, I believe so."

"Ahem. Ah, Viral. Yes, here we are. Can you confirm that you first joined with this group after fighting them in your home Zone?"

"Yes, that is how I came to join them," Viral said, nodding his head.

"And what have you witnessed while in this team?"

"The defeat of the Absolute Hunters many times. And our defeat many times, as well." Viral hung his head on the last sentence, ashamed that something like that could happen to him.

"And…I apologize if this question is personal for those gathered…what of this man named Kamina?" Yoko closed her eyes, Simon looked down, and Viral just stared at Zonic.

"He is a trivial matter," Viral said and Yoko's eyes snapped open, staring at him in anger and confusion, her eyes tearing up, but whether out of anger or sadness, neither Zonic nor Blaze could tell. "The Kamina I face now is not the Kamina I fought and respected."

"What can you tell us about him?"

"Of this man, nothing. Of the man I knew, I can tell you he was a reckless fighter who could inspire just about anyone. Always going on about being a real man and what not." Viral sat back, closing his eyes, signaling that he was done with answering for the time being.

"Okay," Blaze said, taking up the questioning. "Bass. Ah, Bass. A name that I have heard in many Zones. It doesn't seem to matter what Zone you exist in, you always make a name for yourself. And how long have you been with this team?"

"Since it was first created. Before it was even given its current name," Bass answered.

"And why did you choose to join the team?"

"Because," Bass said, "I'm always looking for a good fight."

"As is only fitting. And what do you hope to accomplish?"

"Don't really know," he answered honestly. "And I don't really think I give a damn. As long as I get a good fight, I'll stick around."

"Hmph. I see," Blaze said. "Now, here's a question for both Bass and Viral. What do you plan on doing with what little you've learned of Zone Energy?"

"Zone Energy?" Bass asked. "Oh, that crap that Viral was trying to explain. Sorry, but I didn't take the time to learn something so useless."

"I believe you're confusing him with Beamer," Viral said. "And as for what I plan on doing, I plan to use it in this fight. To destroy the Absolute Hunters with it." Viral slammed his fist, which had suddenly been coated in his Zone Energy, into the table, leaving a small hole, the emphasis put on the word 'destroy'.

"I see," Blaze said. "Let's move on, shall we?"

"Simon," Zonic said. "What about you? How long have you been with the Hunter Eradication Army?"

"About the same time as Yoko," Simon answered, Boota squeaking in agreement.

"And from what I read before coming here, you were in charge of your Zone for a short time?"

"Not really in charge, but something like that, I suppose," Simon replied.

"I see. Well, that's all I really have, since you and Yoko have just recently joined the Hunter Eradication Army."

"My turn, then," Blaze said. "Scar. If I remember the rumors floating around a while back in your Zone, you use a destructive form of something called alchemy, yes?"

"Yes," Scar answered.

"And is it true that you are the reason that Lan Hikari lost his arm?"

"Yes, it is."

"Then I would suggest you avoid Team Ryūsei for a long time. The Megaman of that team is ready to peel you like a grape. And before you even start scoffing, just remember that this particular Megaman, who is a reincarnation of Sonic, can go Hellspine. A form that I have found makes even the bravest of beings shudder just from seeing it alone. I myself have seen the destructive power of it. It is not to be taken lightly," Blaze said, his eyes and tone of voice serious. "Pray that you never have to face such power. Whether with reinforcements or alone. Trust me when I say it makes no difference to that beast." Scar gulped, sweating a little. "And last is Shadow. First, allow me to change tapes. I plan on getting as much from you as I can, as you have been around for millennia."

"What about Jing and Kir?" Shadow asked as Blaze began to switch the tapes.

"Another good thing about Pyre is that he can do my job just as easily. While he was healing those two idiots, he was also questioning them about their time with your team. Now then, perhaps we should start simply. You worked with Jing, Kir, and Bass originally, correct?"

"Correct."

"And soon after setting out, Scar and Viral joined you, yes?" Shadow nodded. "Good. So that much of our intelligence is correct. And…what about the time your quills were dyed pink?" Shadow's eye began twitching as he pulled out a SMG, cocking it. "Okay, perhaps another question?" Blaze asked as he began to sweat. "I apologize, Shadow. But these questions were voted on by the entire council. I must ask them, unfortunately."

"I will simply say this. If that question is asked again, I will personally take care of the one who suggested it."

"Got it," Blaze and Zonic said.

"How about your relationship to Roll Sakurai?" Blaze asked. Shadow reached behind his back, his hand reappearing with very old, browning papers, small rips around the edges. Blaze took them gently studying them.

"She is my adopted sister, legally," Shadow said. "Those papers should be good in all Zones, correct?"

"Yes, they are," Blaze said. "I don't know who you had notarize these, but this right here," he said, pointing at a symbol in the bottom right, "is the crest of the Zone Watchers." It was what looked like a circle with a Z and W layered on one another, with what looked like a small Zone Portal emblazoned in the very center of the circle. "This crest is known in almost every Zone, but there are Zones unaware of this symbol or refuse to recognize it. Although I am surprised that you were able to get it."

"I know the right people," Shadow replied.

"I can see that. And now, about your sister herself. How you first met her, powers, fighting styles, anything that can tell us more about such an unusual phenomenon." And Shadow spoke. He recounted how he first met Roll, how she had tackled him just before he used Chaos Control to warp to a place he called Space Colony Ark. He went over her training with Sonic at a temple dedicated to the martial arts, her reincarnation as a netnavi, recounting everything about her to the present time. Blaze ended up changing tapes twice more during this. "Well. That certainly seems to be quite a story."

"Is there anything else you require?"

"Well, there are some things to discuss," Blaze admitted. "For one thing, Jing over there. I want my wallet back."

"Heh heh," Jing chuckled nervously, handing over the said item. "Sorry. Couldn't help myself."

"Yeah, I'm sure," Blaze said, snatching the wallet back. "Also, what can you tell us about these Absolute Hunters?"

"You're a Zone Watcher. Shouldn't you know?" Shadow asked.

"Oh, I do. I was just wondering if you had information that we can't get."

"Such as?"

"Something called the Seven Pillars? Or was it altars? Damn it, I knew I should have written it down."

"Outta the way!" Shinobi yelled, opening the door behind Blaze, jumping over the group and the table and running through the other door.

"Uh…"

"I believe that was Shinobi, Councilor," Pyre said from his corner. "Most likely running from that simulated Palkia that Palkia-dono was talking about earlier in our last meeting."

"Alright. Next thing is quite simple," Blaze said. "Again, this was asked of me a majority of the council. Can we trust you to keep us up to date on anything involving the Absolute Hunters? They have been interfering between Zones for too long and they have just recently broken a rule that cannot go unpunished."

"The resurrection of the dead?" Viral asked.

"Yes. Although it is more accurate to say that they simply reversed time around the being. Although it technically does not break the law, it is still a fine line. And when you come to a final battle with them…be careful. I would like to say that the Zone Watchers would be happy to help, but I am afraid that only myself and two other council members are actually willing. I am sure that the newest honorary member will drop everything to help, if it does not interfere in his own troubles with Kalar. But I can assure you that at the very least, Pyre and myself will come to your aid. If you require it, that is."

"We'll keep that in mind," Shadow said. He stood up to leave, but Blaze stopped him.

"Also, if you're ever in the Zone Watchers place, look for a man named Olo. He says he's been looking for a being known as the Ultimate Life Form. Something about a gift. Something to help in a fight."

"A gift, huh? Sorry, not really interested."

"I don't know. From what I've seen, even you might want to use it."

"I guess we'll never know."

"At least consider it if you happen to be in the neighborhood." Blaze stood up, nodding to the group before leaving the room. Pyre slipped out of the door as it was still closing, sticking to the shadows as he followed Blaze. "Pyre, I want you to go ahead and take these to the council." He handed Pyre the tapes. "I'm going to go visit someone I haven't seen in years."

"Yes, Councilor," Pyre said, creating a Zone Portal. Blaze continued on, pulling out his wallet before stopping.

"I'm going to kill that little bastard," Blaze said, turning around to walk back into the room he just left. In his wallet was a note that said 'Sucker!'

Meanwhile, Max was sitting with Leeron, as far from the person as possible, while he watched Palkia fight the holo-Palkia. Since the program wasn't complete, Palkia was fighting at only half strength, in order to avoid destroying the room. But it wasn't helping very much. There were holes in the wall, craters in the floor and the roof had a new sky window. The holo-Palkia suddenly faded and disappeared. "Looks like the power source needs a recharge," Max said. "So, what do you think?"

"Well, the movements are still a little choppy, but all things considered, they did very well," Palkia replied. "But I am afraid it is time for me to take my leave. The interviews should be done by now."

"Of course, Palkia-sama," Max said. "I look forward to your next visit."

"As do I," Palkia replied, bowing his head, Max mimicking the gesture.

* * *

**Well, the interviews were just…well, interviews. Shinobi is now scared for his life. And Palkia seems to like the program. Not a bad day, all in all. Please Review.**


	82. Katta Reveals and a Man Named Proctor

**Katta Reveals and a Man Named Proctor**

Blaze walked into the HQ, grumbling as he pulled a branch out of his hair. He had spent two hours walking through a wooded area to a clearing to talk with someone and another two hours on the way back. "This city's surrounded by a desert and he has to choose the only wooded area for miles around," Blaze continued mumbling. He then sighed, looking at the branch before tossing it out the door. He saw Kishi walk by, his mind flashing back to his conversation. _Alright, Hyoro,_ Blaze thought to himself. _I'll protect your son. But only because of your reputation._ Blaze then sweatdropped as Kishi nearly took his own head off with his Kage Nodachi, apparently failing at the complex maneuver he had been in the middle of. _If he doesn't kill himself first.

* * *

_

"So, how's the Palkia pro-," Kyuubi began.

"Where?" Shinobi yelled, ducking down, his hands covering his head.

"Uh…"

"He's probably scarred for life," Max said. "But the program is going okay. But without Sasuke and J here, it won't be online. Not until they get back. I really have no idea how to recharge the power system." He heard clanking and then what sounded like an electrical snap. "What the hell was that?"

"Probably Leeron," Kyuubi said. "Said that…uh…say, what gender is Leeron?"

"I don't know," Max said. "I'm not really sure if I should ask."

"Well, anyways, Leeron said that he or she could update our computers."

"And…you gave Leeron permission to do that?"

"Well, yeah."

"And you didn't think about what J and Will might do to you?"

"Uh…no, not really."

"Ha, you're deadmeat," Shinobi laughed, pointing at Kyuubi.

"Hey, Shinobi," Kyuubi said, grinning.

"What?"

"…Palkia…"

"WHERE?" Shinobi ran down the hallway, ducking into a room. Max and Kyuubi heard exactly three locks, four clanks and then seven beeps. "YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!" Kyuubi and Max sweatdropped.

"Um…well, on the plus side, we now have a way of shutting him up," Max said.

* * *

"Kishi, let go of me," Talina said. Kishi was holding her in a Full Nelson, trying to hold her back. The reason was that Max had let her old nickname slip once more and he had plastered himself against a wall.

"Now, Taly, come on," Kishi said. "I'm sure it was an accident." Inside, Kishi wasn't sure if he should laugh or shiver. He normally would've let her at Max, but right now, the sheer strength she had suddenly gained was freaking him out.

"Don't you 'Taly' me," she said, still struggling. Even though she was a master of holds, bars, and locks and knew how to get out of most, the Full Nelson was one she hadn't learned, partially because she had never been slow enough to let anyone put her in one.

"Max, I would suggest you run," Kishi said, his voice quivering as his grip loosened a little.

"Good idea," Max said, forming his Portal Sword and 'ripping' a Zone Portal beside him. He rolled through it and it disappeared. Kishi then let Talina go and she nearly tripped over her feet, but Kishi had managed to react quickly enough to grab her waist with his right arm, throwing his left arm back as he threw his weight opposite of hers. But instead of righting both of them, and partially due to the difference in their weights, he ended up pulling her onto him and they both fell back, Kishi stuck under her.

"Ow," Kishi wheezed. "That could have gone better." He pulled his head forward to look at Talina, who had decided to adjust her position so that she was sitting on his gut, her arms crossed. "Are you calm now?"

"Actually, I'm tempted to take it out on you," she said.

"Do I at least get a running start?"

"I said tempted, you idiot."

"Um…" Kishi gulped, trying to work up his courage. "I realize this might be a bad time, but…would you…honor me with a date?" Talina drew back for a second and Kishi thought he had screwed up. Then she leaned forward and threw her arms around his neck.

"Yes!"

"Wait, really?" That was the only thing Kishi could get out due to shock.

"Of course, Kishi!"

Meanwhile, Max was in a small hut, sitting across from Katta Long. "And my plan should be coming to fruition right about now," Max said, sipping his tea.

"Getting Kishi and Talina together, right?" Katta asked.

"Yep. But of course I don't dare tell either of them about it. It was hard enough convincing Kishi that he should ask Taly the first chance he gets alone with her. And my 'accidental' slip of the tongue was the perfect excuse for me to clear out."

"Do you think she'll be in a good enough mood to not want to kill you?"

"I hope so," Max replied. "So, why did you call for me?"

"Hmmm? Oh, just to talk," Katta said. "How's your Portal Sword training going?" Max spit out his tea in surprise.

"How did you know about my ability?"

"It isn't hard to get info from old sources," Katta said.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, right. I haven't told you about my days as a Zone Watcher, have I?" Katta asked, resulting in another face full of tea. "And I would appreciate it if you would stop wasting my tea."

"_You_ were a Zone Watcher?"

"Yes. I taught your father how to tap into his Zone Energy, before he was aware of the Zone Watchers. Before he even knew what the Armor of Light really was and what it could do." Katta poured himself more tea, blowing on it before taking another sip. "As a result, I was stripped of my rank as Zone Watcher, exiled, and even my name was taken from me. Or at least, my true first name was. Very few of the council still remember it."

"Why?"

"Hm?"

"Why were you exiled? Your name? Everything?"

"It's the sacrifice of being a Zone Watcher. When you choose to become a Zone Watcher, you must cut your ties to your loved ones. It is forbidden to interfere within the natural course of a Zone, although that rule is apparently losing its sway. Just look at your team."

"What do you mean?"

"Some of your team can now use their Zone Energy or have learned powers and abilities that were previously not known to this Zone."

"Like Chaos Energy," Max said, understanding dawning on his face.

"And Spiral Energy," Katta added. "Your friend, Beamer, for example. His recently awakened power is quite astounding."

"And…because you chose to help a random man…you were exiled…"

"Max, he wasn't just a random man. I saw potential in him. And that training has paid off in the end. Before meeting me, the only thing your father could do with that armor was protect himself. But afterwards, he knew how to direct his Zone Energy through it. And now, he is one of the most respected Zone Watchers around. In those…hmmm, close to eight, maybe nine years now, he made a name for himself." Katta stood up, walking over to a chest in the hut and pulled out a necklace. Max did a double take, because the necklace was identical to Kishi's.

"Where did you get that?"

"I got this from my father," Katta answered. "What you're looking at is the original Armor of Darkness. It has been passed down through the Long family for many generations, back to the very beginnings of the Zone Watchers."

"But…it looks just like a piece of Kishi's armor."

"That's because Kishi is my son. Kishi's last name is Long, although he doesn't know it." Katta held the necklace, looking at it. "Before I was able to give this to him, I was enlisted into the Zone Watchers. But I was apparently an exception, when they saw my son's potential manifest itself after I forged the Kage Nodachi. They said that he could come with me."

"What about your wife?"

"Unfortunately, she had died two months after Kishi's birth," Katta said with a sad smile. "Anyways, I had planned on giving this to him when he was older. But…"

"…But you trained my dad and got exiled before you had a chance…"

"Exactly. From what Blaze told me, Kishi had asked what had happened to me. Tara, Tarn, and Blaze told him that I had died on a mission, wanting him to remember me without disgrace." He gave a real smile this time. "I'm truly grateful to them for that. And I would ask that you do the same. Do not let him know who I really am."

"But…wouldn't he recognize you anyways?"

"I doubt it. The last time I saw him, he was only the age of two. I'm not even sure he'll remember what I looked like back then."

"Katta…"

"What is it?"

"…Nothing. And don't worry," Max continued as he stood up and headed towards the hut's door. "I won't tell Kishi. Or anyone else, for that matter."

"Thanks for that," Katta said, but he knew that Max was already gone.

* * *

"Max!" Talina exclaimed, her tone cheery. Max jumped against the wall, eyes shut, wondering how she already found him. And to think, he had been only inches from his bedroom. Talina leaned forward, tilting her head. "Um…what are you doing?"

"Waiting for the hit," Max squeaked. "Please, do it quick!"

"Hit? Oh, that. Don't worry, I'm good now," she said, smiling.

"Huh?"

"By the way, Kishi and I won't be back 'til late, so don't bother waiting up for either of us," she said over her shoulder as she walked away.

"Hey, Max, you're still alive," Kishi said, slapping his back as he walked by. Max sniffed and swore that Kishi was actually wearing cologne. He stood there for a few minutes as his mind processed what had happened. He then cracked a smile.

"Can't believe that worked," he said to himself. "Now that I think about it, I should find my girl and spend some time with her. Now where is she aaaAGGH!" Max fell down as a Z appeared out of nowhere, slamming into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Speak of the devil."

"Hi, Max," Z said, smiling at her boyfriend. "Looking for me?"

"Not anymore," he replied. He gestured. "Getting up anytime soon?"

"Nah, I think I'm good," she said. Max sighed, shaking his head.

"Sometimes, I wonder if Taly's starting to rub off on you."

* * *

A few hours later, Max was in the room that Sasuke and J had chosen to work on the Palkia program, taking a look at the power source. "Wonder if there's an Electric Zone Energy," Max said to himself, checking around the circuits. "Damn it, how is it that I become a technological genius when I have amnesia and then suddenly become normal ol' me afterwards? I've tried everything except kick it."

"Maybe you should try it," a voice said behind him. Max stood up, turning around. He saw a man in the Armor of Light, holding a sword. "You'd be surprised at what can happen."

"Who are you?" Max jumped back as the man suddenly appeared in front of him, slashing vertically, from top to bottom. "Hey, watch it!"

"Defend yourself, Maxwell," the man said, charging him, repeatedly slashing.

"Whoa, hang on now," Max said as he dodged the strokes, but the sword came uncomfortably close every time. "You're really starting to piss me off."

"Then fight back," the man replied. "Show me that you can be trusted with the armor."

"Urgh!" Max brought out his armor, also pulling out the hilt that he used for his Portal Sword. "I'll show you that I can be trusted with it." Max formed the Portal Sword, blocking the man's slashes. "Who the hell are you?"

"A man who will test you," was the reply. "Just call me Proctor for now." He jumped back, flourishing the sword. "Let's see if you have what it takes."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Proctor smiled.

"You young fool. Do you honestly believe that you are ready to fight Kalar? Do you not realize how far beyond that man is?"

"What?"

"And you. You're nothing but an insect to that man. The only reason he has concentrated on you is because you alone are the biggest threat to him. Not the Zone Watchers. Not the Dragon Trio. But you. Because you are so much like him. Because you have potential that he can see."

"You aren't making any sense!"

"Then let me show you in battle. That is the only way the two of us will be able to talk." And with that, Proctor charged once more. He stayed on the offensive, not once letting up. This went on for half an hour and Max was beginning to wonder why no one had come to see what was going on. And then he realized ten minutes later why. This was a training room. Fight noises were common in here and everyone knew that this was the room Max favored for his training. But in that split second Max's attention was taken off Proctor to process that, he was knocked back by Proctor's foot. "As I thought, you aren't even close to being a match for Kalar."

"Urr…" Max growled, wondering who this man thought he was to make such a condescending statement. "Shut up! You don't know what I can do!"

"But I do, Maxwell. I do. That is why I must show you what you can't do." Proctor slowly walked back and forth. "How do you cope with it? Knowing that anytime, Kalar could come here and kill everyone you know? And you would be powerless to stop him?"

"I said shut up…"

"You take all this responsibility on yourself. Is it because you blame yourself for Kalar coming back? Or maybe for the things that have happened since he came back? Things that you were never powerful enough to stop?" Max pulled out the hilt of Tara's brother.

"I said, SHUT UP!" A second Portal Sword began to form on that hilt, but the man only smiled.

"Good. You're learning quick."

"What?"

"Now you know that you can use that hilt right there. Very good indeed."

"What the hell is your problem? Did the council send you?"

"Oh, I don't have a problem. And no, the council didn't send me. The council doesn't even know I exist."

"Then how do you have an Armor of Light?"

"Because," Proctor answered, "I made the Zone Watchers."

"What?" Max gasped.

"Don't worry," Proctor said. "For now, that is. I am not enemy at this point. But I'm not necessarily an ally either." Proctor slashed with his sword, tearing a Zone Portal in the air, stepping through it. "We will meet again, boy," he said from the portal. Max just stared at the spot, his Portal Swords fizzling out.

"Damn it," he whispered. "Damn it, damn it, damn it."

* * *

**Proctor…who in the Prime Zone is he? Well, I already know, of course, but I'm not telling anytime soon. I own Proctor. Please Review.**


	83. Sync Merge

**Sync Merge**

"Max," Tara said as said person walked into the council chamber. "Thank you for coming."

"It's no trouble, Councilor Tara," Max said as he walked into the chamber. He noticed that Palkia was standing to one side of the chamber, leering at Lai. "Uh, what's going on here?"

"I have just informed the council that my mother wants the Zone Watchers to work with the Hands," Palkia explained. "And it seems that there are those who are willing to risk their lives to do otherwise."

"Which is where you will come in," Tarn said. "Other than Blaze, you are closer to the Hands than anyone else here."

"And as such, you will be present at the meeting with the Hands, acting as a mediator, if the need arises," Tara added.

"What is the meeting for?" Max asked, looking around the chamber.

"To discuss strategy," Palkia explained. "As of now, the Smashers, Assisters, and the Zone Watchers are officially at war with the Absolute Hunters. Their meddling between Zones is becoming a nuisance and has already broken the barrier between three Zones." Max gave a low whistle. "Exactly."

"Three Zones, huh? I can see how that would be a problem. And what part am I to play in this, as I am only an honorary Watcher?"

"For now, to make sure the meeting doesn't get out of hand." Palkia then leaned closer towards Lai, addressing him directly. "And if I hear of bad behavior, there will be consequences. Understood?"

"Understood, Palkia-sama," Lai replied, avoiding eye contact.

"Palkia-sama, perhaps you would like J to join as well?" Max asked before Palkia could leave the chamber. "He is supposed to be the perfect combat netnavi."

"Well, I suppose there would be no harm in letting him attend the meeting," Palkia admitted. "But I will leave the choice of him fighting to the Hands and Watchers."

* * *

Outside the chamber, Max began walking towards the archives. He jumped when he heard a voice. "Interesting idea, Palkia had," Proctor said behind Max.

"What are you doing here?" Max asked, cautiously watching him, looking for his sword.

"Don't worry," Proctor said, holding up his hands. "I'm not here to test you right now. Just wanted to see what's going on around here. So, are you going to mediate the gathering?"

"If it means keeping peace between Zones, then yes," Max said, turning away and continuing on his path.

"Well, that's good to hear," Proctor continued, following him. "That's the kind of spirit you should have. Willing to do anything to protect the balance between Zones."

"Why the hell are you even here?"

"Like I said, I just wanted to see what's going on. And I get lonely at times."

"What are you, a hamster?"

"Oh, ha ha, very funny. But all things considered, everything seems okay here."

"Then you can leave. And maybe you'll be able to keep your secret."

"Hm? Oh, right. Well, funny thing about that. See, no one really sees me."

"What, you're a figment of my imagination?"

"No, I'm just really good at stealth. So, where ya goin'?" Max clenched his fists. This Proctor guy was really starting to get on his nerves.

"Just leave," Max growled.

"So, I'm rubbing you wrong way?" Proctor just chuckled. "Fine, fine, I can take a hint. I'll leave. But the next time I show up, you're going to have another test." And with that, he was gone, leaving no trace that he had even been there to start with. Max continued walking until he made it to the archive, Addy looking up as the door opened.

"Hey, Addy," Max said, walking up to the counter.

"Hello, Max," Addy said with that same smile she almost always had. "How can I help you?"

"Is your brother here?"

"He's in back," Addy replied. "You can go ahead and go back there. Just come around the counter and go through the door."

"Thanks." Max headed back, closing the door behind him. He noticed the drop in temperature. "Zone Change: Flame." His jacket turned the red of the Flame Zone Energy. He surrounded his body with Flame Zone Energy, warming the area around him. He walked down a small hall, finding Gent behind the door at the end.

"Yo, Max," Gent said, typing on a computer. Max saw code scrolling down the screen at an incredible rate, comparable to the speed that J, Sasuke, and Will would normally be working. "Need something?"

"Yeah. I want to know about the Ice Zone Energy. What it feels like."

"Well, that's an interesting request," Gent said, stopping with his typing and turning around to face Max. "Alright, ask away."

* * *

"Moetsukiru," Blaze said. His Zone Energy flared, burning a small crater around him before calming down. He then put his right foot back, resting his most of his weight on his left foot, which was now the forward most foot. His arms simply hung at his sides and his head was tilted slightly to the left. Pyre was off to the side, his hands bathed in his Zone Energy. "Since you're the attacker, I'll give you first hit." The man he was fighting was someone who looked like Protoman, but his entire body was pale. The Protoman double stabbed Blaze's left leg, near the thigh, but Blaze didn't even flinch. He simply brought his fist up and into the double's face. The double's sword broke as his body was launched back, his body slowly fading out. Blaze sighed, walking over to Pyre, taking no notice of his profusely bleeding wound. "These missions are just too easy. I thought this thing was supposed to be challenging."

"Sir, please tell you aren't turning into Kenpachi," Pyre said as he put one hand over the wound. Blaze shook his head.

"No, I'm not. I'm just tired of these boring missions. Maybe I should pay him a visit again," Blaze said, his tone thoughtful. Pyre groaned as he completed healing the wound, but it was out of annoyance, not strain. "What?"

"Last time you visited him, you nearly lost an arm. I can heal a lot of things, but severed limbs is not one of them." Pyre then motioned Blaze to sit down and Blaze did so, while Pyre began moving his hands across his knees and shoulders, sending his Zone Energy directly into Blaze's body. Blaze then grabbed his wrist, pushing it away.

"There's someone else here, Pyre," Blaze said, turning his head to look over his shoulder. "Looks like you'll have to patch me up after this."

"But, councilor," Pyre began, before jumping back in midsentence as a small golden boomerang curved through the spot he had been kneeling in just seconds prior.

"Nice reflexes," a voice said from behind Blaze. Blaze gave a grunt as he stood up and turned around to face a young man in his late teens with messy red hair. On the right of his belt was the golden boomerang he had just thrown. He was wearing no shirt, instead showing his chiseled torso for all the world to see. His pants were simple blue jeans, nothing special about them and he wore a pair of red goggles that rested at his neck. "Mind telling me why you just 'killed' my friend?"

"Considering the damage he's done, I think it was well warranted," Blaze replied, shrugging. "Destruction in one Zone by a being from a different Zone isn't taken lightly among the Zone Watchers."

"And did you stop to think that maybe he might have friends who would worry about him?"

"Oh, it occurred to me. It occurred to me that anyone who acts as accomplice will also be punished."

"I suppose that's sound reasoning," the young man considered before pulling out a biometal. Blaze hadn't even noticed it hanging opposite the boomerang. The biometal was red, with what looked like a boomerang pointing down attached just below the top. "Megamerge." The man was surrounded by wind, dust kicking up to form a tunnel around him. When the wind eased, the dust gently fell to reveal him in red armor, the same boomerang, now bigger, on his head, mimicking the biometal. There was a small launcher on his right wrist and his boomerang now hung on the left side. He took it off, firing three more boomerangs from the launcher, catching them to create a large boomerang about the size of a sword. "Of course, you know I'll have to teach you a lesson for doing that."

"They never want to do it the easy way," Blaze said with a sigh. He then gave a hint of small surprise when the man suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Name's Kent," the young man said as he hit Blaze in the jaw with an uppercut. But he was surprised when Blaze didn't fall back.

"Blaze," was the reply, followed by a fist of Flame Zone Energy to Kent's gut. "I would say good punch, but since I didn't really feel it, I can't." Blaze backed up a step as Kent bent over to hold his now sore gut.

"The hell are you?" Kent gasped out, gritting his teeth.

"Just a human."

_Come on, Kent, get up and fight,_ a voice said, Blaze assuming it was the biometal.

"I know, Quick. But let's see you take a hit like that and not double over," Kent snapped back.

"Kent, was it? Which Mega Man are you?" Blaze asked.

"What the fuck is a Mega Man?" Kent asked, taking deep breaths. "I'm Quick Man in this form."

"A Zone where there is no classification of Mega Mans," Blaze said to himself. "I didn't think there were any that existed." Blaze then felt like he should have felt pain and looked down to see a sword sliding itself out from his gut. He turned around to see the Protoman double.

"Do you know what it's like being killed?" the double asked. "Because I'm getting pretty fucking tired of it."

"Oh, shut it, Kad," Kent said. "That's getting real old, real fast." Blaze stood there, watching the exchange.

"Whatever," Kad said. "But there's no way we'll win this divided."

"Then come at me two on one if you wish," Blaze said.

"Oh, it'll still be one on one," Kent said.

"Just not in the way," Kad said.

_You think,_ Quick finished.

"_Sync!_" Blaze watched as Kad disappeared and Kent's body began to glow. The glow slowly started to change as the boomerang on his head was moved back to become parallel to the ground, while the spike normally present on Protoman's helmet sprouted. A visor soon followed, covering the eyes, but there were still more changes. The armor became less bulky, the launcher becoming slimmer. The boomerang at his side became a sword, sheathed for now. On his left wrist, there was a small protrusion now sprouting, but Blaze couldn't even begin to guess at its purpose. The glow faded after that last part was done sprouting. "Kotep! Alright, get ready!" Kotep looked around, but didn't see Blaze. He then turned around to see Pyre healing Blaze once more. "Hey! What the hell are you doing?"

"Hm?" Blaze looked over his shoulder. "Oh, I'm leaving. Your behavior and actions aren't those of the one who was reported." Blaze stood up, flexing his muscles. "Good work, Pyre. Even better than last time."

"Hey, get back here!" was Kotep's yell. Blaze lifted a foot as a boomerang hit the spot. "I wanna fight, damn it!" Blaze kicked the boomerang with the back of his heel, sending it into Kotep's helmet, Kotep's ears ringing.

"There. Fight's over." Blaze was about to make a Zone Portal when he felt a pain in his back. The next thing he saw was the ground rushing towards his face to say hello. He planted his palms on the ground, halting his fall. He stood up and turned back towards Kotep, who was smirking, balancing a boomerang on his right index finger tip.

"Wrong. Now it's over." Kotep tossed the boomerang up before catching it.

"Good. Glad that's settled."

"Oh, come on! You're really just gonna walk away from a challenge?"

"Yes, I am."

"Fucking old man." Blaze stopped in mid step, a tick mark on his forehead.

"Say that again. I dare you."

"Old man." Kotep dodged the ball of Flame Zone Energy from Blaze's left hand. "Oh, I get it. You don't like that, do you?"

"Ask the last guy who called me that," Blaze replied. "Moetsukiru." Blaze's Zone Energy flared up again, burning his nervous system. "You're gonna get that fight you wanted."

"Finally," Kotep said, licking his chops. "Get ready to feel the power of the Sync Merge!" He disappeared, reappearing literally under Blaze's nose to perform another uppercut. This time, Blaze was lifted by the sheer force of the blow, which resulted in him landing hard on his back. But he stood back up, almost as if nothing had happened.

"Time to teach you some respect," Blaze said, bathing his hands in Flame Zone Energy. The energy glowed brighter and brighter until his hands were now coated in actual flame. He walked slowly towards Kotep, who was smirking. He leaned forward as Blaze came within arm's reach, sticking out his chin.

"Go on. One free shot," he said.

"You'll regret that." And Blaze hit him hard, but didn't stop at one. He laid into Kotep, the armor starting to crack, Kotep realizing that he had chosen an opponent who was levels beyond him. When Blaze let up, Kotep was about to step back before he saw the flames covering Blaze's fists flare. "Launch." The fire shot out as two columns at him, knocking him back. Blaze turned around. "Fight's over. Another Watcher or two will be here in an hour to take you back to your home Zone. And don't even try to claim that just because you're unconscious, I didn't warn you." Blaze made a Zone Portal and left, Pyre in tow. True to his words, two Zone Watchers returned to grab Kotep, but the being was nowhere to be found.

* * *

"Damn," Kent said as he walked through a wooded area, Kad behind him, Quick clipped to his belt. "That guy…that guy wasn't human."

"Levels beyond us," Kad said.

"Just like I told you," Quick said from Kent's belt. "But you guys never listen to me anyway."

"If only…we had more power," Kent said.

"I can help you with that," came Kalar's voice from the shadows. He stepped forward into the light. "Come with me and you'll get that power." But Kent and his partners kept walking, passing Kalar.

"Whatever. There's always a catch and I don't do favors."

"Are you sure you wouldn't make an exception this time? It's quite simple. Come work for me." Kent stopped walking, Kad following suit.

"Really? And what is it I'd have to do?"

"Travel to other Zones," Kalar answered. "Maybe conquer one or two. An assassination perhaps."

"No," Kent said. "I don't do assassinations."

"Oh, come. It's nothing that doesn't happen almost every day, in some Zone. Sometimes personal, sometimes business, sometimes just a mutual agreement."

"Still no," Kent said. "I won't lower myself to that kind of level."

"And what about you?" Kalar asked, directing this question to Kad.

"I'm with him," Kad answered, jerking his thumb at Kent. "Where he goes, I go."

"Fine then," Kalar said. He stepped back into the shadows. "But I can guarantee that I am the only one who will help you gain power for such small favors."

"Small favors my ass," Kent said, walking again.

* * *

"And that's about it," Gent said. "But why did you want to know all that?"

"I want to see if it's possible to learn how to utilize other Zone Energies," Max replied. Gent laughed and then noticed Max wasn't smiling.

"Oh. You're serious."

"Yes, I am." Max looked at his hand, building up a ball of Light Zone Energy. "It's only a guess at this point, but I think it might be possible for one to learn other Zone Energies." Gent started when he saw light blue spots appearing on the ball of Light Zone Energy. But just as quickly as they had appeared, they disappeared. "And even if it isn't, then I can at least come up with some strategies for when I fight Ice Zone Energy users." Max stood up. "Thanks for your time, Gent." He walked out, while Gent rubbed his eyes.

"Damn. Must be falling behind on sleep again."

* * *

**I wonder why that Proctor guy brings out the worst in Max. I own Kent, Kad, and Quick, although the character I based the idea off of belongs to Capcom. Please Review.**


	84. Meeting of the Zones

**Meeting of the Zones**

"Sasuke, try not to overwork Shinobi while we're gone," Max called as he and J walked down the hall. "He's going to need a lot of time off before he does anything dealing with Palkia."

"WHERE?" was the now expected answer from Shinobi.

"Idiot," J mumbled under his breath. "Alright, let's get there and get this over with."

"And away we go," Max said as he sliced a Portal into the air with the Portal Sword.

* * *

Max and J walked into the foyer of the Smash Manor. "Hey, guys," a voice said to their right. "Long time, no see." They turned to see Will walking towards them and met him halfway to the stairs.

"Will," Max said, smiling. "Great to see you again, man. How have things been on your end?"

"Oh, it's a little more exciting," Will answered. "Near deaths, ridiculously strong people, my armor's gone through some major improvements and Master Hand's about ready to let Crazy Hand handle this meeting."

"It can't be that bad."

"You'll see when it actually starts."

A few minutes later, Max and J believed him.

-Order! Order, I say!- Master Hand declared as he struck the table with a gavel between two massive fingers, trying to settle down the various Zone Watchers, Smashers, Max, J, and Will –Honestly…Crazy Hand!-

-Boy…This is more awkward than the time I walked in on OJ Simpson that one time- Crazy Hand said, now resembling a fat man in a white shirt, glasses, white pants, short, silver hair, and glasses while missing his left arm, while getting everyone's attention.

-Don't you dare, Crazy Hand!- Master Hand barked as he threw the gavel at Crazy Hand's face –Now then, we are gathered here today…-

-Aw man! I forgot to bring a blender!-

"It's not a wedding!" everyone snapped.

-Correct. It is a war meeting- Master Hand said –We are gathered here today to discuss them; The Absolute Hunters. The Smashers have obtained various information on the actions they have done in this Zone. Right now, they have assassinated over fifty beings, the first part of the list being compromised of those of this Zone's saviors: Team Dai-Gurren, as well as the recently murdered Yuchiro Hikari."

"Lan's father's been killed?" Max exclaimed, "Oh man…What am I going to tell those two…?"

-Not the Lan and Megaman that you know of, Maxwell. It is this Zone's Lan Hikari that has suffered the loss of his father- Master Hand cleared.

"Oh…My bad," Max chuckled nervously while a blush formed.

"Idiot…" a certain Zone Watcher muttered.

"Enough, Lai," Blaze growled as Pyre was still healing him, "If my nervous system was fully recovered, I'd…"

-Calm down, my friend- Master Hand said –Lai, I suggest you be careful. This is a matter of the utmost importance. Now then…Furthermore, the Absolute Hunters have abducted various Smashers, innocents, and Assistants. We have recently learned that one of the captured has been recovered. Her name is Ruka. Right now, she is travelling with the members of Team Ryuusei, which our friend William here is a member of, and is under the protection of Wulf, a spectral werewolf of the Ghost Zone and former jailed of Ghost Zone Warden Walker. Blaze, would you please inform us what Ruka had to say about the location of the kidnapped?-

"Well, right now, it seems that they're either safe or in terrible danger in a Zone, currently on a world named Fiore," Blaze said. "Ruka told me that the last time she had seen all of them was right at the start of a battle. But travel to that Zone is currently…prohibited. A spell of sorts that prevents travel into and as best as I can determine, out of the Zone. Of course, there are special conditions that would allow us to travel into the Zone, but I can only assume that the 'usual' means that was mentioned to Ruka includes Zone Portals."

-And the one who outlined the spell's conditions?-

"The Lan look-alike, known as Dark-Slayer, but goes by Saito as well," Blaze said.

-The very same Dark-Slayer who took them prisoner?-

"That's my understanding of it."

"Not surprising," Tarn spoke up. "The boy never was one for fighting, nor would he stand for unfair situations or things he saw as wrong."

-Councilor Tarn, do you know this boy personally?- Master Hand asked.

"Hm? Oh, no, I wouldn't say that. But I have kept on an eye on the boy for awhile. Dragon slayers are very rare among Zones. But then again, I also have a lot of time on my hands. Watching Zones has become a hobby of mine over the centuries."

"Um…I know this has nothing to do with the current situation, but…Councilor Tarn, just how old are you?" Max asked.

"Hmmm…after 600 years, I lost count." Max, J, and Will stood there dumbfounded, as were the rest of the Zone Watchers present. "And as to the conditions of the spell, I would assume that if this boy chose to think like a dragon, then the only way to enter would be with a dragon. Of course, it's all speculation and even if it turned out to be correct, dragons, like dragon slayers, can be hard to find among Zones. But we all happen to know at least three dragons." Again, the room was quiet as the occupants stared at Tarn, save for Paradox, a man in his thirties or forties in a red shirt, brown jeans, green-tinted goggles, onyx eyes, and a white labcoat, "What?"

"I believe it would be better to let them process the information first, Tarn," Paradox said. "I must say, the reaction to your reasoning is certainly interesting. It's one thing I rarely tire of."

-Uh…yes, well, it is something that we may want to look into- Master Hand said.

"Indeed, Master Hand," a blue-skinned ghost with a tail below his waist in a purple, archaic outfit with hood, purple gloves, and a staff with a clock-theme to it agreed.

"No way are we letting you do that!" Lai declared.

-Clockwork, do you wish to…- Master Hand began as he looked at the ghost.

"Time Out," Clockwork interrupted as he pressed the top of the staff, freezing Lai in that second, "I will resume his time upon request."

The floor became silent. Clockwork chuckled as he shook his head. Will just tilted his head.

"Uh…Just who is the ghost again?" Will asked.

"I am Clockwork, I was created by Dialga himself to look at time like he does," Clockwork replied, "A pleasure to have a member of Team Ryuusei in this meeting as well."

"Uh…Thanks?" Will sweatdropped.

"That is actually a good subject," Blaze spoke as Pyre finished healing his nervous system, "I have recently fought alongside Will here along with Pyre against the Zone Protoman. His new armor was impressive. Even after we were nearly defeated, it did not receive a single scratch and it seemed to be repairing its weapons each time they broke."

-What_did_happen in your fight?- Master Hand asked.

"When we engaged the Zone Protoman, he was quicker than any being I have seen besides Sonic and Shadow. I fear he has obtained illegal upgrades that are illegal in all but fifty Zones," Blaze frowned, "Furthermore…He has gained a power called 'DarkXros.'"

"Dark Cross?" J repeated.

"No, no, no. DarkXros," Blaze spoke, "He is able to fuse with a Greymon and become MetalGreymon: Protoman Mode."

He took out a device and pressed a button on it. A holographic, 3D image of a blue-skinned T-Rex with orange stripes appeared on it. Over its head was a red helmet with a black and white blade for a horn on the front and black and white metal horns on the sides. It had a long, metal tail attached to its normal one, ending with a metallic red bird/dragon-like head. The back of its form had a metallic red, black, and white pair of jet wings with lasers on them. On its torso was a metallic red armor with Protoman's symbol on it. Its left arm was also coated in a metallic red gauntlet with three, giant black claws and metallic red armor on the sides of his legs.

"Yikes! Chaud is_not_going to be happy about this…" Max gulped.

"That's_Chaud's_Protoman?" Will exclaimed.

"Oh, right…I never told you that," Blaze sweatdropped.

-Continue with this new development, please-

"Right," Blaze nodded, "When he preformed this, we were soundly beaten. That form is a fearsome beast in truth."

-Oh, dear…- Master Hand gasped –Professor Paradox, by chance could you show us anything?-

"Well, yes," Paradox replied as he pulled out an antique pocket-watch, "However, it would spoil a few things."

"Not that far, Time-Walker," Pyre explained, "Do you know of anything about the other fights?"

"Oh, that…Indeed," Paradox nodded before holding up the broken remains of a BioMetal, "This_was_Model O, the BioMetal of the Absolute Hunters' Chaud Blaze. However…"

"He's been killed?" Tarn finished.

"Why yes," Paradox nodded, "By Reshiram's Disciple."

Everyone in the room, save for Lai, who was still stuck in his own pocket of time, Will, J, and Max, were all shocked. "A disciple of Reshiram?" Blaze managed to get out. "Are you sure?"

"Quite sure, Blaze."

"And who is it?" Clockwork asked.

"Lan Xavier Hikari, the technical founder of Team Ryuusei."

"And…Reshiram would be who?" Max asked. He almost brought out his armor at the suddenness of everyone's stares on him, except for Will and J, who were close to activating their armor out of instinct as well.

-You do not know?- Master Hand asked. Max shook his head. –I see…tell me, do you know of Arceus and her children?-

"Yeah. The Dragon Trio, Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina, right?"

-Correct. And Arceus was the first in creation, correct?-

"Well, that was my understanding."

-And did you know that there were three before even Arceus?- Max remained silent. -Their power easily trumps Arceus'. They were Reshiram, the Lord of Flames, Zekrom, the God of Thunder, and Kyurem, the Kaiser of Ice. They have been long extinct. But their power has appeared over millennia in disciples. These disciples can be identified by their arcana. The disciples normally have the Arcana of the Fool or the Arcana of Death. And their power rivals that of Arceus.-

"Whoa…" Max breathed. "That's just…wow…"

"Wait…if Lan is Reshiram's disciple, then he must have the Arcana of the Fool," Blaze said. "A strange turn of events, considering that I now know of a person with the Arcana of Death. His fiancé, Maylu Sakurai." Everyone returned their attention to him.

"Strange or predestined?" Tarn said, though it was more to himself than to the occupants of the room. Meanwhile, J had walked over to Paradox.

"Mind if I take a look at these pieces?" he asked. Paradox handed them to him and he walked back to stand beside Max and Will, completely unnoticed by the rest of the room. Max looked sidelong at his friend to notice the pieces of Model O in his hands.

"What the hell are you doing?" he whispered as the speculation about the new information continued.

"Just curious," J answered. "When Zero-ZS was with us, he talked about Omega. Said something about Omega supposedly being the original Zero and that ZS himself was just a fake. I wanted to see if their Zone Energy matched up at all."

"And…?"

"Yeah, they match. Too close for comfort, if you ask me," J said. He then yelped and threw the pieces at the wall, and held the hand that had been holding them. "Ah, fuck!"

"What happened?" Clockwork asked. J unclenched the hand, revealing his palm was now burnt. "Oh…that happened."

"Damn," J said, looking at the burns. "That isn't any kind of biometal I've studied. There's so much…I don't know, I guess lust for destruction, in it. So much that just holding it hurt me." They all looked at the pieces and then at Paradox.

"And you aren't hurt how?" Will asked.

"Boy, I went insane for millennia and then got bored of it," Paradox answered. "Compared to that, a little pain is nothing now."

"Damn it, this is gonna scar," J said. Pyre walked over to him, his right hand covered in Darkness Zone Energy, grabbing the burnt hand with the other. Within ten seconds, his palm was back to normal, if not better than new. "Wow. Thanks."

"Now that that's over with, how should we handle this new situation?" Tarn asked. "I understand the boy is a young adult now, but to unlock such power this early on, without proper training, could be trouble to both him and those around him. I doubt he has any control over it yet. And the last Reshiram disciple I knew of has been dead for over two centuries now. That means little chance of training him right now. Perhaps with time, but if things accelerate any further, then we'll be out of it. Which brings us back to square one. The Absolute Hunters. And this Ultimate Aggregor fellow that has been causing disturbances recently. In fact, there's a nasty little rumor going around that he was the one who killed Yuchiro Hikari, as well as beating the Hunter Eradication Army without help."

-Sadly, it is true- Master Hand said. -He is the one responsible for those events.-

"Ultimate Aggregor," Max repeated.

"So what do we got on this guy?" Will asked.

-Everyone, pay attention to the hologram that is about to appear- Crazy Hand said.

What replaced the DarkXros of Protoman and Greymon changed into a new one. It wasa monster in appearance. His eyes were completely red, even the whites of the eyes. His entire head seemed to be made of a water-like substance resembling a jellyfish with three horns. His arms were covered in a strange, yellow and silver armor with the elbows having strange metal extensions and three spikes on the back of each clawed hand. His torso was a muscular tortoise shell with six holes in it with the neck being a strange, green metal with glowing red grates in it. His legs were completely coated in red armor.

-Ultimate Aggregor was once an Osmosian over 1000 years old. His goal is simple; obtain the pieces of the Map of Infinity which leads to the Forge of Creation; The point Lady Arceus was born. There, the beings known as Celestialsapiens are created and live. That is also the area where one can gain power close to Lady Arceus's own- Master Hand explained –To obtain the pieces of the map, which our Time Walker AKA Professor Paradox, separated and hid away in different forms…-

"That sounds like something The Doctor did from Doctor Who," Blaze noted.

"The D…? Oh, my apologies. That was me in disguise," Professor Paradox chuckled.

-Indeed. Now as I was saying, Aggregor spent two years in the Andromeda Galaxy, obtaining five separate aliens, each with their own strengths and weaknesses- Master Hand continued.

Suddenly, the image of Ultimate Aggregor changed into five aliens. One resembled a tortoise with six holes in his torso. Another had armadillo ears and tail while covered in yellow and black armor, seeming to be a digger, with yellow eyes in a strange helmet. The third changed between what resembled a dark-green furnace with a red glow from the grates of its head and a being made out of pure radiation. The fourth resembled a human covered in strange, red, black, and silver armor with blue eyes. The last one resembled a humanoid jellyfish with red eyes, jellyfish-like arms and legs, and seemed to be made of water.

-These are the five aliens. The red one is Bivalvan the Orishan, Galapagus the Geochelone Aerio of Aldabra is the turtle, the jellyfish alien is Ra'ad the Amperi, the muscular armadillo is Andreas the Talpaedan, and the one that keeps changing is P'andor the Prypiatosian-B-

"P'andor? He's wanted on his planet for cannibalism!" Blaze gasped.

"His name reminds me of the legend of Pandora's Box," Pyre noted.

-Indeed it does. His suit if both the box and 'hope,' while his true form is all of the world's evil. Now then…Aggregor used a machine that Paradox created which resulted in him becoming who he is now to completely absorb the five Andromeda Aliens-

"The fool nearly caused all of reality to shatter," Clockwork scoffed, now a child version of himself before turning into a old man-version of himself.

"Okay. How do you do that?" Max asked.

"My secret," Clockwork replied, changing back to the adult, "Now then. Each of the aliens, including his own species, has a resistance. Ra'ad's species is immune to electricity and water, Bivalvan's race is impervious to everything, Galapagus's species is immune to Mana and Magic of all kinds-including Dragon-Slayer-, P'andor's race can absorb radiation and phase through anything, Andreas's species is immune to anything that doesn't explode or disintegrate and are able to touch ghosts and ultimately kill them, and Osmosians…They constantly release a 100 meter field that completely negates any and all forms of the Arcana and Kido."

"This guy is bad news then…" Max gulped, "But why did he stop at this 'Dan Phantom?' And why did he kill Lan's father?"

-That is what we are researching on- Master Hand replied –Is there anything else one would wish to add?-

"Yes," Tarn said, "We will need to start creating weapons that are capable of dealing with this Ultimate Aggregor and even the Absolute Hunters. Most likely, one of those species could, possibly, be able to negate Zone Energy and Spiral Energy."

"We will also need to try and predict the next target of the murders," Blaze said.

"Gee, you two make it sound easy," Max said.

"Well…when you know the right people, it is," Tarn said. He looked at Blaze, who returned the look and they both nodded. "I can get you someone to make close combat weapons that will probably be able to handle Ultimate Aggregor. To make something that can handle the Absolute Hunters will be simple for him, depending on their known equipment. But I will tell you now that he does not use technological weapons. It's all traditional. Swords, maces, crossbows, knives, and so on and so forth."

-And predicting targets?- Master Hand asked.

"Not sure on that," Blaze replied. "Until we can figure out a pattern, we'll just have to keep watch on as many Zones as possible at all times."

-A feat in itself-

"…Actually…no, never mind," Max said.

"What is it, boy?" Paradox asked. "If you have an idea, then speak it."

"Well…my daughter from twenty years in the future…she has some time manipulation powers."

"Ah, young Julie."

"But I'm not sure how to get her here. And from what she told me, the future me doesn't know how her powers will interact with Zone Portals. That's how she came here the first time that I remember. A freak encounter with a Zone Portal."

"Well, it was a good idea," Tarn said. "But I believe that there would be complications even if you did know how to bring her here."

"That is correct," Paradox said. "One such problem is that both myself and Clockwork here cannot go past a certain point in time now. And I can only assume that your daughter would be prevented from coming here a second time because of this complication."

"Then what about that person to make the weapons?" Max asked. "How easily can we get a hold of them?"

"Easily enough," Blaze answered. "All_you_have to do is visit him at his hut."

"Oh…wait, did you say_I_had to?"

"Yes, Max. Because you know him. His son is on your team, after all."

"Katta?"

"Before he was a Zone Watcher, he was a master weapons maker. And even after becoming a Zone Watcher, he continued to make the finest weapons in any Zone. It was he who forged the Kage Nodachi, as well as the man who helped Tara's late brother to develop a conduit through which a Zone Sword can be channeled properly," Tarn said. He looked around the room. "I believe he is the right man for the job of making these weapons. His skill is beyond any I've seen. He is able to take the properties of different energies, Zone Energy chief among them, and imbue the swords with these properties. He may know of a type of energy that can be used against this Ultimate Aggregor upstart."

-Then contact him once the meeting is over- Master Hand said.

"Of course," Max said.

-Good, good- Crazy Hand nodded –Now can we end this meeting? I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse-

(Cutscene)

Crazy Hand, naked, laid in bed beside a horse with lipstick on its lips. Crazy Hand had an awkward expression on his face. The horse, though, was smiling sensually at the omnipotent hand in the form of a fat man.

-I, uh…I misspoke- Crazy Hand admitted while the horse neighed.

(End Cutscene)

"Uh…" Tarn began.

-_Don't_ask_anything_!- Master Hand growled before looking at the Hunter Eradication Army, Viral glaring daggers at Will –You have fought Ultimate Aggregor on the day of the murder of Yuchiro Hikari, correct?-

"Yes, Master Hand," Shadow nodded, a pained look on his face, "We…We failed to protect him…"

"Shadow and Bass have taken the worse of it," Simon spoke, a frown on his face, "Yuchiro-san helped create Bass with Dr. Cossak while Shadow promised Lan that he would keep an eye for his father whenever he could."

-Do you recall anything in your battle?-

"Yeah; the damn alien absorbed the Kir Royale and sent it back with ten times the oomph!" Kir replied.

"He short-circuited my Enki-Durga before I even activated it," Viral growled, "And he actually knocked me out with an electrified fist to my nervous systems!_Me_! An immortal that does not need substance or rest!"

"Same thing happened to me, but my Chaos Energy was reflected off him like light off a mirror," Shadow scowled.

"Lagann was able to get a scratch on the arms, but that was all before he shut him down and knocked me out," Simon admitted, Boota whimpering in-between Yoko's large breasts.

"My shots just got absorbed and he kicked me out cold," Yoko growled.

"He even withstood my strongest attacks!" Bass growled, slamming his fists on the table, "And even when I tried to use my Get-Ability, all I got was my data scrambled for ten minutes!"

"I managed to destroy a leg, but it regenerated and his left hook got me," Scar growled.

"And Jing?" Tarn pondered.

"He shoved me into a wall, making me stuck in it. He then approached Yuchiro-san and just pressed a finger to his chest," Jing said, "He then walked off while Yuchiro-san collapsed. I managed to get out after a few minutes and got over to him, but he didn't have a pulse."

"Autopsy on the body revealed his heart had been exposed to a level of radiation beyond anything the planet's scientists had ever recorded and was electrocuted by a wattage of a near-trillion volts while ruptured by powerful vibrations," Shadow choked out before turning away from them all, letting a few tears fall from his eyes.

-To perform something like that is both interesting and fearsome- Master Hand said –When will the funeral take place?-

"The day before Palkia sends Team Ryuusei somewhere," Viral replied, looking down solemnly.

"I see…" Max nodded, "That place's Lan has suffered a lot, hasn't he?"

-Why yes…Betrayal of a person he considered a friend…nearly dying on multiple occasions…having to deal with a psychotic, murderous second personality…his fiancé taken away from him while he watched helplessly…getting his arm blown off by a certain_someone…_-

"I get it! I get it!" Scar snorted.

-And there is so much more to that chart. But onto one last part of business; Allow me to introduce you all to an Overworlder by the name 'Raden'- Master Hand said.

Before him, a blue mist formed. The mist then solidified into a deep space-blue form, resembling a phantom ghost with a strange, spiked helmet with no facial features on it formed. A little-blue aura surrounded it and extended about six inches from its form.

"Raden is special since he can easily navigate the former Temporal Catacombs. Even Clockwork, Lord Dialga, and myself have trouble of going through them," Paradox admitted, "He has seen the time ahead…the very time ahead that none can see or travel to."

"Speak, Raden," Blaze said, "Offer us your knowledge. What have you seen?"

"A nightmare," Raden admitted, "There were no worlds…no galaxies…no universes…no Zones, even. Time was at a halt. Space distorted beyond repair. Even existence itself seemed to have died out. I ventured out only a few yards from the catacombs when I saw it."

"Saw what? What did you see?" Will gulped.

"…A demon. No, it was not even a demon. It was something indescribable. A creature of myth's myth. It was able to alter its size to whatever it wished. I managed to see two warriors fighting against it, but to no avail. A single exhale of breath and the older warrior was erased from existence while the other seemed to turn into light and vanish. I fled back into the catacombs only for the Location to be destroyed by Dan Phantom, Lockdown, Rampage, and the leader of the group that attacked Team Ryuusei, Blaze, and Pyre. I used all my attacks and even Mugic, but to no avail. They easily overpowered me. Had it not been for Master Hand appearing as he did, I would have perished."

The entire room shuddered at this description, their imaginations running away from them. "That can't be true," Max said. "If my daughter can come…"

"Unless something in the time stream changed," Paradox interrupted, "Contrary to popular belief, the future is not necessarily fixed. You of all people should know that, Max. Zones react much like a time line. You could even say that all Zones stem from a single point in time, but different events occurred to create multiple time lines."

"But…for there to be nothing," J said. "That can't be possible."

"Believe it, boy. Something changed at some point in a Zone, something that was not meant to happen, and its conclusion now extends to all Zones. This is why Arceus asked the Zone Watchers to join forces with the Hands."

"And we'll do it," Tarn said. "It's been awhile since I last fought. Since many of the council has fought, save for Blaze and Lai. But I am ready and willing and I'll have them ready and willing in a matter of minutes."

"But Councilor Tarn, what about those who agree with Lai?" Max asked.

"You don't get to be strongest of the Zone Watchers for nothing, young one," Tarn replied. "If there is one thing that you commit to memory, let it be that you can never judge on appearance. You will learn things in the coming days, Maxwell." Max was now quiet, as were Will and J.

-And what shall you do, Maxwell?- Master Hand asked. -Are you with us in this?-

"…Yes…This is something that can't be ignored," Max said. "Whenever you need me or my team, I'll make sure we get there. And I'll make sure that we're all ready."

"But what if the time comes quicker than you want?" Paradox asked.

"I know more than twenty Zones with a Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Paradox," Max answered. "And I've still got a full two days in each. As does every member of my team."

"Is forty years really worth this?"

"Never said I was goin' for a full forty, Paradox. I'm just taking two, maybe three at max. And I can get the rest of my team, if they choose, to the individual chambers. That way, we start at the same time and end at the same time." Max turned to J and Will. "Will, this offer extends to any member of Team Ryuusei as well. Once you're done wherever Master Hand puts you guys."

"Sure…but…what is a Hyperbolic Time Chamber?" Will asked.

"Something like room with a year packed into one day. Once you enter, you can have up to two days of real time in there, the equivalent of two years of training in that room. But if you don't get out before then, you're stuck in there forever." Max then turned to the Hunter Eradication Army. "How about you guys?"

"If it means to avenge Yuchiro-san for all he has done for not just me, but all those the idiot and my little sister know and knew, I will do it," Shadow said.

"I just want to kill the bastard," Viral, Bass, and Scar said in unison.

"We don't have anything else to really do," Jing shrugged.

"I'm in, just as long as I get a sexy lady out of it," Kir grinned, earning a bop on the head by one of the female Zone Watchers in the room.

"…Shit," Blaze grumbled.

"What?" Clockwork asked.

"We're gonna have to unfreeze Lai now, aren't we?" Everyone grew quiet and looked at the time frozen Zone Watcher.

"…Damn it!" they all exclaimed, realizing that he was right.

-Ooh! Ooh! I have an idea!- Crazy grinned before running over to Lai and writing the word 'Penis' on his armor's forehead –Huh? Huh?-

"…I think that's the best idea he's had in years," Shadow admitted before pulling out a carton of eggs and throwing them at the frozen Lai.

"Will he remember all of this?" Pyre asked as he looked at the old man Clockwork.

"Not at all. He is frozen in time at the moment I stopped his time," child Clockwork replied before pressing the top of his staff and a giant pile of spaghetti landed on him with giant meatballs, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs."

"Step right up! Just a penny to prank Lai!" Kir declared, "Only for a limited time! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"

-…What the Hell? I've been itching to do some stuff to him for years now- Master Hand shrugged before snapping himself and changed Lai's gender to female –You do not believe how long I've waited for an opportunity like this-

* * *

Max was now standing in front of a green man with antennae extending from his forehead, another one standing beside him, and a group of people of various age. Beside Max was Kishi, Talina, and three more beings, a green being who looked like a humanized scorpion, a young boy that was ghostly white with bits of purple, and a pink man with a single antenna extending backwards. "Thanks again, Kami-sama," Max said, addressing the older of the two green men. "I've already dropped off everyone on my team who wanted to do this, as well as the Hunter Eradication Army, in various Zones."

"It is no trouble, Max," Kami-sama said. "It is the least we owe you, as it was your friend, J, who helped fix the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Although I am a little hesitant about letting Frieza, Cell, and Buu in there with you. Are you sure that you wouldn't rather have King Kai help you?"

"I'm sure," Max answered. He turned to Kishi and Talina. "When I'm done in there, you two will be next, okay?"

"Alright," Kishi said. Talina just nodded, eyeing the three beings about to walk in with Max. She had learned earlier that the pink one was Buu, the green scorpion was Cell, and the little kid was Frieza.

"Max, I don't like the way those guys are eyeing you," she said.

"Considering I helped kick their asses, it's not surprising," Max answered as the said trio walked into the chamber, "but reviving them with the Dragon Balls and convincing them to help me train are not going to be for nothing. Don't worry. I'll be back with two days at most." And with that, Max walked into the chamber.

* * *

**This chapter was a collab with Gammatron. Please Review.**


	85. Tan'ya and Training

**Tan'ya and Training Beginnings.**

"Well, Councilor Tarn, Councilor Blaze," Katta said with a grin as he led the two into his hut. "It's a pleasure to see you both again."

"I wish I could say the same, Katta," Tarn said as they all took a seat. "But I'm afraid I cannot, for this is not a social visit. We require your smith expertise." Katta's face actually became downcast at this. "Again, I wish it could be a social visit."

"And why is my skill needed this time?" Katta asked.

"Because we need a specialist who deals in energy _and_ weapons," Blaze answered. He pulled out the dagger that was on his belt. "Because I don't know of anyone else capable of creating things such as this dagger."

"How bad is this?"

"We may very well be looking at the end of all Zones, old friend," Tarn replied. "It is Lady Arceus' prophecy." Katta's eyes widened, fear evident in his eyes. He then closed his eyes, sighing in resignation. When he opened his eyes again, they had changed to blue. He pulled a toothpick out of his pocket and started chewing on it. "Tan'ya. I'm assuming you heard everything."

"Yeah," Tan'ya answered. Tan'ya Long, Katta's split personality, the genius smith of the Zone Watchers. "Tell me what needs to happen." Tarn handed him a broken katana. "And what, may I ask, is this pile of shit?"

"That is the Tetsusaiga," Tarn answered. "The first weapon that Lady Arceus has requested be upgraded. It needs to be able to damage a being called Ultimate Aggregor. He has the power of an Osmosian, a Geochelone Aerio, an Orishan, an Amperi, a Talpaedan, and a Prypiatosian-B." Tan'ya whistled.

"Each species by itself is immune to certain things," Tan'ya said to himself. "But together…well, whoever I'm making these weapons for had better be able to pay. Because Ultima crystals are needed to hurt something like that."

"A…what crystal?" Blaze asked.

"Ultima. An energy that can_not_ be used naturally, unlike Zone and Spiral Energy, Mana, et cetera. And I'm going to tell you right now that if I ever meet a being who can use Ultima naturally, I will piss my pants. Probably shit 'em, too. Not even Arceus and her children can use it naturally. Hell, far as I know, not even her fathers could handle it." Tan'ya looked at the sword before looking back up. "Wait, did you say Tetsusaiga? As in, _the_ Tetsusaiga?"

"Uh…yes…"

Tan'ya closed his eyes and a wispy, white aura of Zone Energy began to surround him before he channeled the energy not through, but _into_ the sword. The sword glowed before growing longer and wider. The blade was now a polished silver, the joint where the blade and the hilt met covered by a lock of white fur. Tan'ya smirked. "Inu no Taisho…that old dog," he said. "He actually did it."

"You…know who created this sword?" Tarn asked.

"Considering he's the man who I first learned Wind Scar from, yes, I know him. Assuming this is the sword that the one _I _knew talked of making for his son to use." Tan'ya then looked up. "I'll have to do work on it in both released and neutral forms. Two days at most. My fee's goin' ta be high. Ya know that, right?"

"We would be surprised if it wasn't," Blaze answered. "But we may be short on time. We will be taking you to a Hyperbolic Time Chamber to cut your time as short as we can. All of your equipment will be transported with us as well."

"Fine then. But I'm transporting that," Tan'ya said, pointing to a large case in the room, "myself." The case was large, about five feet in height, three feet wide, and looked like the inside extended four feet back.

"And…is that _it_?" Blaze asked, expressing genuine curiosity.

"Yeah. The crystals," Tan'ya said. "And that's just the portable case."

"Um…please tell me you're kidding," Tarn said. Tan'ya just looked at him and Tarn and Blaze sighed.

"I'll slice the fee by fifteen percent," Tan'ya said as he walked over to the case.

* * *

"Well, boy," Frieza said. "I've been waiting for this for a long time. But I am in a very good mood. I shall give you the same concession I gave Goku. I shall fight without my hands for a duration."

"You sure you don't wanna reconsider?" Max asked, stretching out a crick in his neck. Frieza just smiled and held his hands behind his back. "Alright. Your own fault." And with that, Max disappeared. Frieza's eyes widened and he managed to jump back far enough so that Max's left hook only just grazed his abdomen. But it sent him flying back. "Last warning, Frieza. Keep playing games and you'll be out in no time. I'm not the weak, pre-teen you first met." Max stood up straight and his Zone Energy began to build up, his aura growing larger.

* * *

"Alright, Lan, Megaman," a man said as they stood just out of reach of a small room. They were standing in a large white space with no foreseeable walls. The man was dressed in orange, his black hair spiked high. He was smiling at the two and they could see that he was wearing weighted clothes and wondering how he was standing, because they themselves were having trouble just standing on their knees, the result of gravity ten times what they were used to. This was Son Goku, the man who would be training them. Beside him was a smaller man, shorter than all of them, bald, wearing a matching set of clothes as Goku. "Kuririn and I are going to help you get used to this gravity for the first month."

"But, Goku," Lan said. "There's no way we can do that."

"Yet," Goku replied, smiling. "And since you don't seem to have any defenses yourself, I'll be teaching you how to use your chi, Lan. Also, once you two are completely used to the gravity, we'll be moving onto weights for the remainder of training."

"And training begins now," Kuririn said. He and Goku walked back into the room, each sitting on one of two of the four beds in it. "Try standing first."

* * *

"Ugh," X said. He, Axl-R, and Zero were having trouble standing in the gravity, there circuitry and servos straining.

"Come on, fellas," a young man said. He was a little shorter than Goku, his black hair combed straight down. He was wearing a black shirt, blue jeans, and an orange ascot. "I'm part robot, like you."

"Wrong, we're full robots, 17," Zero replied. "We can only go so far. _You've _still got some human muscles to back up your servos."

"Well, by the time we're done, you shouldn't notice much of a difference."

* * *

"Damn it," Tan'ya said. He was surrounded by crystals of varying colors, tongs, pliers, and other such equipment. He was currently sitting cross legged, a unique sword in his lap. It was actually a handle with a ring around it, a blade on the left side of the handle and another on the right. The entire thing was gold, with a red stripe down each blade. "This thing breaks much too easily. Hmm, perhaps some of my liquid Metal Zeta for a coating…but the breaking…gives me an idea." He looked around at the immediate cases of crystals before picking out six small blueish-gray crystals, each the size of a pinky nail. He then picked up a yellow crystal and a glove with what looked like may have been a holder on the back in the very center. "Six Seekers…one Homing…yeah, this'll work real nice…" After setting the six blueish-gray crystals into the sword and the yellow crystal into the glove, he took a look at the blades. "Okay, this thing is used while keeping in mind that attacks are made with solar energy…and it's supposed to help minimize damage. So…some Pyro crystals, one or two Blaze crystals, and one Solar crystal. A Phase crystal will keep with minimizing damage and..." Tan'ya stopped and smile. "And an excuse to use the Burst crystal I developed a few years ago." Tan'ya went to work, throwing himself into his work. Off to the side was the Tetsusaiga in its neutral form. The blade looked brand new, having been repaired by Tan'ya, polished to a silvery sheen, and lying next to a metal sheath he had decided to fashion for it. Beside that was the next sword he was going to work on, a sword that was called Arondight, which he learned belonged to the Hunter Eradication Army's Shadow.

* * *

"Get out of my way, Trunks," a man said, pushing against a teenager with silvery-blue hair. The man's hair was almost like Goku's, but the man himself was shorter. He was wearing a simple blue training outfit. The teen was wearing an outfit similar to him.

"Come on, Dad," the teen, Trunks, said as he continued to push against Vegeta. "I'm sure he was just joking!"

"Actually, I was being completely serious," Ashe said, in Megamerge, while Grey was beside her, sweating bullets.

"Let me at her!" Vegeta roared, redoubling his effort to get past his son.

_At this rate, we'll never make any progress_, Trunks and Grey thought at the same time.

* * *

"Sorry, guys," Goku said. This was a different Goku, his hair styled down instead of spike up. He was addressing Dex, Yai, Sean, and Tory, all in Cross Fusion, but none able to even move. "But I'm afraid this can't be done. You're at your limit now. There's nothing more that I can do for you." He then turned to Maylu, who was stumbling, her legs trembling. She had also made it farther than the others, without Cross Fusing, Roll beside her. "But you two…you two have some potential."

"D-damn it," Dex stuttered. "I can't believe…it…"

"I…g-guess this is a-as f-f-far as we can get with f-forced Cross Fusion," Sean said. "We'll…h-have to get h-home. B-but we'll a-al-always come when n-needed."

"Alright, let's get you guys out of here," Goku said as he picked up Yai and Tory, depositing them into the normal gravity room and then Dex and Sean. Maylu and Roll tried to wave to them, but could only manage a twitch of their hands as the four left, waving back. Goku watched them and then turned back to the two girls. "Ok, you two come on back in here and take a rest."

* * *

"So…what do we do first?" Geo asked, him, Omega-xis, Sonia, and Lyra standing in front of a green man with two antennae on his forehead.

"First off, don't try to get buddy buddy with me," the man said.

"Aw, that's not very nice, Piccolo," Omega-xis said, putting his hand on Piccolo's shoulder.

Piccolo glared at him. "If you want to keep that hand, then remove it from my shoulder," Piccolo growled. Omega-xis took his hand off.

"Note to self: No touching the green guy," Omega-xis mumbled under his breath. Piccolo looked out at Taurus and Bud, who were still standing outside of the room, apparently without any problem. Luna and Zack had not been able to withstand the gravity and had to leave with their partners.

"Get back in here, you idiot!" Piccolo yelled. "There's no point in exhausting yourself on the first day!"

* * *

"Well?" Blaze asked.

"What do you mean, well?" Tan'ya asked, wearing a pair of goggles as he set small shards of a green crystal along a hilt that was not yet set to a blade. "Hey, hand me that case of Chaos crystals."

"Uh…."

Tan'ya sighed. "The deep red ones." Blaze looked and grabbed a case that held crystals matching the description. "And before you ask, yes. These are similar to the Chaos Emeralds, but are not as strong. They're not good for much, but they can pack a punch." He pulled out one of four vials from the case, inspecting the shards. "Pain in the ass to make shards out of it, but it turns out it was worth it."

"And what of the other two? And the…mike?" Tarn asked. Tan'ya pointed over to the room. The first two swords he had worked on, resting on one of the beds. "Hmmm…impressive for only fifteen minutes work real time."

"Yeah, whatever," Tan'ya said, waving his hand dismissively. "Go ahead and take them back to whoever they belong to. Arondight will take a little longer. OW! Damn it, I said stop cutting me!" Tarn and Blaze looked at Tan'ya with expressions of confusion. "Moodiest sword I've ever worked with." This time, they exchanged looks with each other before shrugging. "Oi, get rid of that piece of shit tech while you're at it." They looked to see the mike standing by the door. Blaze smirked when he noticed a white crystal just under the microphone itself where there hadn't been before. They picked up the weapons and walked out.

* * *

**Boy, Katta's just full of surprises, isn't he?**


	86. Lan and Megaman: Chi Training

**Okay, I've decided to do a chapter highlighting each group's training.**

**Lan and Megaman: Chi Training**

"Come on, Lan, stand up," Goku said, nudging the boy with his foot.

"But it hurts," Lan moaned. "And neither of us can move now."

"Please, Goku, Kuririn," Megaman groaned. "Just let us rest."

"But if we let you rest, then you won't get anything done," Goku said.

"Ah, leave it," Kuririn said, crossing his arms and turning away from the two. "It's obvious they aren't serious about helping their friends. I mean, hey, look at you Goku. You nearly killed yourself in training just to save _us_. But _these_ guys? They can't even pull their own weight."

"What did you say?" Megaman bit out, his teeth now gritted.

"You heard me," Kuririn said. Goku was looking at Kuririn, confused, until he noticed his friend smirking and understood what he was doing.

Goku sighed. "I suppose you're right, Kuririn," Goku said, turning away from the teen and his netnavi. "If they can't even do something as simple as stand, then there's no point in going any further. After all, there's only twenty two months left in their training. I'm sure they can…inch along."

"Shut up!" Lan and Megaman snapped at them. They turned around to see that both were now standing, though their legs were trembling with the strain. "Don't look down on us like that! We're gonna save our friends, even if it kills us!"

"Alright then," Goku said, turning around and smiling. "Then it's time I taught Lan how to use his chi to its fullest."

"Megaman as well," Kuririn added.

"By the time we're done with you, you'll be able to use Kaio-ken times 40 easily!" Goku exclaimed, giving the two a smile and a thumbs up.

* * *

"Kame," Lan said, holding his hands back. "Hame…" A ball of blue energy began to build in his hands, glowing brightly. "HA!" He fired the ball at Megaman, who had been building up his own Kamehameha before releasing it. The resulting explosion knocked both off their feet.

"Alright," Goku yelled, laughing. "You've both mastered the Kamehameha. And you still have a year and a half worth of training left!"

"Heh," Megaman huffed. "We got this, Lan."

"Damn right we do," Lan replied, closing his eyes and smiling.

"Alright, time to teach you all about the Kaio-ken," Goku said. "This technique is all about pinpoint control of your chi. Too little and nothing happens. Too much and you could very well explode." Lan gulped at this. "But I'm sure you'll be able to do it no problem."

"What am I supposed to do?" Megaman asked.

"We're going to work on creating a move just for you," Kuririn said. "Something that only you can use by yourself and maybe teach to Lan. And we'll start after a quick lunch break." They heard rumbling and looked at Lan and Megaman, who were holding their stomachs. "And not a moment too soon, it seems," Kuririn said, laughing. After they ate lunch, they got back to work.

"Now then, first thing is that I'm going to show you what a Kaio-ken is," Goku said. "Kaio-ken!" Goku was surrounded by a reddish aura of chi, his muscles expanding very slightly. Lan watched in awe as Goku ran around, disappearing from and reappearing in view.

"Oh, wow! I'm learning that?" Lan exclaimed as Goku released his chi.

"Yep," Goku said with a smile.

Meanwhile, Kuririn was teaching Megaman one of his moves. So far, it involved channeling chi into the form of a disc. "So, Kienzan is exactly what it means. A circle of chi," Megaman said.

"Basically," Kuririn said. "You ever need a mountain top sliced clean off, this is the move. If you want it blown apart, then you'll want the Kamehameha or the Genki-dama."

"Well, what about combining chi with other energies?" Megaman asked. "Would that be possible?"

"Well, I suppose," Kuririn said with a thoughtful tone. "But I've never seen it done."

"Have you heard about Chaos Energy?"

"Well, I've heard of it, but I've never seen it in action in this Zone," Kuririn admitted.

"Chaos Claw!" Megaman aimed the claw at the room, but had it stop short and Kuririn watched with his jaw dropped.

"Th-that's Chaos Energy?" Kuririn yelped.

"In a nutshell."

"I…I c-can't even sense it!"

"Is that good? Or bad?"

"Well, bad for someone who relies on their ability to sense chi in a fight."

"Well, would it be possible to fuse my chi and my Chaos Energy?"

"Don't know," Kuririn replied, honest in his answer. "But now's as good a time as any to learn."

* * *

"Kaosu," Megaman said, holding his hands back as he had with the Kamehameha. But instead of the blue energy, he was holding a deep blue, so dark, it almost seemed black. "HAKEI!" He released the energy, but it didn't fire like a normal Kamehameha. Instead, it seemed to waver and expand, contract and distort as it moved. Lan was standing in the line of fire, holding his ground.

"Kaio-ken!" Lan yelled, his muscles growing a little bigger. He presented his chest towards the energy, waiting for it to hit. But the energy then became like a beam and his eyes widened as it hit him hard. He grunted as the energy seemed to grow even longer, like it was feeding off of his pain. "Kaio-ken…times four!" His muscles grew larger again and this time, the energy from the Kaosu Hakei shrank. Once it was completely gone, Lan relaxed, his muscles returning to normal size, but he collapsed, breathing hard, Megaman also on the ground, panting. "I-it…hu-hurts," Lan whined.

"Too m-much to handle," Megaman said, trying and failing to get to a standing position.

"Well, it's a good thing you two are quick learners," Goku said, walking up. "It's only been a month since we started this particular training, so that still leaves twenty months to get used to that amount of power. And after a while, Lan, the Kaio-ken will start to have a much less noticeable influence on you, appearance wise."

"But what else are we supposed to do?" Lan asked.

"Well, for now, we're going to sleep," Kuririn said. "It's been about thirteen hours since we woke up. We're gonna need to get a little rest now." As they walked back to the room, Lan was thinking about the Kaio-ken and an obvious question.

"Goku, how far can a person normally take the Kaio-ken?"

"Well, I've been able to Kaio-ken times 20," Goku answered. "But after going Super Saiyan, I've never had a reason to continue my training with Kaio-ken." He gave a chuckle. "I bet if I used Kaio-ken while in Super Saiyan, I'd be unstoppable."

"Imagine the look on Vegeta's face," Kuririn spoke up, both of the martial artists laughing. "He'd be so pissed!"

"Is Vegeta the one who always looks like he's scowling?" Megaman asked.

"That'd be him."

"Wow. He doesn't seem like a nice guy."

"Hell, I'm still waiting for him to backstab Goku _again_," Kuririn said.

"Hey, now. He's changed in the past ten years," Goku said. "I mean, what about 18? I remember how she tried to kill us."

"Except me."

"Except you," Goku admitted. "But I don't know how she feels about the rest of us."

"Point taken, Goku. Point taken."

* * *

"Kaio-ken…times 20!" Lan was in Cross Fusion, doing a sparring match with Goku. "Kaosu Hakei!" He fired off Megaman's new signature, pulling his hands to the side to control its direction, setting it to chase Goku around.

"Kame," Goku began. "Hame…" He stopped just long enough to aim. "HA!" He fire it off, jerking his hands to the right to put in directly in the path of the Kaosu Hakei. The two energies collided, but did not stop. Instead, the Kaosu Hakei absorbed the Kamehameha and continued on towards Goku, growing larger with the added energy of the Kamehameha. Goku gulped. "Super Saiyan 3!" Goku's hair grew longer and spiked wilder around his feet, now glowing gold, surrounding himself with a golden aura. He stuck one hand out to catch the Kaosu Hakei. And began the same battle the two always did.

"Kaio-ken…times 45!" Lan's muscles finally expanded a little, but it was soon apparent that the past eighteen months had shown that Lan and Megaman had progressed in leaps and bounds in using their chi. He and Goku began their usual fight, not so much striking and counterstriking as they were slamming fists and feet into the other. Kuririn just watched from the side, gulping. He knew that he couldn't reach their kind of level in the two months remaining of their training period, but he could still teach them the finer points of chi control. That and Goku had asked that he stay, for old time's sake. After half an hour, Goku and Lan were forced to release Super Saiyan 3 and Kaio-ken, respectively. They limped back over to the room, sighing in relief as they made it into the lighter gravity. "Oh, man. I don't think my muscles have hurt so much in our training." He released Cross Fusion and Megaman appeared beside him, groaning. Lan had grown a little muscular and taller in the twenty two months of training. He had started to let his hair grow out a little bit, stopping just short of his eyes and he had stopped wearing the head band on his head during training. He now wore it on his arm, but he had traded out his long sleeved white shirt for a ripped T-shirt. His orange vest was thinner now and now held Megaman's navimark on the back of it. He had left his shorts as they were, except for the addition of a belt. His shoes were now different as well, holding what looked like a very light, yellow crystal on each. Earlier in his training, a man named Tan'ya had come in and taken his shoes for about two hours before returning them, saying something about Chi crystals. Megaman had also changed in the past twenty two months of training. His navimark was still visible on his helmet and chest, but had grown slightly smaller, his helmet now with a slide down visor and cut open at the back for his hair to spike out whenever he used Kaio-ken himself. He couldn't go near as high as Lan, but since the helmet had the opening in it, Lan's hair had room to move when in Cross Fusion once they got past Kaio-ken times ten. His gloves now had small rips in them, the middle fingers, index fingers, and ring fingers on both gloves now removed, as well as holding deep red crystal shards and a ring of the same light yellow Chi crystals as Lan around his navimark, gifts of Tan'ya. He remembered the man saying the deep red shards were Chaos crystal shards and that they could help increase the power of his Chaos Energy attacks, including his Kaosu Hakei. He had found that the Kaosu Hakei had a tendency to rip the tips of the gloves' middle, index, and ring fingers off and had saved himself the trouble of constantly replacing them by removing them. His boots were now slightly bulkier, a result of his early training when first creating the Kaosu Hakei, an effort by his body to adapt to the backwards push of the move to make him more stationary. He could make them less bulky at will now, but normally opted to leave them as is, saving himself trouble and energy.

"I think you overdid it with the Kaosu Hakei," Megaman whimpered. "Too big of a drop in my Chaos Energy. Put with the amount of chi we were channeling and I'm in pain central."

"Sorry, bro," Lan said, still moaning in pain. "What about you, Goku?"

"Are you sure you aren't kid Boo in disguise?" Goku gasped out. "I haven't been hit that hard since the last time I fought him."

"Now that's scary," Kuririn said as he took a seat on a bed. "That you guys gave even Goku a run for his money. In fact, I'm not sure we have anything left we can teach you. At this point, the best we…er, Goku, can do is to help you increase your Kaio-ken."

"So…we could leave now?" Lan asked.

"Well, if you wanted to. But you'd still have about four hours real time before everyone else was out."

"Well then, let's get started on a Kaio-ken times 50," Lan said, smirking.

"You're on!" Goku exclaimed, laughing at the prospect of even more exciting fights.

* * *

**There was Lan and Megaman's training. New outfits for new powers, even. Please Review. Oh, I don't own any Dragonball/ Dragonball Z characters.**


	87. Starforce: Training on Their Own

**Starforce: Training on Their Own**

"Alright, let's see what you can do," Piccolo said. "Without that wave change thing." The humans gulped. The EM beings just sighed.

"Listen, buddy, we're made of electromagnetic waves," Omega-xis said. "We won't feel a thing." And with that, Piccolo kicked Omega-xis out of the room into the white space beyond. "Hey, you jerk! I oughta…uh…why am I having trouble moving?" Omega-xis began to strain as he pulled with all his might, but could only budge an inch and no more.

"The rest of you, out there now," Piccolo said, before his eyes narrowed. "Unless you wish to go the way your mutt did."

"I'm not a mutt!" Omega-xis yelled. Everyone else just saluted and walked out of the room, going to their knees, except for Taurus and Bud, the former floating easily, the latter trembling on his legs.

"Well, two of you will be able to progress very quickly. The rest of you need to work on actually moving first."

* * *

"Good. One month in and you're doing pretty good," Piccolo said as the humans were now moving much more easily. Omega-xis was currently doing push-ups.

"Ha!" he laughed. "I've got this down-pat now. What's next?"

"Next is to balance out training in EM change and regular form," Piccolo said. "Every two hours, you will switch between the two forms. You will only stop for food, sleep, and the needs of the human body. Other than that, I will be making your life a living hell. You," he said, looking at Sonia, who gave an "Eep!" of fear. "You'll be the first to learn some martial arts. Since we only have twenty three months left, I will spend three months with each of you to learn a bit of martial arts. After those nine months are up, you will spend the remainder of your time on your own to progress how you wish."

"Wait, you're leaving us alone in here?" Bud asked.

"Yes, I will," Piccolo said. "So when you come out, you had better not disappoint me." Everyone gulped. "Begin!"

* * *

"Alright," Piccolo said three months later. "Fat one, it is your turn." Bud came over. The three months of nonstop training had changed him. He was now much slimmer than he had been, now fitting into a size thirty six, but even that was loose on him. He held up his pants with a belt now. He wore his hair even shorter now, a crew cut. His fat replaced with muscles, so much that he looked like a slim body builder now. He kept his vest and usual shirt, although the insignia of a burger and fries was now an outline of the head of a bull and was outlined in red flames. Piccolo had used his powers to make the vest and shirt shrink with Bud. As Bud walked over, Piccolo looked him up and down, chuckling. "Although I suppose I can't call you that anymore."

"Well, how bad was it Sonia?" Geo asked before he stopped to look at her new figure. Her curves had become more accentuated during her three months of martial arts training. She had become…developed in a few areas and Geo was trying to fight a blush. Her hair had grown a little longer as well and he was surprised that her guitar had been changed. It was then that he remembered the man named Tan'ya coming in to make changes to pieces of their weaponry. Her guitar now held a white crystal that the man had called a Sonic crystal. He had also changed the design of the guitar, so that it now became a shield or a club, depending on how Sonia reacted to certain situations. Geo, so far, was the only one of the humans who hadn't changed.

"It wasn't too bad," she answered, oblivious to Geo's sudden silence. "But it wasn't easy either," she continued, still unaware of Geo's eyes traveling up and down her new figure. "And then…Geo, is something wrong?" The singer had finally noticed Geo's suddenly stare of stupor.

"Huh? Oh, nothing!" the teen answered, now snapped out of his stupor. "Everything's fine. I've just…been thinking…of…my new forms! Yeah, that's it!" Sonia stared at him in wonder. "Uh…you…wanna see?"

"Sure," Sonia replied with a smile and Geo nearly fainted at it.

"Right then. Omega-xis, you ready?"

"Let's just do this," Omega-xis replied.

"Right then. Berserk Magician!" Geo was bathed in yellow and light blue light. When it was gone, he was now in armor that was like his Ice Pegasus and Thunder Berserk armor mixed. For the most part, the Thunder Berserk seemed to make up a good portion of the armor, but all of those parts were made up of ice. He held a smaller version of the Sword of Berserk on his back, the normal yellow blade now blue, while his shoulder plates held ice spikes on them. When Sonia bent down to look at the ice parts, she noticed that it looked like there was lightning trapped in the armor.

"Uh, is that…?" she began, pointing at the yellow streaks.

"Yeah, it is," Geo answered. "Lightning trapped within the ice. Bud found out the hard way what this form's secondary defense is made up of."

"Oh?"

"Yeah…um, Piccolo, you mind letting us borrow Bud for a quick sec?"

"If you must," Piccolo growled. Bud walked over, now in his wave change. It had changed with Bud, the armor fitting to his new, slimmer body.

"Am I breaking it again?" Bud asked.

"Yeah," Geo answered. Geo braced himself as Bud nodded and then pulled his right fist back. Bud put as much force as he could without giving Geo serious injuries into the hit, cracking a plate on the armor. From the crack, the lightning ejected, striking Bud hard, Bud flying back to crash into the room.

"Bud!" Sonia exclaimed before gasping as the teen got up, completely unharmed.

"Bah," Bud said, shrugging his shoulders back. "It'll take more than that light tap to hurt me now."

"Bud's…been dealing with pain in a different way since I began practicing new forms," Geo said, walking up behind Sonia. She looked at the plate that Bud had broken to see it was as good as new. "That card Tara gave us is definitely something else, huh?"

"You bet it is," Omega-xis spoke up. "I've never felt so much power when fusing different forms together. The noise changes are a pain in the ass, though."

"The noise change?" Sonia asked. "But I thought you two had mastered it."

"Well, ever since getting this chip, we've had to start from scratch," Geo admitted. "We've been able to mix Black Ace with Tribe King and Red Joker with Tribe King, but we can't get the Deck Master to fuse with it. Although we have managed to get the Deck Master out with this new power."

"Wow," Sonia said. "So…um, what do we do?"

"For the most part, we just go back and forth in sparring," Geo answered. "Unless you have something else in mind?"

"No, sparring sounds good," Sonia said, wave changing with Lyra. Geo almost fell over backward. Even her wave change had become different. The body suit now hugged her a little tighter, but she didn't seem bothered by it. Her hair stayed the same length, although it was now tied into a pony tail and stayed pink instead of going blonde. Her skirt was now longer, her gloves fingerless, and her boots were slimmer. Her guitar hadn't changed at all, save for the crystal in it. "I guess it's time we see what this Sonic crystal can do, huh?"

"Uh, yeah," Geo answered. He drew the Sword of Berserk from his back, revealing a line of blue crystals on it. The crystals were a very light blue and had been described as Ice crystals. Because Geo had too many forms for Tan'ya to work on, Tan'ya had decided to do the next best thing after Geo told him how Omega-xis swallowed the Sword of Berserk. He took a dozen crystals and shoved them down Omega-xis' throat, adding another two or three. Omega-xis had threatened to kill him and then backed off when Tan'ya drew two swords and placed a third in his mouth after threatening with something he called the Scar Barrage. After seeing that Omega-xis had backed down, he put the swords up and walked out, grumbling to himself about forgetting to take a look at someone named Zoro's swords. Geo extended his hand. "Ladies first," he said. Sonia gave him another smile that nearly made him faint.

"You're so polite," she said. And she then strung a chord. The Shock Note that came from her guitar was three times bigger than any she had fired off and the explosion was six times bigger. Geo looked at Sonia, who returned the look, and both saw that neither of them had been expecting that particular result.

* * *

"Alright, time for the last one to get whipped," Piccolo said, looking at Geo, Bud's three months of martial arts training up. "Come over here." Geo walked over, Bud passing him and doing a double take. Geo had finally changed. He was now just as tall as Bud, able to look him in the eye. His frame now had some muscle to it and his eyes held a confidence that Bud had never seen in the boy. He still wore the visualizers and the necklace that held his father's crest on it, but his shirt had been replaced by a red T-shirt that only had one half sleeve on the left, the other sleeve on the right ripped off at the shoulder. His jeans were ripped at the knees now, a belt with the same crest as his necklace holding it there. His spiked hair had gotten a little longer, only about an inch worth of growth. "Hm. Looks you finally got some muscle to ya. Good. You'll need it," Piccolo said as Geo walked over.

"Hey, Bud," Sonia said as the teen came over, Taurus right behind him. Sonia's outfit had changed now, her jacket replaced by a pink vest with a heart in the very center. She let her hair fall down below her shoulders now, her shirt under the vest revealing some cleavage. She had replaced her yellow shorts with a pair of blue jeans ripped on the left knee, but perfectly fine on the right.

"Sonia," Bud replied, nodding at her. He noticed her outfit, tilting his head. "Interesting new look."

"Is it…okay?" she asked.

Bud nodded again, smiling. "I think it looks good. I have no doubt the rest of your fans would agree when we get back home," he said. He turned around to watch Geo get hit on the head by a kick from Piccolo. "How's Geo's form control come along?"

"Pretty well," she answered. "He can maintain them a lot longer now and has even made a new form with the three Starbreaks as the base. But he's still working on getting the Deck Master to fuse with the others." Bud nodded at this, eyes closed.

"So, three more months and Piccolo leaves us to continue on our own," Bud said. "That's gonna be a little weird for me."

"Hm?"

"Sonia, please tell me you're not that dense," Bud said, surprising her. "I know I'm usually the last to know, but it's pretty obvious about you and Geo. Everyone knows about it. Well, everyone who's been paying attention, anyways."

"Oh," Sonia said, blushing. "So…it's that obvious?"

"A little," Bud admitted. Geo was ducking under a high sweep kick from Piccolo, counterattacking with a very sloppy left hook. Bud sighed, shaking his head. "Geo's gonna get hit in the solar plexus in three…two…one." Right on time, Piccolo nailed Geo hard in the very spot that Bud had predicted, knocking the teen to the ground.

"How did you know?" Sonia asked.

"What, he didn't try that on you?"

"No."

"…That green skinned bastard," Bud muttered. "He said he didn't play favorites."

"But he never said anything about gender wise," Sonia said. Bud facepalmed and sweatdropped at his own stupidity. Sonia just giggled.

* * *

"Well, today's the day," Piccolo said. He was standing in front of the three humans and their EM partners. "I'm leaving. Partly because this is the last day I'm _allowed_ to stay in here. Any longer and I'm stuck for good. Anyways, I want you to keep switching every two hours and to continue your martial arts exercises. Don't forget. Disappoint me and you're in for another world of living hell."

"Right," the three humans said. Piccolo grinned at them, but he didn't grin like an uncle. Only as a mentor to his students.

"When you're done in here, you better be ready for a test," Piccolo said as he walked out.

"Okay, let's get started," Geo said. In those nine months of training, his confidence had slowly increased and his presence now demanded respect, which Sonia and Bud were only too happy to give. "We're not going to let our teacher down, right?"

"Right!"

* * *

**That takes care of Sonia, Bud, and Geo. I think I might do Ashe and Grey next….maybe. Please Review.**


	88. ZX Advent: The New Overdrive

**ZX Advent: The New Overdrive**

"Are you calm?" Trunks asked.

"Hn…yes," both Ashe and Vegeta answered. The two had been tied up in order to keep them from fighting with each other.

"We're going to untie you now and you aren't going to try and kill each other," Grey said. "Right?"

"…Right…"

"Okay," Trunks said, walking over to his father, Grey walking over to Ashe. They untied the two at the same time and surprisingly, they didn't attack each other. "Good. We're off to a very good start. Now then, Ashe and Grey, you two need to go out of the room. Get accustomed to the gravity." The two did so and promptly fell to their knees, Model A plastered to the ground beside them.

"C-can't…move," Model A grunted out.

"So…h-he-heavy," Grey whimpered, pulling himself onto his feet. He tried to walk towards Ashe, but could manage at best a shuffle. He grabbed her under her shoulders, pulling up, nearly falling himself.

"Th-thanks, lil' brother," Ashe said.

"No prob, sis," Grey replied. Trunks and Vegeta watched as the two started to shuffle around a bit, while Model A managed to float upwards about an inch. As far as he could manage. Trunks and Vegeta were about to say something when the door was slammed open and Tan'ya walked in, went out of the room, and picked up Model A, without any trouble whatsoever.

"I'm here for weapon enhancement," he said, walking over to one of the beds and pulling out a briefcase, opening it to reveal crystals and tools. "Alright, little one, let's see what makes you tick."

"Hey, what are you-" Model A began. "OW! That hurts, you son of bitch!"

"Calm down," Tan'ya said. He had somehow managed to get a back panel off of Model A and was digging through his set of crystals before choosing a solid white crystal and two small transparent green crystals. "Here we go," he said. He placed the solid white crystal in first and set the two transparent green on either side. He put the back panel back on. "The white crystal is an Ultima crystal. Be careful with it. The two green are Overdrive crystals. Rather strange for a Biometal to be missing one, but it can't be helped. The Ultima crystal's purpose will become clear throughout your training and the Overdrive crystals give you the Overdrive ability now. Have fun," Tan'ya explained before walking out.

"What was that about?" Trunks asked. Vegeta just grunted.

"Max told me that a friend of his would be making rounds through all the training groups," Vegeta said. "I'm assuming that was him."

"What the hell is Overdrive?" Grey asked, making his way back to the room.

"I think it was an ability that most of the original Biometals had," Model A answered. "But I was the only one who didn't possess it."

"Well, I suppose we should give it a go, huh?" Ashe asked.

* * *

"Overdrive!" Ashe and Grey felt the comforting energy pump through their bodies as a small shockwave was released from their bodies. They faced Trunks, whose hair was now standing up in spikes and glowing a golden color. "A-Trans! Vegeta!" Grey yelled. Vegeta grunted, a little uncomfortable with seeing himself. Grey/Vegeta went Super Saiyan, flying at Trunks.

"A-Trans! Stealth Axl!" Ashe turned into Axl-R, but instead of holding two pistols, held a sniper rifle. She took aim at Trunks, holding her breath to steady her aim and pulled the trigger. Trunks ducked under, drawing the sword he wore on his back and swiping it at Grey.

"Damn," Grey grunted as Trunks landed a hit on his shoulder, knocking him back. In the past four months, the two had been training in only Overdrive mode, which allowed them to copy anyone that they could see. They found out that after three transformations, that person's data was forever copied into Model A's memory and could be used outside of Overdrive. "It's still hard to control Vegeta's power. It's…unlike anything I've ever felt." Vegeta smirked.

"Yeah, but we can't give up," Ashe called over to him. "Try the new one!" Trunks' eyes widened.

"New one?" he repeated.

"A-Trans! Ultima Zero!" Grey changed into Zero, but suddenly his armor began to morph. The two crystals on his shoulders moved onto his back, morphing into one, wings of pure green energy sprouting from it. The blue crystal on the helmet disappeared and reappeared on his chest, while the helmet's shape changed so that his face was covered with a visor and mouth guard, the back of the helmet no longer there. His armor became slimmer, wrapping around his limbs. The Omega symbol appeared on the chest of the torso armor, which seemed to have vents along the sides now. The boots changed to a black color, suddenly extending up to cover the knees.

"I love that Ultima crystal," Ashe said to herself. Tan'ya had been telling the truth when he had said the Ultima crystal's purpose would become clear. They found that they could unleash a new, more powerful form of someone in Model A's trans-databank when in Overdrive mode. But Ashe felt that this was only the beginning of what Ultima energy could do. Grey's wings gave a flap, lifting him into the air. He charged at Trunks, who began to weave and dodge around as Grey unleashed multiple Sonic Booms at him with the Z Saber. Even the Z Saber's shape had changed, now resembling a katana instead of the large, arrow headed blade.

"Try this on for size!" Trunks yelled. "Kame." He held his hands back. "Hame…" Still holding them back, a ball of blue energy began to build. "HA!" He fired the ball at Grey, who swung the Z Saber just as the ball was about to hit him. The Z Saber glowed as it hit the Kamehameha, absorbing it, and on the next swing, it unleashed the energy right back at Trunks as a shockwave. Trunks was hit full on, falling to the ground. He managed to recover in mid air, pulling up just a few feet from the ground, flying at Grey, drawing his fist back. Grey mimicked him and they produced a Cross Counter in midair, each knocking the other to the ground. "Damn," Trunks said as he picked himself up.

"Well, it seems you've managed to beat my son," Vegeta said. "Now you just have to be able to beat me. And that could take a while," Vegeta continued.

* * *

Ten months later, Vegeta was in Super Saiyan 3, looking at a panting Ashe and Grey. They had both changed in those months. Grey's hair was now a little longer, but he was planning on cutting it once they were done with training. He had stopped wearing the orange jumpsuit, trading it out for an outfit that he felt suited him. He now wore a red T-shirt that was ripped on the back. His plugs were still there and he had a new scar on his forehead, a literal close shave with Trunks' sword. He wore jeans that were a little baggy on him, but still allowed for movement in a fight. Ashe had chosen to cut her hair a little shorter, so that it stopped at her shoulders when tied up. She had chosen to keep her original clothes, but the sleeves and legs had become longer and a little looser on her. They both still wore their pistols, but found that they didn't need them much anymore, not after the martial arts training Vegeta and Trunks had given them. "Well," Vegeta said, smirking. "Had enough?"

Grey held up a finger, giving Vegeta a rude gesture. Vegeta continued to smirk. "Go…(huff) die," Grey said.

"I've already been dead once," Vegeta said. "It wasn't as fun as some people make it out to be."

"I suppose this is the part where you brag?" Ashe said between breaths.

"Normally, yes. But you two almost had me today. Congratulations. You're almost worth my time."

"It'll be different tomorrow," Grey vowed.

"I hope so. Because this is becoming quite tedious."

* * *

"Ultima Overdrive!" Ashe and Grey were still at it four months. They had unlocked a new Overdrive mode, the Ultima Overdrive, which made the normal Overdrive look like a toddler's toy. With this, any transformation made was automatically stored in Model A's trans-databank and could be accessed at any time outside of Overdrive after a single transformation. But it was their last resort, only to be used when absolutely needed. When they used transformations while in Ultima Overdrive, they were automatically sent into the Ultima form of whoever they used. Ultima Overdrive was also the only time their armor changed, becoming pure white. "A-Trans! Vegeta!" They went straight to Super Saiyan 3, a black M on both their foreheads, charging right at Vegeta, who was also in Super Saiyan 3. He gritted his teeth, dodging their blows. Over the past month, they had slowly mastered the Ultima Overdrive and had come close to beating him. But so far, he had won because their energy ran out quickly. Today was no exception and they soon fell out of Megamerge, panting.

"D-damn it," Grey said. He looked up to see Vegeta exhaling and inhaling heavily. "We…almost had h-him."

"Well, you've still got six months," Trunks said. "Maybe in that time, you can beat him."

"Maybe," Model A said, floating between them. His form had changed thanks to the Ultima energy that now coursed through his circuitry whenever they used the Ultima Overdrive. He now had three extra spikes on his form and the blue on his 'body' had changed to white, the spikes now a green color. Everything else was the same. "But not until we can get more energy during Ultima Overdrive."

"You'd think that Tan'ya guy would've left us instructions on how to use it," Ashe said.

"But he told you what it did," Trunks said. Tan'ya had come in two months earlier to look at their current progress and had explained that the Ultima energy was pretty much alive. It did what it pretty much wanted to, helping where help was called for, such as the Overdrive ability. It was basically the ultimate upgrade, improving things beyond their normal levels, normal beings acquiring powers that would normally take years to learn. "And you can't exactly rush this kind of stuff. Any faster and you'd be dead."

"Granted," Grey said. "Maybe there's another way to use the Ultima Overdrive. Something else to do with it."

"And what would that be?" Ashe snapped.

"…I…have no idea," Grey admitted. "But there's gotta be some way to get more energy."

* * *

It was their last month of training and they had figured out how to get more energy for Ultima Overdrive. They found that if they were close enough, they could use the residual energy radiating off of Vegeta's Super Saiyan 3 form to increase the duration of their own abilities. And they had finally beaten him thanks to that. They were smiling down at the man as he looked up at them, his eyes showing that he didn't quite believe that he was the one on the ground and they were still flying. "We finally did it, sis," Grey said, looking at Ashe. Grey was in Ultima Zero A-trans right now, while Ashe had chosen to take on Vegeta's form. Ashe returned the look, releasing A-Trans to reveal that she had a set of blue energy wings extending from her back, a new power granted her by Ultima Overdrive. She smiled at him and he returned it.

"I can't believe I lost," Vegeta said under his breath. He sighed. "I've gotten soft."

"Well, looks like you two are ready for just about anything now," Trunks yelled up to them. "Come on down and we'll have some dinner."

**Now, which group to do next? Please Review. I own the Ultima Overdrive and the Ultima Zero.  
**


	89. Megaman X: New Forms

**Megaman X: New Forms**

"Come on, fellas," 17 said to the three reploids. "Get moving."

"H-how?" Axl asked. "Our servos can only handle so much and we're pushed to the limit as is."

"That's no excuse. I'm part robot and I can move pretty easily."

"With human muscles and adaptable technology," Zero said. The door suddenly slammed open and Wily and Tan'ya walked in.

17 turned around to address them. "Can we help you?" he asked.

"I'm here to give these boys an upgrade," Wily answered.

"I'm just gonna take a look at their weapons. I don't normally do tech shit, but I'll make an exception. And only because Tarn and Blaze explained what was at stake," Tan'ya said.

"So, while I'm working on one of you, Tan'ya will be examining the other," Wily continued. "Zero, you'll be the first I look at. Now then, since we have three of you here and twenty four months, I can spend a total of eight months apiece on you fellas. So let's get started."

* * *

"Alright, X, let's take a look at you," Wily said eight months later. Zero walked out into the white space, flexing his new arms. His armor was now a bulky version of the Ultima form used by Grey, without the wings and the Z Saber was still in its normal form. Tan'ya pulled off a pair of black goggles, looking up from Axl's new sniper rifle. He gave an impressed whistle.

"Just wait'll I set an Ultima crystal," Tan'ya said. "Whatta ya gonna call this form?"

"Well, Nightmare Zero certainly isn't an accurate name," Zero replied.

"Well, you gotta figure something out. Normally, the maker names his creations, but since you boys are self aware, it's only fitting that you come up with your new names," Wily said.

"Well, I'd like to keep Zero in the name…perhaps…Tenshi Zero."

"Hmmm…it…kinda fits…well, come over here for a second so I can set an Ultima crystal," Tan'ya said. A few hours later, Zero's armor had slimmed down to match the form the one Grey had used exactly. Tan'ya stepped back and examined the wings. "Tenshi…angel. I think the name fits better now."

"Yeah," Zero agreed. He looked at the wings, which began to shrink and disappeared into the single crystal on his back. Zero drew his new Z Saber, looking down the length of the blade. "My saber feels lighter all of a sudden. And it's easier to move as well."

"Perhaps you'd like to test your new body?" 17 asked. He took a stance across from Tenshi Zero. Tenshi Zero simply held his Z Saber down at his side. 17 rushed him and was surprised to see Tenshi Zero no longer standing there, instead hovering in midair, the wings gently flapping once in a while to keep him aloft. 17 jumped after him, only to be knocked back down by a simple back slap with the Z Saber. He got up and fired a few shots of energy, but the Z Saber absorbed each and every one, Tenshi Zero swinging his blade to release it as a shockwave. 17 just managed to dodge the shot and was then flung into the room as Tenshi Zero shoulder charged him. "I give," 17 groaned, waving a small white flag. Tenshi Zero looked down at his body once more, flexing the fingers.

"Wow," he said to himself. "I can't believe that my body's changed this much."

"Oi, Wily, perhaps we should go into business," Tan'ya said, grinning. "You give upgrades, I provide some crystals, and the customer's got a super powered body."

"Thank you, but no," Wily replied. "I'm quite content with my arcade. Perhaps you could talk Packer into doing it."

"Nah," Tan'ya said. "I'd go crazy having to work with all that tech. I'm only doing this now because of what I was told by Tarn and Blaze. Mind tossing that pair of pliers?" Wily did so and Tan'ya snatched them out of the air, pulling out a vial of dark green crystal shards, taking a look at the scope on the rifle. "These oughta do real nice."

* * *

"Well, X, you're all done," Wily said. "Since you already have different sets of interchangeable armor, I decided to take your most powerful armor and enhance it a little." X walked into the white space, looking at his body. He was now in his Neutral Armor, or what he thought to be his Neutral Armor. The armor was now a deep blue and he could feel the collar that Tara had given him was now attached to the armor. He noticed small slots all over the armor, which Tan'ya took notice of immediately.

"Oi, X, come here," Tan'ya called. X complied, walking over to Tan'ya. Tan'ya took a look at the slots and pulled out a flame orange crystal. He put it in a slot and the crystal glowed before it flipped into X's body. "Well, that's nice. Just like a coin machine. Put in the quarter and ya get something. I'll just give you one of each element and an Ultima crystal."A few minutes later, X walked away, heading towards Tenshi Zero, who was running through some sword forms.

"Hey, X," Tenshi Zero said, stopping his training. "How do you feel?"

"Okay, I guess," X replied. "This body feels…weird…"

"Same here. But you'll get used to it. But poor Axl's going to have the least amount of time to get used to it. I think Max is gonna have to put him in another Hyperbolic Time Chamber to help him adjust to it. So, what about your new name? Any ideas yet?"

"Well…how does Ultimate X sound?"

"Depends? Is this your strongest form?"

"I have no idea," X began, holding his hand out to the side when his buster suddenly appeared and fired off a shot the size of a small comet. They looked at it, eyes wide. Tenshi Zero's gaze went to the buster.

"Be careful with that thing!"

"Wow…just…what the hell happened?"

"That might be the Ultima crystal," Tan'ya called over. "But there's no way to tell. Just watch where you aim that thing."

"I think Ultimate X fits just fine," Tenshi Zero said.

"I should say so," Ultimate X agreed. "Now then…"

"Spar?"

"I was thinking more like a beat down," Ultimate X smirked.

"You're on!"

* * *

It was the last month that they could stay in there and 17 had decided to leave the day after Ultimate X had started sparring with Tenshi Zero. "Ok, Axl, you're done," Wily said. He stepped back as Axl stood up and stumbled into the heavier gravity. His form was now all black and his armor had been slimmed down. His shoulder armor was sleeked downwards, his elbow armor almost nonexistent, there was so little left. The lower half of his armor was still the same, but his helmet had been shortened and now completely covered both sides of his head, leaving none of his hair to hang out. Tan'ya looked up from his book, his toothpick now a stub. He picked up the rifle he had been working on and tossed it to Axl. Axl caught it, examining the new weapon.

"I made it so that it will split into two smaller pistols," Tan'ya said. "The scope's got some Sight crystals, giving you a maximum range of about two hundred miles, the barrel now works on the principal of a rail gun, giving you a shooting range of close to four hundred miles, twice that of your visual range. Also, be careful with the safety. It's still a little glitch, but that'll work itself out in about a day."

"Thanks," Axl said.

"Axl, glad to see you're awake," Ultimate X said as he walked over. Axl nodded his head. "Uh, Wily, did you mess with his personality?"

"Only a little," Wily said.

"Uh…I know this sounds weird, but perhaps you could fix it."

"Well, if you wish," Wily said. A few minutes later, Axl walked out, his new rifle over his shoulder.

"Axl? Feeling better?" Tenshi Zero asked.

"Yeah, though I'm tempted to smack the old man," Axl said. "And the name is Tomari Axl now."

"Alright, _Tomari_," Tenshi Zero said. "Wanna give your new rifle a try?"

"Oh, hell yes!" Tomari Axl broke it right down the middle, gripping the new pistols by their respective handles. He gave them a quick twirl, smirking. "I like the feel of these. Let's see what they can do!" Tenshi Zero walked away and stood with his saber at mid guard.

"Alright, fire away." Tomari Axl obliged, firing the bullets as quick as he could pull the trigger, surprised at how he could get more shots off when firing manually than just holding them down for automatic fire. Tenshi Zero was holding the bullets off just fine, until Tomari Axl began to curve the bullets around the blade. Tenshi Zero was forced to take a few steps back and even then had trouble predicting the bullets' trajectory.

"Son of a bitch!" he exclaimed, while Ultimate X laughed. "Oi, you wanna stand here, smartass?"

"Nah, I'm good," Ultimate X replied, still holding his sides.

"Man, I can't wait til' this month's over!" Tomari Axl exclaimed, laughing in glee.

* * *

**So ends their 'training'. Please Review. Also, since I probably won't update tomorrow, Happy Thanksgiving.**


	90. Adoption: Training Like Hell

**Adoption: Training Like Hell**

Netto groaned as he nearly collapsed. He, Rockman, Sasuke, Shinobi, Naruto, and Kyuubi had been in there for nearly half a year. So far, they had been quadrupling the gravity every time they were all able to jump higher than a foot and practiced their ninjutsu with Rockman improving his Chaos Attacks while teaching the others as well. Netto had been the one who got it quicker since all those times Chaos Netto had been in control. It was even worse since they just had to be put in a Zone where all the guys who were suppose to help them improve had already used up their time in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, leaving them to their own.

"You still can't keep your Kirigan up for more than five minutes?" Sasuke asked while panting.

"Dammit! I know we've been improving, but I can't help but feel my eyes are just two steps back to my one step ahead!" Netto groaned.

"Then perhaps you need some help," a voice said.

All of them turned to the entrance and saw no one. A hand tapped Netto's shoulder. He turned his head a bit and screamed at seeing three, demonic eyes. The others turned to see Shadow and Viral…or who were suppose to be them. The first figure resembled Shadow, but his quills were longer and he had four more spikes on his head. The red and flame-like designs on his body were now a deep crimson with now-silver chest fur. He was taller by a foot and his skates were beyond advance from their previous form. His gloves were now made of a white leather with his rings a glowing gold metal. He wore a set of brown and pitch black robes, adorned with jewels and a silver chain that was attached to a metal spiked sun with a sun-colored jewel and a metal spiked moon with a moon-colored jewel. What startled them the most was that Shadow now had _three_ eyes, each one now a demonic crimson with a gold ring circling the irises, the center of each a demonic slit.

"This is pathetic," the Shadow near-lookalike scoffed.

"I'll say…These naked apes aren't as strong as I thought if this is the gravity they can currently withstand," the Viral near-lookalike rolled his eyes.

The Viral looked like Viral, but his hair was longer, nearly ending at his knees, and done in the same style as the Alchemist Rockman and Sasuke had met in Rush Valley: Edward Elric. His feline-like hands were now human in appearance with the claws still visible. His left eye was covered by a bit of his hair while he had bangs on the sides of his face. What really got them noticing were the tiger ears and tail with three shark fins on the end that were emerging from his body. He had gotten rid of his old clothing and replaced it with a simple black jacket with red designs, black pants that were torn at the waist and leg endings, held up by a belt made of Spiral Energy, and a white, button, and frilled shirt.

"Sh-Shadow-sensei?" Rockman gasped.

"Viral-san?" Netto grunted when Viral picked him up by the scruff on his shirt.

"You six are pathetic," Viral scoffed as he tossed Netto over to them.

"Well excuse us for having no fuckin' Sensei!" Naruto snapped, "And why the hell are you two here and looking like that?"

"We've finished our training in half a day outside," Shadow replied.

"What?" the six exclaimed.

"Normally, you could sense us, correct?" Viral asked.

"Well…Yeah," Naruto replied.

"None of us could sense you this time," Kyuubi spoke as he narrowed his eyes at the two.

"That is because we are beyond anything you've fought before," Shadow replied, his eyes glowing softly, "And, since I see no one can teach you…Prepare for hell! Chaos Training!"

The area inverted its colors. The six looked around in shock, especially when the way out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber turned to dust. They turned to the two in shock.

"Wh…What the hell?" Naruto screamed, "You just destroyed our way out!"

"And when we're done, you will be able to get out of here with a simple twitch of your ear," Viral sneered demonically.

"Oh, fuck…" the six paled when the two rushed them.

* * *

The eight had spent a single year with each other now. Viral and Shadow hadn't changed at all since the training. Naruto had gotten rid of his clothing for a black shirt with his swirl on it, a pair of orange pants with black flames, and a black jacket with flame patterns on the bottom half of it. His hair had grown longer with two parts of it going down the sides of his face as bangs. He donned black fingerless gloves with orange metal on the back while his sandals had turned black. Sasuke still wore his lab coat, but now wore a red shirt and black jeans. His arms were covered in strange seals and two devices. His normal shoes had been altered and now had neon-red, glowing soles. His hair had extended to halfway down his back and done in a ponytail. His glasses were still the same, but had a glowing red device beside the left lens. Kyuubi, Megaman, and Shinobi had all gotten rid of their jumpsuits. Kyuubi chose to wear a standard Konoha-Shinobi uniform and a flak jacket with two bands each on both of his sleeves. He also wore a short-sleeve long white coat with red flame edges and the kanji "Fourth Hokage" written vertically down on the back. Shinobi had taken to wearing a white long-sleeved shirt which was open at the torso, with a smaller version of the Uchiha crest/NaviMark on his collar. He wore black pants with a blue cloth hanging from halfway up his stomach to his knees. He also wore a red rope belt around his waist. On his head was now a black visor that seemed more advance than anything the others had seen. Rockman had taken to wearing armor resembling a fusion of his, Zero-ZS, X, and Geo in his Wave Change's forms. What was strange was that it seemed to blend in together. His torso had the design of Geo's torso armor, but on Zero-ZS's jacket. His gloves had turned into gauntlets with his NaviMark on the back of each and had green six-pointed stars on each. His shoulder guards, now sleeker and a metallic yellow, had red wing-like symbols on them. His boots were bulkier and adorned with glowing red and green jewels. Where his boots ended at the knees, he had a knee-guard on them shaped like a triangle with a green and red jewel on each. The back of his jacket had slits in them for some reason. His helmet was sleeker in design and had openings on the top, revealing his new wolf ears while his wolf tail twitched. Netto now wore a simple blue t-shirt under his resized and thinner orange vest. His arms were wrapped in bandages while his hands were covered in black, gloves with glowing green 'claws' over the ends of the fingers. He wore sunglasses and his hair had now gone to his knees with two long bangs that ended over his shoulders. He wore black pants like his brothers, but had blue dragon designs on the legs. His shoes were gone, replaced by strange shoes with glowing soles.

"…Begin!" Viral declared as he threw down a white flag.

Instantly, the six vanished various split-instances showed Naruto was fighting Kyuubi, Sasuke against Shinobi, and Rockman against Netto. Shinobi threw his left hand out and a giant, skeletal snake-like blade erupted from it, the giant skeleton snake head having a red mane, at Sasuke. Sasuke swiped at Shinobi with his left hand and a red beam roared out of the device on his left hand, colliding with the snake blade and exploding. The smoke was ripped apart by an ice dragon. Sasuke barely dodged as he saw through the smoke that Shinobi now had a katana with a four-pointed star hilt in his left hand, now frozen in ice and resembled a dragon claw. He had dragon wings and a tail made of ice and had a four-petaled ice flower floating above him. The ice and blade glowed before transforming into the Tetsusaiga. He swung it and unleashed a Wind Scar made of Chaos Energy. Sasuke stomped the ground and a dragon made of stone ripped out of it beside a dragon made of lava. The attacks collided and caused a large explosion.

"It's over," Sasuke said, holding a kunai to Shinobi's neck and privates.

"I'm good," Kyuubi grinned as he was pinning Naruto-now resembling Minato in his Fox Form and Human Form, but made of golden flames-with his pinky while his tails had extended to the length of a football field, impaling thousands on now-dead Shadow Clones.

**"…Boom…"** Naruto said in a fusion of his and Minato's voices when the shadow clones exploded.

"Ah! Fuck!" Kyuubi growled as his tails regenerated.

"Now it's over," Naruto said, back to normal, while he held a sphere of white, swirling energy to Kyuubi's neck and privates.

"Nope," Kyuubi smirked as his tails, each tipped with Chaos Energy-made versions of the attacks Naruto had on him were aimed at Naruto, "It's a tie."

The four were then sent flying by an explosion. In a crater easily dominating the size of New York City were Netto and Rockman. The two narrowed their eyes at each other, Netto's eyes now his Kekkei Genkai.

"Chaos…" Netto began.

"Chaos…" Rockman began.

"Oh, shit!" Naruto screamed.

"…Spiral…" the two said as their bodies began to erupt with Spiral Energy and Chaos Energy, the energy easily reaching the size of the Empire State Building.

"We're leaving," Shadow said as he grabbed Shinobi and Kyuubi while Viral got Naruto and Sasuke before vanishing.

"…Apocalypse!" both cried.

The two attacks were unleashed, creating an explosion that easily tripled the size of the crater and left the two in a burning area. Rockman charged at Netto, who vanished before delivering a kick to his chin, sending him into the air. Netto literally flew at Rockman before he saw the smirk on his face. Rockman vanished before appearing before Netto. He was then beside him as Netto was spinning around, blood releasing from multiple injuries on him. He then appeared at Netto's side and delivered a double-fisted strike to his back, sending him into the ground. Rockman appeared below him and got his fist into Netto's solar plexus. Netto fell over, out cold. The other six appeared and Rockman;s left arm and legs exploded.

"You idiots! That was going overboard!" Shadow snapped as he brought Rockman to his face, his eyes glowing a venomous, golden scarlet, "You nearly blasted a hole back out! And we've only been in here for a second out there!"

"A second?" Naruto and Shinobi exclaimed.

"Yes, a second," Viral scoffed as Rockman's limbs regenerated, "A year ago, Shadow used 'Chaos Training.' In other words, time has completely stopped here to the point that a year is a simple second. However, when Shadow and I trained, we used nearly one billion of these inside one another."

"Yikes…" Naruto gulped.

"I'm also impressed with you, Sasuke," Viral said, "You were able to copy our ability to regenerate ourselves from even nonexistence and turn it into programs for your NetNavis, albeit their power is limited to just short of their heads being blown completely off."

"It still hurts, though," Rockman complained.

"You lose that feeling once you pass you turn two hundred billion," Shadow rolled his eyes.

"You're not human!" Shinobi barked.

"Of course now. I am Shadow the Black Arms."

"Viral Armageddon the Immortal Beastman, and I am no naked ape," Viral scowled as Netto slowly woke up.

"Ow…Still can't beat you, Niisan," Netto grunted.

"And now that we've completed this part _and _made sure each of you could never _ever_ get drunk off your powers like a certain someone's Zone Doubles all did…" Shadow began.

"Still don't get how that happened," Sasuke shrugged.

"You're all pricks in them, that's why," Viral snickered.

"…It is time to teach you how to get out of here. This will be simple enough," Shadow replied, ending Chaos Training, "I want each of you to think of a drill. Not just any drill, mind you. This drill must reflect your heart. Take what your thoughts, hopes, dreams, and everything are and form them into that drill. Then, think of where you want to go and drill to it. Once you get this, your training is done and you may leave this area."

"Watch;" Viral smirked before his left arm transformed into a drill.

He turned to where the rooms once were. He charged and his drill began to spin. He lunged out with his drill ahead of his body. The drill unleashed a strange energy and he literally drilled through something and vanished.

"I suggest you start doing it. I will wait half a day before checking up and deciding if you can learn it or not. If not, then I'll pull you out of here," Shadow said before leaving the same way, "Ciao."

"Well, we know our orders," Kyuubi said, "Learn this drill and get the hell out of here before he comes back and kills us."

"Hai, Lord Hokage!" the five saluted before going to work.

"Oi! I am not the Hokage anymore!" Kyuubi sighed.

* * *

**This chapter was written by Gammatron. Please Review.**


	91. The Two Days Are Up

**The Two Days Are Up**

"Alright, ready to go?" Luna Rena asked. She was wearing a sleeveless shirt, the lower half white, upper half pink, with pink gloves that extended past her elbows, stopping just inches from her shoulders and a pair of yellow shorts, a ribbon holding her hair up.

"Sure," Eva said. Her outfit had also changed, dress a slightly darker color with a brighter colored heart and a pair of pink ear rings, her hair grown out a little longer. They looked around the white space and then the bedroom. "So...how do we explain that we sent the furniture to hell?" Luna sweatdropped.

* * *

"Multi Wave Change!" Z charged at J, who was in his armor, both of his Copy Converters drawn, in the form of two katana. She slammed one with her shuriken, drawing her rifle for a point blank shot at his gut. She pulled the trigger, kicking off of his thigh at the same time. Today was their last day in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and they were giving their final spar all they had. Z's Multi-Wave Change had changed to a slimmer version, but there were a few more armor plates. The bandages also covered all of her body, neck down, while a simple face mask was all that was on her head, her hair left to itself, save for a slide down visor currently resting on the top of her head. Her rifle had gotten shorter, about four inches taken off the barrel, which was what allowed her to make the point blank shot at J.

"Nice try, but no go!" J exclaimed, grinning. He had slowly begun to learn how to split up his original combat programming, but when the fighting became tumultuous, he began to feel a sort of Battle Lust, a feeling of contentment at the thrill of near death experiences. It still scared him, but he was slowly growing accustomed to it. Z saw that he had actually caught the bullet with the tips of his twin katana. J flicked with one katana, sending the bullet shooting past her face at the same speed it had left her barrel. There was a sudden lull in the battle and Z was grateful for it. She looked over at J, whose armor had undergone some changes of its own. It had become slimmer in the shoulders, hugging his shoulders tightly. There was a kind of sleekness to it that hadn't been there before, almost as if his armor was repairing itself after every fight.

"Time!" Z called, panting. J actually frowned before shaking his head and walking over to the room. "Hurt again?"

"Damn programming," J said, holding his head. "Always leaves me with headaches."

"Well, this was our last day anyways," Z said, releasing her Wave Change. She had grown her hair longer in the two years she had spent in the room, her figure slimmed down. She now wore gloves that were fingerless on the index and pinky. She had gotten into wearing a vest over a purple T-shirt, while her black jeans reached her ankles. "Max should be here in just a bit. May as well get out of here."

* * *

"Alright, Dessy," Sage said. "Last day in here. Let's go ahead and head outside." Sage didn't seem to have aged as much as anyone else in the team had. In fact, he looked the exact same as the day he had gone in. Iridesca, on the other hand, had changed quite a bit. Her armor hadn't changed, but she had grown her hair out even longer, the hair now reaching her knees. She had switched out her usual outfit for something more suited to battle, a tight fitting long sleeved shirt that hugged her curves, gold in color, while a pair of blue jeans hugged her lower body. Her entire body was hidden by a black trenchcoat. She was wearing sandals at the moment, but had gotten into the habit of going barefoot for fights without her armor.

"Two years, in two days," Iridesca said. "It's so weird." She looked at Roll and Maylu. Roll's form had changed a little, with her two yellow antennae now gone, her yellow hair shorter, the green bow gone. Maylu now wore a longer skirt, her sleeves on her light blue shirt stopping at her elbows now, her vest unzipped. She had decided to keep her hair the same. Both girls had grown a little, in height and otherwise. "You two ready?"

"Ready as we'll ever be," Maylu answered.

* * *

"How much longer does he have?" Talina asked, looking at the Piccolo in the Zone she and Kishi were in.

"Another second or two," he answered. At the end of his sentence, Max walked out of the room alone. He had sent the three villains out yesterday and Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan had been taken out six hours earlier. Gotenks had tried to go in, but was kicked out four hours ago, in less than two seconds. Piccolo had been surprised and was even more surprised when Max came out, looking none the worse than when he had gone in. Max's appearance wasn't all that different, save for an added inch and maybe a little facial hair beginning to grow. But his jacket was flapping a little and Piccolo noted that there wasn't a breeze.

"Max," Talina said, hugging her brother's neck, this time having to reach up a bit. Kishi gripped the teen's wrist, to which Max returned with a similar grip.

"Hey, guys," Max said. He smiled at the two, rubbing the back of his head. "The room's all yours. I'm gonna go round up the rest of the team and come back for you two." They nodded and began to walk off, but Max still held Kishi's wrist. To Kishi, he leaned in close, whispering. "If you two come out with a kid, so help me, Kishi, you're a dead man." Kishi just looked at him.

"That's assuming I get past first base," Kishi replied, calm. Max grinned, nodding.

"Good answer." He released Kishi's wrist and the Zone Watcher followed Talina into the chamber.

* * *

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, Lockdown," Kalar said to the cube on his desk. Lockdown was on the other end, complaining about his supposedly unbreakable attachments being destroyed. "But I suppose I should have warned you that the items in question were made with the original refinement technique."

"THE ORIGINAL?" Kalar yelled. "YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THERE'S ANOTHER?"

"Five, to be exact," Kalar replied. "And the newest one that we've found, the sixth technique, has yet to be experimented with. Each technique provides some unique…qualities. The original technique sacrificed structural integrity against certain energies, such as, oh, for the sake of argument, Spiral Energy, in exchange for taking physical attacks. This newest technique, if successful, could very well make Metal Zeta the first _true_ indestructible material. However…making attachable items would be out of the question…if you would be willing to make the trip here, we could redo your entire structure with this new technique. No strings attached, no jobs required, just an agreement to not reveal the technique."

"My entire body, huh?"

"Yes, my large robotic friend. Your entire body. The ultimate upgrade."

"Hn…I'll need some time to think about it," Lockdown replied.

"You know where to find me," Kalar replied. He turned off the cube, turning to Race. "And what about this Sync Merge? Have you found anything on it?"

"No, sir," Race replied. "I'm…afraid not."

"Well, keep looking. I have a feeling that our young friend, Kent, isn't the only one in all of the known Zones to have such an ability."

* * *

"AUGH!" Kent jerked awake, looking around for the source of the sound. He saw Kad was also alert now, his sword drawn.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, looking at the ghostlike being.

"Don't know," Kad replied. "Oi, Model Q, go take a look."

"Why do I have to go?" Model Q asked.

"Because you're the smallest of us, making you the least likely to be seen."

"Damn your logic," Model Q grumbled, floating out of the tent. They heard another scream, this one like a girl and they looked at each other before running out after Model Q. They saw a group of men laughing, surrounding a teenage girl who was curled up in a ball, trying to protect herself. Kent saw a fire red biometal on the ground in the shape of a square and out of the corner of his eye saw another man on the ground in a pool of what Kent assumed to be the man's own blood.

"Oi!" Kent called as he ran at the men. "Pick on someone your own size!" And with that, he jumped into the middle of the group, taking out one man, kicking another in the gut. "Megamerge!" He pulled out the large boomerang, Kad running up behind the men to thrust his blade through the spine of one. When the fight was over, Kent looked around to see that there had been about seven men in the group. One lay on the ground still alive, his mouth open in silent pain. This was the one that Kad had run through in the back, leaving him paralyzed. "You," Kent said, picking the man up by the collar. "What's going on here?" The man looked at him in confusion. "Do you speak English?" Again, confusion, this time followed by a grimace of pain as Kad jammed his fist into the man's wound.

"Talk now or you deal with me," Kad hissed. But the man still looked confused, confirming Kent's suspicions that he couldn't speak English. Although he noticed the man now had a healthy fear of Kad.

"He's no use to us," Kent said, dropping the man. He walked over to the girl, putting a hand on her shoulder, and she flinched under it, curling up tighter. "Whoa, whoa, it's okay," Kent said, keeping his voice to a whisper. "I'm not going to hurt you." He released his merge and had Model Q check on the biometal. "Can you understand me?" The girl slowly uncurled, looking up at him. Her blonde hair was a mess, twigs and leaves stuck in her hair. She looked up at him in confusion. "Guess not." He stood up and was about to walk away to head back to his tent when the girl grabbed his hand. He looked down to see that her eyes now seemed to be pleading. "Oh, for the luvva…look, I really don't think you should come with us," he said. But the girl continued to look at him. He sighed and knelt down to help her up, but when she couldn't stand on her own, he simply picked her up in his arms. He called Model Q back over and the girl began pointing at the biometal on the ground. "Oi, Kad!"

"What?" Kad asked, coming back to Kent. He had been fishing through the men's pockets, trying to find ID and money.

"Go grab the biometal over there," Kent replied. "Seems important to our new friend here."

"Alright, alright," Kad said, picking up the biometal. They walked back to their camp, the girl now asleep in Kent's arms.

"Why the hell does this kind of stuff happen to us?" Kent asked his companions. Kad shrugged and Model Q just floated there, making a noncommittal grunt.

* * *

"Well, Blaze," Tan'ya said, looking at the dagger. "Looks like you've been neglecting my little gift to you."

"Don't see how," Blaze said, his face one of exasperation. "I keep up on its maintenance."

"I mean, you aren't using it like you used to," Tan'ya said. "He tells me that his big bro is neglecting him."

"Right," Blaze said. "I forgot, you claim that all swords have life forces."

"Well, your little friend here claims that you were just at Tara's the other day, talking about…oh, what an interesting little secret. When were you two going to announce your engagement?" Blaze's eye began twitching. "Now, what was it you and Tarn said the other day? Something about how 'Tan'ya's going insane'?"

"I…take it back," Blaze replied, his right eye still twitching. Tan'ya smirked, pulling out a new toothpick, spitting his old one into a nearby trash bucket.

"So, when do you plan on seeing Max's team? Their training finished about two minutes ago."

"I'll stop by later. Uh, is my eye still twitching?" Tan'ya stood up, slapping Blaze.

"Nope. Not anymore."

"Thanks," Blaze said, rubbing his cheek. "But did you have to slap me so hard?"

* * *

Max looked at his team, or what was left of it. A lot of them hadn't been able to do the training and had been forced to go home. He was surprised at how much some had changed. Bud was the most surprising of all, appearance wise. He had found Naruto and his brothers with their netnavis already waiting for him. They had said something about Shadow and Viral and then shuddered. "Well, I'll be honest," he began. "I'm surprised at just how different all of you look. In fact, it looks like the only ones who haven't changed yet are the EM beings." Everyone looked around at each other, noting the accuracy of Max's statement. "I can feel the Zone Energy roiling off of a lot of you. Chi, Chaos, a little Ultima from some of you. Damn, what did Tan'ya do, go crazy on some of you?" Everyone looked pointedly at Ultimate X and Tenshi Zero, who simply shrugged. The stares then turned to Ashe and Grey, who simply pointed at Model A.

"Hey, I didn't get a choice in the matter," Model A said defensively, everyone laughing a bit at the biometal's expense.

"Well, I don't suppose anyone noticed the little surprise from Kami-sama, then," Max said. Everyone looked at him in confusion, save for the Hikari brothers. "Other than the Hikari trio, it seems you didn't know about the gravity being upped once a month. I'm rather surprised." Max was about to continue when his gaze suddenly shifted to the side and he looked off into the distance.

"Is something wrong, Max?" Z asked.

"I…I don't know," Max answered. "Sage, Iridesca, mind getting everyone back to the HQ? I…I think I have somewhere else I need to be." With that, Max disappeared and everyone looked down the tower they were on to see that he was "jumping" in the air, slowing his descent somehow. Sage's eyes narrowed as he spotted small bits of Zone Energy dissipating in the areas that Max seemed to slow instantaneously, unsure if he was seeing what he thought he saw.

* * *

"Ugh," Kent groaned, sitting up in his sleeping bag. "Damn it, I can't get to sleep now. It's midmorning." He got up, stretching, walking out of the tent. He saw the girl from the previous night already up, watching the sun rise over the trees on edge of the ridge, her hair now clear of twigs and leaves. "Well, I thought it was midmorning." He walked up behind her and she looked up at him. "Sleep well?" The girl nodded, surprising him. He had thought that she couldn't understand him, but soon realized that she may not speak at all. His head suddenly snapped forward. "Son of a-" He looked at the girl. "Uh…gun…" He looked up to see the biometal from last night floating in front of him. It dive bombed him again, but this time he caught it, bringing it up to his face. "Ya mind?"

"Let go of me!" Kent almost dropped the biometal in surprise, its voice that of a ten year old boy.

"You got a name?"

"Model HM! What's it to ya?"

"Not much. What's the girl's name?"

"Moon." The girl reacted, looking at the biometal. "That's her name!"

"Calm down, calm down," Kent said, pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand. He then did a doubletake as the biometal disappeared from his hand and a man appeared in front of Moon. He was dressed like a ninja, his entire body pale like Kad's, a large shuriken on his forehead, a mask covering his mouth.

"Kage!" Model HM exclaimed. The man acknowledged the biometal floating beside him.

"Gah, what is your problem?" Kent exclaimed. "I just saved the girl's life and suddenly I'm the bad guy?"

"I don't know if you saved her for your own ends or not," Kage replied, his voice deep.

"Urgh…whatever! Just get out of here, alright?" Kent began to walk off, grumbling about ingratitude when he felt a tug on his hand and heard both the biometal and ninja exclaim "Moon!" He turned around to see the girl had grabbed his hand again, looking at him with her pleading eyes. Kent was going to tell her to let go, but his heart melted under the look of those eyes. "Damn it. Why do you have to look so much like my lil' sis?" he whispered, but no one heard him. "Alright, fine. If you wanna come with me, then you have to make sure these two stay in line. Understood?" Moon nodded, looking at the two. Kage facefaulted and the biometal dropped to the ground, creating a small crater. Kent shook his head, sighing. "This is gonna be a long trip."

"Or maybe not," a voice from behind him said. Kent turned to see Max standing behind him.

"And who the hell are you?" Kent asked. He noticed Kage and Model HM now to either side of him and a little behind and couldn't help noticing that they now presented a triangle around Moon.

"Maxwell Escal," Max replied, walking forward. "Max will do." He tilted his head a bit. "You're…Kent…and you are…Model HM…and Kage," he said, pointing to each in turn, surprising all of them "Whoa…how did I know that?" The three facefaulted.

"You mean you don't even know?" Kent yelled.

"No, not really. I don't even know why I came here." He stopped and saw Moon peeking out from behind Kent. "And you're…Moon?" The girl nodded and Max smiled at her. "Man, I am so freaked out that I know this, it ain't even funny."

"Then why are you smiling?" Kage asked.

"Because I'm hoping your friend will take his blade tip off my back," Max said, pointing behind himself at Kad.

"Give me one good reason why I should," Kad replied.

"Because you'll have me to answer to if you don't," Blaze's voice answered. Kad jumped back from Blaze, who had appeared beside him. "Yo, Max. How's it been?"

"Too long, Councilor Blaze," Max answered. "You know these people?"

"Well, I know tweedledee and tweedledum," Blaze said, pointing at Kent and Kad, who developed tick marks. "Those three are new." Moon came out from behind Kent at this point, walking towards Max and Blaze. Kage reached for her, but missed. She came right up to the two, looking between them. She seemed to back away from Max a bit, which confused all of them. Out of everyone there, Max seemed to be the least threatening out of them. But Kage noticed his jacket flapping a bit, as did Blaze. "Max, is there something wrong with your jacket?"

"Huh?" Max looked at the jacket. "Oh, that. Well, it's kinda hard to keep my Zone Energy pent up now. A little of it still leaks out, so I'm stuck with my jacket doing the whole flap without wind thing for most of the time."

"Uh-huh…and…how intensive was your training?"

"Well, I guess pretty intensive for my Zone Energy to spike up so much." Kent was listening to the conversation and the foremost question in his mind was a simple "What the hell are they talking about?".

"Well, I guess this girl may be a little more in tune with Zone Energy than most. That would explain why she would shy away from you." Blaze looked around the group. "And mind telling me how you met up with these new faces? You don't seem like the kind of guy to add more."

"That's my own business," Kent snapped. He regretted it after seeing Moon flinch. And then he began to question his sanity for feeling regret for that reason. Max, however, was studying him with interest. "The hell you looking at?"

"Your Zone Energy," Max replied, surprising Blaze. "It spikes up whenever you get frustrated. It's got so many twists and turns that I can't tell what kind it is." Max shook his head. "Anyways, I don't think this is why I came here. I think I came here to invite all of you to join my team." Blaze almost fell off the ridge in surprise.

"Team?" Kent asked.

"Yes, team. You know, a large group of people sharing a common interest or goal? A team."

"I know what a team is," Kent growled. "I meant, what kind of team?"

"The kind that'll help all Zones. The original purpose was to stop a man named Kalar, but right now our goal has shifted to the more pressing matter of preventing the destruction of all Zones."

"Oh, lovely," Kage said. "Now how about explaining what the hell Zones are."

"I do get tired of this," Max sighed. A few minutes later, he finished his explanation and Kent was standing with a thoughtful expression.

"Well, perhaps we could work something out," he said and Kage and Model HM looked at him in surprise. Kad just nodded, turning back to the tents.

"Not with Moon, you don't!" Kage exclaimed.

"Hey, the girl seems to trust me," Kent said. "Why don't you?"

"Because Moon is…somewhat naïve," Model HM said. "People have tried to take advantage of her before and we make sure that doesn't happen anymore."

"Then go ahead and leave," Kent said, turning back to Max. "Now then, how about teaching me more about this Zone Energy?" Kage and Model HM turned to go.

"Come on, Moon," Kage said. When he didn't hear her footsteps, he turned to see her standing beside Kent, looking at them. She shook her head and Kage sighed. "Damn it, Moon," he mumbled under his breath.

"Ah, what a great sleep that was last night," Model Q said, coming out of the tent. He noticed the large group of people. "Why do I get the feeling I just missed something important?"

Unbeknownst to them, Proctor was watching from afar, smiling to himself. "Good," Proctor said to himself. "So, he can use the Eye of Zones. But only if he concentrates. Eh, it's a start, at least."

* * *

**Eye of Zones? Where in the hell do I even get these ideas? I mean, seriously? Please Review.**


	92. Kent's Training Begins

**Kent's Training Begins**

Max watched as Kent sparred with Kage, noting that Kage was in control from the beginning. Max shook his head, sighing. Kent was too implulsive, willing to fight anyone and anything, which wasn't a good attitude for a team. Max was actually feeling some regret at offering Kent and his companions a place on the team, but he admitted that Kent had some potential, even without his Megamerge. He had taken to his Zone Energy like a fish takes to water, revealing good control over his Zone Energy. But no one, not even Iridesca, was able to pin down his Zone Energy. Whenever it manifested itself physically, it seemed to be a white, wispy material.

"Wind," Katta said from behind Max. Max turned around, his left eyebrow raised. "That boy's Zone Energy. The rarest of the rare. Wind Zone Energy. That boy has near limitless potential if he can learn to utilize it."

"And do you happen to know anyone who can use Wind Zone Energy?" Max asked, although he had a feeling that he already knew the answer.

"If you don't mind, I can train him for you," Katta said. "He'll want a sword, though. Wind Zone Energy normally manifests itself in people that show promise in weaponry. Many master swordsmen you see are most likely Wind Zone Energy users, such as myself."

"Well, if you think it'll do any good, then by all means, please do so," Max said, extending his hand to gesture at Kent. Both Kent and Kage had stopped there spar when they noticed Katta. "Kent, I've just found you a teacher. This is Katta Long. He's got the same Zone Energy as you do."

"Then we know what it is now?" Kent asked.

"Wind Zone Energy, boy," Katta said, throwing him a sword. "So rare, that the first to master it had to create an alternate training routine just for Wind Zone Energy." Katta drew his on blade. "By the time we're done, you'll be able to cut through just about anything." To prove his point, Katta channeled his Zone Energy through the blade, giving a quick cut in the air and those gathered watched in awe as the wall gained a new hole. "A blade so sharp, even the air itself splits apart to make room for the blade." Kent gawked, then grinned.

"I'm gonna enjoy this," he said.

Max grinned at the younger teen's eagerness. He then cocked his ear, looking off into the distance again. _It's happening again_, he thought to himself. In his mind's eye, he saw Kishi and his sister in the middle of their training. But everything was accelerated. He remembered the first time this had happened. That was how he had found Kent and his companions. He had come to the conclusion that he had unlocked an ability to look into other Zone's, seeing events unfold in real time. He realized that the reason their training seemed accelerated was that he _was_ seeing it in real time, the way it would look if someone were to look through the door of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber the two were in. The image then vanished as he saw Katta's hand passing over his eyes. "Sorry, you say something?" Max asked.

"Yeah," Katta said. "I'll need to take the boy with me."

"Ah. Well, if it's necessary, then go ahead."

"Alright, come on then," Katta said to Kent, who nodded. "I'll show you the way to my hut. That's where your basics training will take place." They began to walk when Katta turned around. "And I suppose you want to come as well?" Max looked at Katta confused before noticing that Moon was right beside Kent, surprising everyone there. The girl nodded and Kent groaned.

"Maybe I should've had you and HM keep _her_ in line," Kent said to Kage. Kage actually gave Kent a sympathetic smile, mouthing sorry to him.

"Well, come along," Katta said, turning back around. Kent and Moon followed him out, leaving Max and Kage in the room, Model Q, Model HM, and Kad all looking at each other.

"So…you guys like pizza?" Max asked.

* * *

"Thanks, Beamer," Max called to the kitchen.

"No prob, kiddo," Beamer said, coming out of the swing doors. "Anything for a good friend." He set two flamers down, sticking around to see Kage and Kad's reactions to the pizza. He looked at his watch, counting down, and the flames shot out on cue, as always. He grinned. "I never tire of this," he said, shaking his head, chuckling.

"S-so HOT!" Kad yelped, guzzling the soda as quickly as he could. Max leaned his chair back a bit, laughing as the ghostlike beings guzzled as much soda as they could. He then leaned forward again, his mind turning to the two occurrences that had first led him to meet Kent and then showed him Kishi and Talina in training. He started concentrating on Katta and Kent and was able to see them in his mind's eye. Max grinned as he realized just what this power could let him do if he tried to master it. He decided to watch for a bit, noting Moon in the background, watching with rapt attention. Max began to memorize the training routine, unconsciously adapting it for his Portal Sword, seeing which forms he could use with his current Zone Energies and what wouldn't work.

"Oi, kid," Beamer said, snapping his fingers in front of Max, snapping the young man back to his current location. "Are you okay? You seem kinda…spaced out."

"I'm fine, Beamer," Max said, smiling. "I'm fine." Just for fun, he decided to check up on Shadow, shuddering when he saw his new form, and then nearly had a heart attack when Shadow seemed to look right at him. To seal the deal, he fell out of his chair when Shadow told him to get back to training or else and then walked off into the distance with a shotgun, saying something about Megaman season. _Maybe I should give the Megamans a warning_, Max thought to himself, pulling out his communicator.

* * *

"Come on, boy, focus on it," Katta said. Kent was visibly straining as he stared at his sword, his Zone Energy wavering. After a few more minutes, Kent stopped, falling onto his back in the grass. He closed his eyes for a bit and reopened them to see Moon now standing over him, looking down at him, her hair falling around her face. Raising his head, he saw Katta drinking some tea. "We'll take ten and try again."

"You're pretty patient," Kent said, raising himself into a sitting position, while Moon stepped back so that her hair wouldn't be in his face. "Why?"

"Takes more effort to be angry than to be patient, in my opinion," Katta replied. "There's no point in conflict. A wise man once said that violence begets only violence. Or something like that. I prefer that philosophy to other modes of thinking. But sometimes, there really is no other course of action. In this case, patience is the best course of action. I can't just give you a sword and say beat me without any training. You can't give a person who's never killed a gun and say murder so and so because it's your job. And I can't tell you to do this with your Zone Energy and expect perfection on the first try."

"What about all these sword forms?"

"Well, by doing these, it should actually be easier for you to use your Wind Zone Energy, because your body will have developed muscle memory. It all comes to whether or not you can properly channel it into and through the blade."

"What's the difference?" Katta grinned.

"Well, the difference is attacks," Katta began. He picked up his sword, channeling his Zone Energy into the blade. "By channeling it into the blade, I can create something that could cut even diamonds. But if I channel it through the blade," Katta said, aiming the tip at a tree, the tree suddenly splitting down the middle, "I create a type of invisible projectile. The trick is to learn how to do both at once or to alternate during a fight. Now that you've joined Max's team-"

"I haven't done that yet," Kent said in protest.

"Okay, then, allow me to retract that statement and say this. Now that you've decided to spend a little time with his team, you may run into people who can't be beaten with normal means. They'll have Metal Zeta armor, a material, which, when refined correctly, is invulnerable to everything, except for Dark Ultima. I'll explain the Dark Ultima bit later and the Metal Zeta, after a few days of training. Anyways, when you meet these people, you'll have the best means of fighting them. There's a technique that I've developed, based on an event that I observed while traveling through multiple Zones. It's known as the Shatterpoint, a technique to which Wind Zone Energy is perfect. By finding the weakest spot in a material, you can make it crumble, even Metal Zeta. But it is incredibly hard to do so and you may not get a chance in a battle to utilize it, not without someone running distraction. Of course, any Zone Energy can be used for a Shatterpoint hit, but Wind Zone Energy is the easiest with which to do so. Moon, be a dear, and go touch that tree for me?" Moon did so, pointing at the tree he split in half to confirm that's the one he meant and gave it a gentle tap. The entire thing crumbled, making a dust even finer that sawdust. Kent gawked. "I've mastered this technique to the point that I can even do it at a distance with a blast of Wind Zone Energy. After a year, maybe even less, you'll be able to do the same." _Or should be able to_, Tan'ya said in Katta's mind. _Don't get your hopes up, buddy. We both know how hard it is to actually use Wind Zone Energy._

"When do I start learning it?" Kent asked, his eyes eager.

"When you can properly channel your Wind Zone Energy, both into and through your blade." Kent stood up, his eyes filled with determination.

"Alright! I'll master this in two days!" Katta chuckled, recalling how it had taken Katta himself a week to do so.

* * *

**Yeah, not much to say. Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Please Review.**


	93. Eye of Zones

**Eye of Zones**

"Damn it!" Kent yelled. He stabbed the tip of the sword into the ground, collapsing onto his back.

"Almost there," Katta said reassuringly, already pulling out his teapot and three teacups. He poured the tea, offering a cup to Moon, walking the other over to Kent. "Here. This oughta help calm your nerves a bit." Kent accepted, eyeing the tea before taking it down, sighing. Katta turned back to Moon, who was blowing gently on the tea. "Are you not bored, my dear?" Moon shook her head before taking a sip of the tea. "Hm. Don't talk much, do you?" Moon stared at him before turning back to her cup of tea. Katta laughed. "I'll just take that as a yes, then." Kent stood up, walking over to join them.

"There's gotta be an easier way to do this," Kent said. "We didn't get anywhere yesterday and today's not much better."

"Wait…this is your second day of spending time with Max's team, correct?" Katta asked.

"Well, yeah, I guess so," Kent answered. "But I don't really see what that has to do with anything."

"Oh, it has everything to do with it," Katta said, grinning.

* * *

"Max?" Z said, walking into the young man's bedroom. He was on the floor, eyes closed, his position one akin to meditation.

"Hm?" he replied.

"What are you doing?"

"Not really sure," Max answered, eyes still closed. "I guess I'm training myself."

"Um…mind explaining?"

"Well…it isn't easy…I…think I might have gained an ability to look in other Zones…but only when I concentrate on a specific person or persons. Right now, I'm checking on Katta and Kent."

"That's…a little creepy," Z said.

"What? I'm just seeing how Kent's training is going. I'm also getting some good sword forms from watching the training."

"Uh, what about Kishi and Talina?"

"Hm? Hang on…" A few minutes passed before he continued speaking. "Looks like they actually slowed down…oh, wait…they're waiting for me, aren't they?"

"I suppose so."

"Well, Kishi can make Portals on his own," Max said. "So why isn't he doing it himself? Wait a second…okay, now I see. He taught Taly how to do it, too. This is a test for her."

"Max, it's really creepy hearing all this," Z repeated.

"Hey, I'm creeped out myself," Max replied. "I feel like a frickin' stalker now. And then yesterday…well, how are Megaman and Rockman?"

"Well, they built a bunker," Z replied. She walked over to sit in front of Max, who finally opened his eyes. "Your eyes changed color again." She handed him a small hand mirror. Max took it, seeing his irises had changed to silver again.

"I really need to see my mom and dad about this sometime," he said. "Probably should go talk to Palkia-sama about this new ability I've got, as well."

"I can only imagine what that'll entail." Max stood up, offering his hand to Z, who took it, Max pulling her up easily. He grabbed his jacket off the door handle as they walked out of his room, checking to be sure he had his hilt at his side.

"Maybe it's good," Max said. "Maybe bad. How are my eyes?" Max stopped and turned to Z as she leaned forward for a closer inspection. She gave him a quick peck and smiled.

"Back to normal," she answered. "This won't cut into our date, will it?"

"Don't worry, I promise to be back in time."

* * *

"Well, we're back," Kishi said. He had grown his hair out, now pulled back in a ponytail. His armor was still in separate pieces, but was a little looser on his body, which had become slightly more muscular. He looked at Talina, who wore her hair shorter than when they had gone into the chamber, now ending at her shoulders. She hadn't grown any taller and had started wearing her armor more frequently, its neutral form a tight fitting blue vest. She was wearing a loose-fitting, white T-shirt with blue jeans. "Now we have to figure out where you dropped us off…" They looked around the desert that Talina had dropped them off in.

"Uh…oops?" Talina offered, smiling sheepishly. Kishi sighed, shaking his head.

"Well, not to be rude, but to be honest, I'm just surprised we made it to the right Zone," he said, Talina punching his arm lightly. "At least…I think this is the right Zone."

"It is," Katta said from behind them. "And I need your help, boy."

"Katta?" Kishi asked. Inside, Katta winced, almost forgetting that Kishi didn't know that Katta was his father.

"I've got a boy who needs to learn the proper sword forms," Katta continued. "To channel Zone Energy in and through it. He's a Wind Zone Energy user, so it'll be a little easier for you to explain the principals of it. I've already got him started on basics."

"Wait, how do you know about Wind Zone training?" Kishi asked, looking at the man in awe. Kishi knew it was rare to find Wind Zone Energy users, even rarer to find people who knew the proper training routines.

"You'll learn one day," Katta replied, turning around. "Come this way to meet the boy. Talina, perhaps you could keep Moon occupied. I know the girl claims to be content with just watching, but I think she's just trying to be supportive of Kent right now."

"Wait, how do you know my name?" Talina asked as she and Kishi ran to catch up with the older man.

"Max has shown me photos of his family," Katta explained. "I also used to bounce you on my knee when you were still just a toddler. You were always a tough girl, even at that age."

"Uncle Kat?" Talina asked, her eyes wide.

"Hmmm…haven't heard that in a while," Katta said. "But then again, no one's ever had trouble saying my name with two syllables. Did your parents never tell you my full first name?" _My current one, anyways_, Katta thought to himself.

"Well, no, they didn't. I always just knew you as Uncle Kat. And who's Moon?"

"A girl that Kent apparently saved…hmm, three days ago, I believe. She doesn't talk much…well, actually, not at all. But she is very polite, always by Kent's side when he isn't training."

"So…how am I going to be able to keep her occupied?"

"You've always been a smart girl," Katta replied. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

* * *

"And that's what's been happening, Palkia-sama," Max concluded, looking up at the large Pokemon.

"Hmmm," Palkia said, closing his eyes. "It's similar to what I can do. Although I can see multiple Zones at once, of course."

"What can you tell me about it?"

"Well, it's an ability that's been called the Eye of Zones. The term was first coined by my first disciple, Proctor."

"Proctor?" Max exclaimed. "You know that guy?"

"Hmmm…how do you know about Proctor? He's been dead for centuries now."

"If by dead, you mean perfectly fine and healthy, then yes, I suppose he is 'dead'. But I'm fairly sure you are referring to another definition of dead, as in no longer alive."

"That can't be right. Proctor has been dead for centuries, as I said."

"Well, tell him that! The guy's attacked me once already, claiming it was a test. And then he claims to have been the creator of the Zone Watchers."

"Well, I wouldn't say creator. But it was his idea, originally. After his death, I decided that the best way to honor his memory was to create the Zone Watchers. The Armor of Zones had been around for millennia, since I first created them myself, making it easier to find beings who could become Zone Watchers."

"Then tell me how I could possibly have met him."

"It's possible that it is an impostor," Palkia explained. "It would not surprise me. Although, now that I reflect back on it, he did come from a peculiar family. His father had gone by Proctor, as had his father's father."

"So, what, it's like a family title?"

"Yes, I suppose it is. Which means that the man you have met is most likely a descendant of the man who was my first disciple. A very interesting turn of events," Palkia said, closing his eyes in thought. "Well, the best I can say is to be careful of this man calling himself Proctor. And be wary of your newfound ability. Try to rush it and you may end up hurting yourself or those around you."

"Alright. I'll do my best, Palkia-sama," Max replied, bowing. "Also, about the Hunter Eradication Army. How are they doing?"

"I believe you can check on them yourself," Palkia answered, smiling.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure I want to. When I checked on Shadow, he spoke directly to me…and went off to hunt for any Megaman unfortunate enough to cross his path. His form was…different. Unlike anything I've ever seen."

"Yes, I had noticed that as well," Palkia said. "You should have seen Viral. Now that was a surprise."

"I'm…not sure I want to know…anyways, thanks for your time. Um…can you point me the right way? This Zone is a litte…confusing…" Palkia looked around the Zone. Max also looked around, wondering how Giratina managed to travel around a Zone that didn't obey the laws of physics. Although, being able to fly through it might have had something do with it.

"I believe you'll want to go through there," Palkia said, pointing at a black warp appearing in the distance. Max gave a casual salute before running towards the warp, jumping from object to object, just managing to keep his balance in the disorienting area.

* * *

"Well?" Kent asked as Kishi watched his form.

"Just do it," Kishi replied.

"Just do it? Seriously?"

"Look, you wanna learn this or not?"

"I wanna learn it."

"Then do it," Kishi repeated. Kent sighed before turning his attention to the blade again. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the task of channeling his Zone Energy into the blade. He opened his eyes to see the blade's form now surrounded by a white, wispy aura. "Just like that," Kishi said, smiling. "Now, let's see if you can actually cut through something." He pointed to the stump that Katta was leaning against, gently snoring. "Without hitting Katta, that is." Kent walked over to the stump, swinging at it. The blade caromed off the stump, swiping horizontally with the ground to take off the tip of Katta's hat, who continued to sleep. "Ok, maybe a little more practice. But congratulations, Kent. You've taken less time than Max."

"Which, of course, you're going to rub in his face, aren't you?" Talina asked, walking up with Moon trailing behind her. Kishi smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Would it be wrong to say yes?"

"Actually, it would."

"Oh…um…no?" Talina held up her index finger and thumb, pinching the air with them. Kishi cringed, taking an involuntary step back.

"Kishi, I love you to death, I really do, but I've still got to play the loving big sister as well," she said, stepping towards him. "Now, let's hear that answer again."

"Um…no, I will not rub this in his face," Kishi said, sweating. Talina had offered to teach him some pressure points while he taught her how to use her Zone Energy and had introduced him to several painful, easy to reach pressure points that only required a simple pinching motion.

"Good," Talina said, putting her hand down, halting her slow progress towards him. "And that, Moon, is how you keep boys in line," she said, turning to look at the blonde. Moon nodded, slightly amused by the exchange. "Now, what is it that the boy's done?"

"Channeled his energy into the blade," Kishi explained, looking over at Kent. "Now all he's gotta do is channel through the blade and he could even do things like Shatterpoint."

"You know about that?" Kent asked.

"Well, yes. Considering my father developed it, I think I can say that I know its theory. I can also do it with Darkness Zone Energy," Kishi answered. Kent was about to say something about Katta claiming he had developed it when he saw Katta now awake, gesturing for him to be quiet about it. Kent was confused, but shut up nonetheless. "Now, explain how you know about it."

"Oh…um…just...something I've heard in my travels," Kent said. "Uh…saw it once or twice. Really impressive. But I think the best was when I saw a projectile version of it."

"Hmph. You musta been to the Zone my father first saw a similar event. That's how he developed it, actually. Observing another Zone." Kishi walked over to a tree. "But there is another way to make something shatter. Or at least, resemble the Shatterpoint." He then punched the tree and it literally exploded, surprising everyone there. "The Futae no Kiwami, which is literally translated as Mastery of Two Layers. Two hits with your fist, so fast that it overcomes the resistance an object exerts back on your hand, causing it to break apart. I learned this from a friend of mine, who used to be a fight merchant. But I can only do it once or twice every two months. That's the price of this move. It destroys your bones. But I can teach it as an alternate to the Shatterpoint, if you want."

"Uh, let me think…YES!" Katta and Kishi both couldn't help smiling at Kent's enthusiasm. Although Kishi was very surprised at Kent's progress. He had only been with the younger man for two hours and in those two hours, he had finally managed to channel his Zone Energy through the blade. He understood that Wind Zone Energy would normally appear in people who showed promised in weaponry and that they tended to have an easier time of channeling it through objects, but he had never seen anyone do so in such a short amount of time. He turned to look at Katta, who had fallen back to sleep. "How long does it take to do the Futae no Kiwami?"

"Took me nearly a month, whereas my friend did so in a week. But he's always been a rather stubborn bastard. And I mean that in the nicest way possible, of course. But first, you need to get your energy going through the blade a lot quicker. Once you do that, I'll teach you the Futae no Kiwami." Kishi walked over to the stump Katta was on, picking up the Kage Nodachi. "I'll get us back to HQ this time, Tal." Talina mock pouted, feigning annoyance at Kishi. He laughed, shaking his head. "You two want a ride back or you wanna walk?" he asked Kent and Moon.

"Uh, I think I'd rather get a ride back," Kent said.

"And what about you, old man?" Kishi asked, nudging Katta with the tip of his foot. Katta stirred, opening his right eye. "You gonna stay here a while?"

"May as well," Katta answered. He pointed off to his right as he closed his eye. "Hut's just over that hill. I'll be fine here. Nice day for a nap, anyways."

"Alright then," Kishi said, his Zone Energy starting to swirl into a Portal.

* * *

"So, find anything out?" Z asked, walking in on Max in the main living room. He had his pistol taken apart, giving it its monthly cleaning.

"Maybe, maybe not," was all Max answered. She waited for an elaboration, but none came.

"That's it?"

"That's it in a nutshell," Max said. "I may or may not have gained an ability called the Eye of Zones, I may or may not have run into a dead man, and I may or may not be going insane."

"Well, there's a lovely thought," Z said, taking a seat beside him, leaning on him. "Now that I watch you doing this, it just occurred to me that I may need to give my own rifle a cleaning."

"But it's made of EM waves," Max replied, looking down his pistol's barrel. He began to assemble the weapon, pulling the trigger. "Why would you need to clean it?"

"Just something to do, I guess," Z answered. "Max…what aren't you telling us about that meeting at Smash Manor?"

"Oh…uh, it's a little complicated…or maybe not so complicated as hard to say."

"And…"

"Well…the best I understand, the end of all Zones is going to happen sometime in the near future. Unless it's stopped. That's why I brought up the Hyperbolic Time Chamber."

"And why you urged us to try and go through the training," Z said, sighing. "But not everyone was able to make it. Tommy and Kassie didn't even try to do it."

"Kassie doesn't need to," Max said, to which Z stopped leaning on him, pulling back to fix him with a puzzled stare. "MD's got some serious energy coming off of his form. I doubt that they've managed to unlock their full potential."

"And what about that Kent guy?"

"What about him?"

"How did you find him?"

"That ability I told you about. The first time it happened. Before I realized that I had some control over it." Max stood up, placing his pistol in the holster. "Which reminds me. I have yet to see what everyone else can do. I need to set up some matches in another Hyperbolic Chamber, see what they can do now. Anyways, you ready to head out?" He turned around to see that she was ready, a jacket over her shoulders. "Is it supposed to be cold out?"

"Near the low forties, apparently," she replied, getting up and walking with him to the door.

* * *

"Oi, wake up," a voice said. Katta grunted, his hat over his eyes. He felt a nudge and reluctantly pulled back his hat, looking up at a being who resembled Sonic the Hedgehog, except that his quills were a metallic blue and he had red irises surrounded by black, black as the night sky when no stars are present. "Don't make me use my axes to get you up, old man."

"I'm awake, I'm awake," Katta said sleepily, yawning. He looked up at the sky to see that it was now night, the stars shining. "I was having such a nice nap and now it's gone. Ah, well, so goes life. Whatta ya need?"

"You don't remember?" the Sonic look-alike asked. "Smash Manor. Had a drink with Zoro."

"Who?"

"Dark green bandana, three swords."

"Hm. Oh, Zoro…ah, Metal," Katta said, grinning up at the being. "Good to see you again."

"Likewise, Katta," Metal replied. He pulled a pair of rolled up blueprints from nowhere, waving them. "I'm here for a little…shopping, so to speak." He handed Katta the blueprints.

"Let's go to my hut and take a look at these," Katta said, taking the blueprints and walking over the hill. Once they were in his hut, Katta took a seat on the floor cross-legged, a low table in front of him, the blueprints spread out in front of him. He was studying them intently. "Well, I'll be honest…I really don't know what to say about this."

"But…at Smash Manor, you told me…"

"Hang on," Katta said, closing his right eye. When he opened it, it was now Tan'ya's right eye. "Tan'ya, what do you make of this?"

"Impressive," Tan'ya answered, Metal watching in confusion as Katta seemed to talk to himself. "Way beyond anything I've seen. But, uh…you know I hate working with tech. Why the hell have you got me looking at this?"

"Can you get the parts?" Katta asked.

"Answer my question, first," Tan'ya replied.

"Mine first."

"…Yeah, I can get them. I'll have to remake some of them, though."

"Remake?" Metal asked, interjecting.

"Yes, remake. I ended up scrapping some of what you needed for a slightly more pressing matter," Tan'ya replied, his mind going back to the sniper rifle he had worked on, Yoko's gun, and some pieces that he had given Megaman, Lan, Tenshi Zero, Tomari Axl, and Ultimate X, as well as Viral. "But it'll only be a matter of…hmmm, I'd say three, four days at most. But I am _not_ going into any more Hyperbolic Chambers. I'm afraid you'll just have to wait for a bit."

"When can you get started?" Metal asked.

"Probably today." And with that, Tan'ya closed his blue eye and gave Katta full control once more. Katta noticed the way Metal was looking at him and chuckled.

"What, never seen a man hold a conversation with himself?" Katta asked.

"Not like that," Metal replied.

* * *

**So, Katta continues to get weirder. Please Review.**


	94. Pure Ultima

**Pure Ultima  
**

"You know, the more you pace, the more distracted I become," Tan'ya said to Metal, his black goggles over his eyes, sparks flying from the torch in his hand.

"For someone who claims to not like working with technology, you show a great proficiency with it," Metal commented, stopping his pacing back and forth.

"I said I didn't like it," Tan'ya replied. "Never said I couldn't work on it." He turned off the gas on the torch, pulling his goggles onto his forehead. "Looks like this'll take another day. I'm gonna have to reset it."

"What are you talking about?" Metal asked, walking up to look at the plating Tan'ya was currently constructing. He wasn't sure what was in it or what it was made of, much less which piece it was at this point, but he trusted Tan'ya knew what he was doing. "It looks fine."

"To the naked eye, yes. But it's off by a hair here," Tan'ya said, pointing at a line across the plate. "It won't do much right now, but it'll probably come back to haunt you later in time."

"And that is why he is the only man the Zone Watchers trust to handle their weapons," Tarn said, walking into the hut. "He demands perfection and supplies it." Tan'ya looked up from his work as Tarn walked over to examine the blueprints. "My, my, my. I don't think I've seen anything like this." He then walked over to examine the plating that Tan'ya was working. "And what exactly is this supposed to be?"

"Something called Project: Rush," Metal answered. "It was…left to us by Yuchiro Hikari."

"Ah, the one murdered by Aggregor," Tarn said, nodding his head. "My sympathies to you all for such a loss."

"Thank you," Metal said, nodding back.

"Oh, where are my manners at? I am Tarn, the head of Zone Watchers Council."

"And I am Metal."

"Oi, kid, toss me that ball ping hammer," Tan'ya said, facing the plating once more. Tails came out of the only other room in the hut with a toolbox, the tool in his hand. He handed it to Tan'ya, who proceeded to beat it against the plating, trying to straighten it back. "May as well tell me why you're here as I work."

"Actually, this _is_ a social visit," Tarn answered.

"What, no favors to ask? Upgrades? Nothing?"

"No, nothing. Just a social visit," Tarn repeated.

"Well, at this point, Katta would have the tea set out, but as I'm working, you'll have to wait for a couple hours, I'm afraid," Tan'ya replied, still beating the hammer against the plating.

"I suppose I can wait," Tarn said, looking around the hut for a seat.

* * *

"Damn, this hurts," Max said, stepping out a Hyperbolic Time Chamber. He looked at a slightly lighter Kami-sama than the one who had first allowed him to use a Hyperbolic Time Chamber, bowing to him. "Thanks again."

"No problem," the green being replied, sweating a little. Unbeknownst to Max, several holes had been ripped into the barrier between the chamber and real time while he had been in there, 'releasing some energy', as he had said. It was this reason that he looked ready to duck at any time, lest Max were to lose control of his power.

"Uh, sorry about the room, by the way," Max said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "I…kinda broke it…a lot."

"Oh, no problem," Kami-sama said, waving his hand dismissively. "It'll be just fine by the time someone else uses it."

"Alright then," Max said. "I'll be off." He jumped down the tower, stairstepping his way down with his Zone Energy. He landed lightly and began walking, choosing to go visit this Zone's Goku before he headed back to the Prime Zone. He suddenly tripped over something and looked down to see a multi-colored crystal. He picked it up, looking at it and then putting it in his jacket pocket. He stared at the sun before knocking into someone, falling back. "Sorry about that." He looked up to take stock of the being. The figure's armor resembled knight armor, but different as well. The torso armor resembled the head of a white, fox-like dragon. His helmet had silver designs on the sides resembling a dragon with its mouth open, dispensing a blue and yellow visor. His arms were covered in silver and gold spikes while his legs had silver and gold smooth armor. He wore a gold belt with a silver device resembling a bulkier, black and white-colored flip-cell phone and a non-visible weapon. He had a silver guard over his mouth and nose with a black and white helmet. On the helmet's forehead was a strange symbol. It resembled a Blue Eyes White Dragon chasing a comet in a circle around a Yin-Yang Symbol. In his left hand was a white blaster shaped like a white, slender dragon. The figure looked down before turning back to look at the setting sun. Max stood up, brushing himself off, and then offered his hand in greeting. "Maxwell Escal." The figure looked at the hand before once more looking to the sunset. Max dropped his hand. "And…may I have your name?"

"…DaiRyuuseiKnight," the figure finally answered.

"Boy, that's a mouthful," Max said, trying to strike up a small conversation. But DaiRyuuseiKnight didn't reply. He then saw DaiRyuuseiKnight's eyes swivel to look at him and DaiRyuuseiKnight walked around him.

"You hold power in you," DaiRyuuseiKnight observed, "as evident by your jacket flapping. And yet there is no wind…very well, I shall release you of it." Max backed up a bit.

"Whoa, whoa," Max said. "Dai…mind if I call you Dai?"

"…No…"

"Okay, Dai. Listen, as interesting as that sounds and if it were possible, I don't think that would be a good idea. I just came back from a…venting session, so to speak, and I'm feeling bushwhacked as is. Perhaps some other time?" DaiRyuuseiKnight stood there before walking off. Max watched was surprised when he left in a swirl of multi-colored energy.

* * *

"Gah! Son of a bitch," Tan'ya mumbled under his breath, holding his hand.

"Now what?" Metal asked.

"Torch was still on," Tan'ya replied, taking a look at his hand. The hair was now singed and his skin was blackened slightly. "I better stop for today. If I'm making simple mistakes like this, then the quality of the pieces are gonna degrade significantly." Tan'ya went to putting his tools away and afterwards gave Katta full control.

"Now then, how about some tea?" Katta asked.

"Without the alcohol!" Tails, Metal, and Tarn yelled as Katta walked into the other room. They heard Katta whine and then sigh in resignation.

"Fine," Katta called back before walking back in.

"Oi, Katta, you in right now?" Max's voice came from just outside the house. They all looked up to see him walk in and he stopped. "Am I interrupting something here?"

"No, no," Katta said, offering Max a teacup. "Just some friendly conversation. What brings you here?"

"Something that I found on my way back to HQ," Max said. He reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out the multi-colored crystal. "I was hoping Tan'ya could identify it."

"Well, let's see, shall we?" Katta said, giving Tan'ya control.

"Alright, now what am…oh, please tell me that's what I think it is," Tan'ya said, noting the crystal in Max's hand.

"I don't know. That's why I came to you," Max replied. "What do you _think_ it is?"

"A Pure Ultima crystal," Tan'ya replied, standing up and walking over to get a closer look. "These are incredibly rare. Normally, to get a Pure Ultima crystal, you have to have one of each elemental Ultima crystal, two white and two dark, and a way to fuse them together. Pure Ultima in itself is normally split into the different Ultima crystals. But the most common are the white and black crystals, white being the foremost, black taking second. The elements are harder to find and a pure…well, as you can tell, this is only the first I've ever seen."

"Then how do you know that's what it is?" Max asked. Tan'ya held out his hand and Max gave it to him.

"Well, I can check it with the Ultima crystals I have," Tan'ya replied, walking away. When he opened his large cabinet of crystals and pulling out a shelf, all of the Ultima crystals on it were glowing. He held up his hand, grinning, looking at his palm before the grin faltered. "Uh, where'd it go?"

"Um, Tan'ya," Max said. Tan'ya turned around to see Max holding the crystal once more. "Out of curiosity, is this normal?"

"Don't know," Tan'ya replied, looking at the Pure Ultima crystal. "Hey, toss that over here." Max tossed it and as Tan'ya went to catch it, it suddenly evaded his grasp, making a beeline straight for Max, hovering in front of him. He held his hand up, palm facing up and the crystal settled itself in his palm. "Well, this is new…"

"And weird," Max said. He tossed the crystal at different corners of the room and it was the same result each time.

"Interesting," Metal said. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that it's bonded to you…kind of like a puppy."

"True…hey, Tan'ya, anyway for me to use this thing?"

"Not really," Tan'ya admitted. "I've never actually used Pure Ultima before, so…I really have no idea how to incorporate it into a weapon. And there's no way you'd be able to handle it anyways. Your Zone Energy would be negated by it. In fact, if you have enough, they'd end up canceling each other out."

"Hey, could this crystal…possible negate Zone Energy just by being on my person?" Max asked.

"Well, if incorporated onto, let's say, your jacket or hilts, then possibly. Otherwise, there's very little chance of that happening." Max nodded, putting the crystal back into his jacket pocket. "Now, about that tea."

* * *

"Well," Kalar said as he looked at Lockdown, who was in a wheelchair, only his torso and head remaining, and Rampage. "It seems you've decided to take my offer. Very well, then. However, I need your friend to leave. This will take some time and the less distractions, the better." Lockdown nodded and Rampage walked out. Kalar walked forward. Because Lockdown was in the wheelchair, he was almost eye level with Kalar. "My, how the mighty fall. But don't worry, this will be over quickly. However, there is one problem."

"What?" Lockdown asked, his right eye narrowing. His eyes then widened and he looked down at his chest to see that Kalar had punched through his armor and was holding Lockdown's Spark in his hand. "You rotten bastard!"

"Now, now," Kalar said. "I am doing this for your own good. For this to work, you will have to be reborn, in a manner of speaking, much like a Transformer before you, named Ravage. But I can assure that you will retain all of your current memories. Your Spark will be…supplemented with some extra upgrades." Lockdown continued to glare at him and Kalar just sighed, shaking his head. "By doing this, I am actually saving you a great deal of pain. Now, you should be going offline…now, I believe." Lockdown's eyes faded and turned completely off and Kalar sighed as he inspected the orb of Energon in his hand. "I realize that I will probably have to pay for that later, but it _is_ for his own good." He turned to Race, who was now holding a container. Kalar gently placed the Spark in the container. "Be very careful with that. There is no point in harming a potential ally."

"And if he is not an ally, but instead an enemy?" Race asked.

"Then I will crush him as I have done countless others," Kalar said, walking away. Race shivered, not a doubt in his mind that Kalar was more than capable of such a feat.

* * *

"Tan'ya!" Everyone in the hut looked up to see Shadow run in, holding a video camera. "I think you'll want to see this!" Everyone looked slightly confused at the excitement in Shadow's voice, although they noticed that there seemed to be a layer of anger under that excitement. They all crowded around the video camera as the video started playing. On it was DaiRyuuseiKnight, leaving in a swirl of multi-colored energy.

"Oh, sweet lord," Tan'ya said, his hand on his mouth. "That…that isn't possible!" He stood up, carefully covering his crotch with the lower hem of his shirt. "Excuse me as I go change…" He came back a few minutes later, wringing his hands. "Shadow, is that what I think it is?"

"Yes, unfortunately," Shadow replied, nodding. "A being who can naturally use Ultima Energy."

"No, not just Ultima," Tan'ya said. "_Pure _Ultima. Do we know whose side he is on?"

"Well, he attacked Smash Manor and took the three Altars of Sin we had attained." Tan'ya nodded solemnly. The two then noticed the looks the others were giving them. "Oh,shit," Shadow said, remembering that those gathered, save for Tan'ya, knew what they were talking about.

"He didn't seem like such a bad guy," Max suddenly said, catching the two's attention and changing the subject. "What?"

"You know who this is?" Shadow asked, an edge in his voice now.

"Um…yeah…that's Dai-er, DaiRyuseiKnight, isn't it?" Max suddenly found himself pinned to the wall, Shadow's fist holding the front collar of his jacket.

"Where is he?" Shadow hissed, his eyes narrowing at Max. Max held up his hands.

"Whoa, wait a second," Max said hurriedly. "I don't know where he is. I literally just ran into him about half an hour ago." He held his eyes steady, meeting two of Shadow's, while the third kept twitching back and forth, as if searching his face for a lie. Shadow eventually released his grip, stalking away from him, grumbling under his breath.

"Well, this is a little too much excitement for me," Tarn said, standing up. "I'll be off now."

"I'll take my leave as well," Shadow said. "And thanks for taking care of Arondight, Tan'ya," he said over his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah. Just make sure she behaves if I have to work on her again," Tan'ya replied. "And tell Viral that as well."

"Yeah, yeah," Shadow said halfheartedly, giving a dismissive wave. He disappeared, leaving the Prime Zone.

* * *

"How is the project going?" Kalar asked, walking into the room to stand behind Race.

"So far, we've been able to enhance his Spark to handle the new systems that we will be installing," Race said. "The chassis should be done within the next day, perhaps two." Kalar looked over at a long, wide table, bits of weaponry laid out. He walked over to inspect a nasty looking chainsaw, with three sets of teeth instead of two. He then picked up a large claw, carefully avoiding the tip and curve of it, wary of the small barbs that had been added.

"Where is his launcher?"

"It's still being worked on, sir," Race answered, turning around in his chair to look at Kalar. The man was currently holding a small canister-like object in the light. "Will we be providing him with the specialized flak?"

"Of course we will," Kalar replied, putting the object back down. "And what of the matter expanders?"

"We're having some…trouble…"

"Such as?"

"Well…getting them to work without self-destructing." Race flinched as Kalar suddenly jerked his hand in Race's direction, opening his eyes to see a CD in his lap.

"Check that Zone," Kalar said. "We may be able to reverse engineer the technology possessed by the being on there."

"Er, yes sir," Race said, inserting the CD into a slot.

* * *

**I wonder what Kalar has in store for Lockdown's new body. DaiRyuuseiKnight is owned by Gammatron. Please Review.**


	95. OperationFinished

Operation…Finished

Kalar walked into a room with a table, robotic limbs laid out on it. He stepped closer to inspect the right arm, bits of plating folded back to reveal a partial chainsaw, the same one he had inspected a day earlier. "Yes, this should do nicely," Kalar said, running his finger along the dark yellow plating. He briefly wondered how Lockdown would feel about his entire body now colored the same dark yellow, but quickly put it from his mind. If he wanted to have his body paint redone, then he could do it on his own time. For now, he would have to deal with it. He then picked up a head at the top of the table. The head's face resembled Lockdown's, save for the extra line or two under his eyes, the spikes also a dark yellow. "Mr. Race, how goes the Spark?" Race turned around at the other end of the room, bags under his eyes.

"It's going fine, sir," Race answered, stifling a yawn. But Kalar noticed and nodded.

"Go get some sleep. None of you are used to me when you can't work at full capacity," Kalar said gruffly, turning back to inspect the rest of the limbs. "Also, have your man let me know as soon as the torso is done."

"Yes, sir," Race said as he walked out of the room, relieved at the thought of a decent nap.

* * *

"Come on, come on," Tan'ya said under his breath, very carefully lining up some wiring with two pairs of tweezers. "Almost there…got it." He wiped the sweat from his brow, looking at the various pieces of technology around him, wondering why he continued to do this, even though he hated it. He stood up, stretching out his sore limbs and back, which hadn't seen much movement in a few hours. He walked out of the hut, looking up at the mid afternoon sun, shading his eyes against its glare. He glanced down beside the opening to the hut, kicking at a hooksword beside it, catching it in midair and inspecting the blade. "Damn. Your blade's worn down, little one. I'd better take a look at you after I'm done with this job."

"Talking to inanimate objects again?" Metal asked as he walked up to the hut.

"He says he doesn't like you very much, Metal," Tan'ya said. "And that you don't have any right to be talking, since you yourself used to be a robot with no freewill."

"Oh? And what else is 'he' saying?"

"That your energy axes are nicer than you," Tan'ya replied, chuckling. "Hm? Oh, he also says you might wanna duck. Wait, what do you mean duck, little one?" Tan'ya turned around to look at Metal and his eyes widened. "Oh, shit!" Tan'ya hit the dirt and Metal turned around to see why, only to be knocked flat by a green blur.

"Katta!" Blademan yelled. He picked Tan'ya up by his collar. "Katta! Now!" Tan'ya nodded, closing his eyes as quickly as possible. "Take him back!"

"Who?" Katta asked, calm despite the fact that Blademan was close to maiming him.

"Ninja! Take him back!"

"Why?"

"He just destroyed half of my manor, that's why! With my own Thunder Blade, no less! He figured it out in three days!"

"Sharingan?"

"NO!" Katta's eyes shone with may have been a feeling of being impressed. "I can't train him if he can copy jutsus so quickly without Sharingan. I have too many S-level jutsus!"

"Then don't use them."

"That's the problem, Katta. When we have sparring matches, he actually forces me into a position to use them. And since he learns their weaknesses as he teaches himself, he can make sure that I use a new one every time. There's something wrong with that guy."

"Oh, give him a chance," Katta said.

"I have, Katta. I'm at the end of my rope." Blademan released Katta's shirt, turning away. "Fine, Katta. One more. And that's it."

"I'll talk to him later, alright?" Katta offered, giving Blademan a pat on his shoulder. "But for now, Tan'ya has to get back to work."

"You better come when this is done or I'll track you down," Blademan replied, walking away.

Katta sighed, watching him walk away before giving Tan'ya control. Tan'ya stared at Metal, who was still on the ground. "You can get up now," Tan'ya said, walking into the hut, picking up the dropped hooksword. But Metal didn't answer, his eyes spinning.

* * *

"Up…ti…p…" Lockdown groaned, putting his hand over his optics, the light seeming to blind him. "Time to wake up, my friend," he heard. He slowly sat up to see Kalar standing beside the table he was on. He swung his legs around, Kalar stepping out of the way to avoid being hit by the legs. "And how are you this fine, young evening?"

"Ugh…head…hurts," Lockdown replied.

"Try standing."

"What?"

"Just try." Lockdown complied, slowly standing up, his new joints creaking, the servos whining for a bit. "Good, good. Try walking around a little." Lockdown did so, noting that as he walked, the servos whining dimmed until it was no longer there and the joints soon felt loosened up significantly and felt even more comfortable than his old body.

"What…happened?"

"Hm. I see that your speech is still a little groggy," Kalar noted. "But that is beside the point right now. You are now the first Transformer to be constructed entirely of Metal Zeta, the Metal Zeta refined with a new technique that makes you invulnerable to everything…save for one thing, but the odds of you having to go against it are slim. I have left with your old weapons, although they have now been enhanced. We have also added even more weapons, new tracking and targeting systems, and matter expanders."

"Matter what?"

"Expanders. You can now grow to twice your size in robot form with a mere thought. You can return to normal size the same way."

"What about the weapons?"

"Among them are a flak cannon, preloaded with six canisters, all full of Metal Zeta, save for the fifth and sixth, which are loaded with small explosives. You now have a sword that will be bathed in an intense beam of energy, at the highest end of the visible spectrum, which should enable you to cut through multiple materials. Your launcher has been compressed a bit, but still holds the same payload and will also deliver them faster and more efficiently, taking less energy. Your Spark itself was infused with Electric Zone Energy in order to allow for you to sustain use of your new body and systems." Lockdown looked down at his new body, noting that his limbs looked the same, as did his torso, save for the dark yellow color everywhere. He gave his left hand a twitch and his hook replaced the hand. He felt more comfortable with it there, but noted the small barbs added to the hook's curve and tip. He gave his right hand a twitch and his chainsaw replaced it. He inspected the three sets of teeth, grinning at the thought of the kind of damage he could do. He replaced it with his right hand and gave it another twitch, this time pulling up the flak cannon that Kalar had spoke of, noting six green lights on it. "You've also been given some flight capability in robot mode. The soles of your feet now hold four boosters apiece in them. Again, a simple thought should allow you take flight. We added flight stabilizers to your hands, which double as flamethrowers when used at a lower pressure and also as a handy welding tool for getting through those tough doors. I took the liberty of personally installing a second launcher on your right shoulder, two more in your shins, holding six apiece, with three more under each individual missile, and two spares, one on each wrist. You are, in more than one sense of the word, a walking armory, my large friend."

"How do I get out the sword?"

"A mere thought." Lockdown concentrated and the flak cannon was replaced by a sword bathed in violet energy, green electricity arcing around the blade. The blade itself was serrated on both sides, the same length as the chainsaw. "So, how do you like your new body?"

"I like it just fine…but for taking my Spark, I'll have to punish you," Lockdown said, suddenly lunging at Kalar with the sword. But he was caught off guard when Kalar caught the blade, seemingly barehanded, but Lockdown soon noticed the dark aura surrounding the hand. Kalar gave his fingers a slight flex and the blade broke, shocking Lockdown.

"Do that again and I really will break it next time," Kalar said. Lockdown looked down at the blade to see that it wasn't broken, but instead stuck in the ground. Kalar turned around. "Your friend is waiting for you outside. If you experience any problems with your new body, then return here and I shall see what can be done for you." Lockdown looked at Kalar's back dumbfounded before shaking his head, moving towards a door that was just big enough for him to fit through. He stepped out to see Rampage beside the door, whimpering and snapping his claws.

"Oh, get up, you cry baby," Lockdown said. Rampage looked up and stopped whimpering. The only thing that looked different to him was the paint job and the barbs on the hook. "Hmmm…a mere thought, huh?" Rampage looked at Lockdown in confusion and then backed up as panels of Lockdown's armor began flipping back, panels replacing those, forcing his body to expand. This process continued all over his body until he was now twice his size as Kalar had said and then some. "I'll be damned. He was telling the truth," Lockdown said, his voice now booming across the landscape. Rampage looked up in awe at his partner's size, amazed that Kalar's men had been able to fashion this kind of technology. Lockdown returned to normal size, the panels once more going through the action they had undergone to grow, only this time, the process was reversed, panels sliding in, the ones on top folding back on top of them. "But…how?" Lockdown shrugged, turning to Rampage. "Come on, let's get back to base. I want to take this body through its paces, get used to it."

* * *

"There we go," Tan'ya said, pulling the goggles up onto his forehead. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes and breathing in the night air. He had decided to work on this piece outside, under the stars, and found it was easier for him to work outside than in. "And in less time than I thought. At this rate, I'll be done by tomorrow night."

"Still working on those pieces, I see," Tarn said. Tan'ya turned around to greet the old man, nodding at him. Tarn sat down on a nearby stump, leaning forward on his cane. "So, how are things coming along?"

"Just fine, Tarn," Tan'ya said. "I'll actually be done by tomorrow. Or should be, if things continue to go this well. Which is a good thing for us right now."

"Agreed," Tarn said, nodding. "Also, did you get the sword Tara left outside your hut?"

"The hooksword?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, I got it. She want it fixed up?"

"She was hoping you'd offer."

"Well, I can't just pass it up. The little guy acts lonely half the time. Says his life hasn't been the same since his partner died."

"That would be Tara's brother. Before the Portal Sword, that was his weapon of choice. Although I remember him continuing to use it as well." The conversation went silent, Tan'ya turning back to his work, Tarn contemplating whatever ran through his head.

"So, what's happened since my exile?" Tan'ya asked.

"Well, Maxwell Escal, for one," Tarn replied. "And then there's this end of Zones deal now, that DaiRyuuseiKnight showing up, sending Lai in a blind rage, and then…well, apparently, Blaze and Tara are now engaged." Tan'ya didn't turn around, hiding his smirk at the last part. "Well, that and Tara was able to get your gifts for Sage, Iridesca, and Kishi to them, as you saw when Kishi was here."

"Oh, you knew about that?" Tan'ya asked.

"Yes, I did. And it's taken action on my part to keep Lai from attempting to exile your son for teaching a person how to use their Zone Energy without being in the Zone Watchers. But I brought up a few loopholes, such as Kent already having prior knowledge for using his Zone Energy. All Kishi did was enhance his knowledge a little with a demonstration." Tan'ya chuckled, images of what Tarn meant by action coming to mind. Only four people had ever seen Tarn 'take action' and knew how he had come to be the head of the Zone Watchers Council. At one point in time, all it took to end wars between Zones was to send Tarn in and the man's very presence scared the hell out of those fighting. Such was his reputation among Zones.

"I hope you took it easy on him."

"Oh, no, not that kind of action. My infamous glare helped fixed that right away." Tan'ya stopped his work and began rolling on the ground, holding his sides.

"You pulled out your death glare?" he exclaimed. "I haven't seen that in years!"

* * *

Max sat on the floor of his room, staring at the Pure Ultima crystal he had found just prior to meeting DaiRyuuseiKnight. His mind flashed back the video Shadow had shown them and he shook his head. "Nah, there's gotta be a reason for it," he said out loud. "He…doesn't seem like the kind of person to do things _without _reason…" Max closed his eyes, letting the Pure Ultima crystal hover in front of him. He concentrated on random people, faces coming into his mind, names with them, but just as quickly as he saw them, he forgot them, unconsciously releasing the names from his memory. He opened his eyes after a few minutes to see the crystal still hovering front of him. "What are you? A living thing? An object with sentience?" But the crystal didn't offer anything, not even a waver as it hovered and he sighed. He stood up, holding his palm under the crystal, the crystal settling into his hand as he walked out of the room. He placed it in his jacket pocket again.

"Oi, Max," Tenshi Zero said as Max walked into the training room he was occupying. "When are we gonna get to see what everyone else can do? I'm dying to compare everyone's new power."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Max replied. "But first is finding either an empty Zone or another Hyperbolic Time Chamber, this time without an occupant limit." He turned to Tenshi Zero when he didn't reply and noticed him staring straight up, his mouth dropped. Max turned around and looked up to see Palkia standing there. "Oh, Palkia-sama. What great timing."

"Oh? Do you wish for some help with something?" Palkia asked, looking down at Max.

"Yeah. I was wondering if there were any blanket Zones that you could spare for me team to use as a temporary battleground."

"A blanket Zone, hm? I believe there was one that I just finished the other day, actually," Palkia replied.

"Blanket Zone?" Tenshi Zero asked.

"A blanket Zone is nothing more than a blank Zone," Max replied. "There's nothing sentient living there, no water, sky…well, no nothing, really. We can fight as much as we want and not have to worry about collateral damage. Oh," Max said, turning back to Palkia. "To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit, Palkia-sama?"

"I just wanted to check on the holo-me," Palkia answered.

"Uh, I think J and Sasuke are working on it right now, actually." They heard an explosion, followed by J flying through the wall.

"Ow," J groaned, standing up slowly. "Damn laser." His eyes widened when a blue laser hit him, sending him flying through the wall once more. They heard him groan and he staggered back through the hole. "Now I see why Shinobi hates that thing so much." He jumped to the side as a second laser shot through. "TURN IT OFF!" J yelled through the hole before a third laser could be fired. They heard a roar similar to that of Palkia's, although it sounded electronic. J wiped his brow, exhaling.

"And how goes the simulation of me?" Palkia asked, J finally noticing him.

"Well," J replied. "Slow, but well. At the rate this is going, we may be able to make a portable, slightly smaller version."

"Handy," Max commented. "Um, about the blanket Zone?"

"Tomorrow," Palkia answered. Max bowed in thanks. "Now then, what can I do about getting a match against this simulation of me?" J and Max gulped, knowing that by the time Palkia was done, the room they were working on the holo-Palkia in would be nonexistent.

* * *

"Finally done," Tan'ya said, wiping his brow. "Took all night, but it was worth it." He stood up, looking at the mess around him. "But now I'm stuck with this mess. Damn."

"Tan'ya," Metal said, walking up to Tan'ya.

"Well, good timing. Just finished the last piece," Tan'ya said as he turned to look at Metal. "Ready for assembly now. I'm gonna go get some sleep now." Tan'ya walked into his hut and Metal stared at the parts, somewhat amazed that Tan'ya had managed to half his estimated time for building the pieces.

* * *

"Wow," Max said, looking around the blanket Zone that Palkia had spoken of. The entire team was there, taking a look around at, for lack of a better word, empty space. The only thing that seemed solid was the ground they were on. "First time I've ever gotten to see a blanket Zone."

"It's…a lot bigger than I thought," J said. "But it's almost as disconcerting as the Hyperbolic Chambers. But at least we've got some ground to look at this time."

"True." Max turned to look at his team. "So, now we can see what everyone's learned. But the question is who's first." Max was about to continue when he saw a swirl of multi-colored energy out of his peripheral and turned to see DaiRyuuseiKnight. "Dai?"

"I've come to release," DaiRyuuseiKnight said. "As you offered the first time we met."

* * *

**Well, Lockdown's a bona fide weapon of mass destruction now. But what does DaiRyuuseiKnight mean by release? Please Review.**


	96. DaiRyuuseiKnght's Test

**DaiRyuuseiKnight's Test**

"Release?" Lan, in Cross Fusion, asked, DaiRyuuseiKnight's attention turning to him. "What do you mean?" Max stepped forward, conversing with DaiRyuuseiKnight quickly, everyone else leaning forward to figure out what Max was whispering to him. When he had finished, DaiRyuuseiKnight looked at him and nodded.

DaiRyuuseiKnight looked around the group, his gaze moving from face to face before settling on Grey. "I will show you what I mean if he will go through a test," DaiRyuuseiKnight said, pointing at Grey. "If all but the females and children go through my test." Grey gulped as everyone looked at him.

"Uh…do I…have to?" Grey asked, sweating and pulling at his armor's collar. Max nodded yes.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Max asked.

"I suppose," Grey said, stepping forward.

"Attack me when you are ready," DaiRyuuseiKnight said. Grey gulped again, shaking his head.

"Wait, what? I have to _fight_ you?" DaiRyuuseiKnight nodded. Grey sighed, his shoulders slumping before drawing his pistols. "Alright. Overdrive!" The small shockwave of energy pulsed off of his body and he began firing.

"ReshiramLaser!" DaiRyuuseiKnight pulled out a strange looking blaster that resembled a slender white dragon. He fired three blue lasers from it that intercepted each bullet. Grey gulped at the accuracy of the lasers, watching as even his homing lasers were struck by the knight's own.

"Well, this could be a problem," Grey said. He closed his eyes and then opened them, a new determination in them. "Ultima Overdrive!" His armor color changed to pure white. "A-Trans! Ze-" Grey stopped as his entire body felt like it had suddenly become lighter. His form released a flash of light, blinding those present. When they could see him, his armor now resembled that of Lan's Gregar Beast-Out, but slimmer. He was also missing the two claws on the back of his hands. "Beast Drive!" Grey yelled, howling towards the non-existent sky. He charged DaiRyuuseiKnight on all fours, disappearing and reappearing at irregular intervals as he made his way towards him. DaiRyuuseiKnight held his ground, calm, no emotion showing present in his body language. "Drive Claw!" Grey pulled back his right hand, giving it a flex as the claws at the tips of his fingers grew longer, glowing with white energy. He slashed it down at DaiRyuuseiKnight, who dodged. But no one had seen him move. They did, however, see the ten foot wide crater left by Grey's attack. Grey snarled, very uncharacteristic for him, which surprised all of them. He jumped at DaiRyuuseiKnight, who aimed his blaster once more, firing off a single laser that sent him flying back. He landed and rolled to get back on all fours, swinging wide to come back to face DaiRyuuseiKnight.

"You are too impulsive," DaiRyuuseiKnight said, dodging another Drive Claw attack. "Impatient. Do not let bestial instincts take over you." Two more dodges, followed up by a counterattack with his blaster. "No accuracy in your hits. Can you not even hear me? Is the animal that was locked inside you in control now? Or are you?" Grey continued to attack and DaiRyuuseiKnight continued to dodge and countershoot.

"Locked inside?" Ashe repeated as Grey continued to go berserk.

"Gregar," Max answered.

"Huh?"

"In your Zone…you and Grey were gifted with the power of the Cybeasts. I had learned this awhile ago, but couldn't find the right time to tell you two. Grey holds Gregar's power within him, as well as his aggression and impatience. You hold Falzar's power, with patience and compassion. Rather odd, considering that your personalities are complete opposites of the powers you hold within you. But I had wondered why you had never unlocked it in the Hyperbolic Chamber." Max continued to watch, his arms crossed. "But I never thought that you two held _that_ much power." Ashe looked back at the fight, biting her lower lip.

"Come on, bro," she whispered, her hands clasped together. "Get a hold of yourself." Grey was shot once more, but this time didn't get up. In fact, it didn't even look like he was breathing. "Grey!" She started to run over to him, but Tenshi Zero grabbed her shoulder, holding her back.

"Wait a second," he said. Grey began to twitch and after a few seconds, he stood up. He began circling DaiRyuuseiKnight, the animal in him now wary of his opponent.

"Will you continue to allow the beast to control you?" DaiRyuuseiKnight asked, aiming his blaster once again.

"Beast-Trans…Zero…" Everyone's eyes, save for DaiRyuuseiKnight's, widened as Grey's voice finally came. His form changed to normal Zero before taking on more bestial characteristics. The hair grew wild and unruly, while the helmet changed to his Beast Drive helmet. The tips of his fingers grew into claws, three claws appearing on the tips of his boots. His armor became slimmer and the Z Saber was now barbed. Grey drew the Z Saber, slowly edging closer towards DaiRyuuseiKnight. "HA!" He took a slash at him, but DaiRyuuseiKnight dodged easily.

"ZekromLaser Sword!" DaiRyuuseiKnight's blaster changed into a black, jagged dragon, its wings now a long katana. He met Grey halfway, easily blocking the strikes rained down upon him. Grey pushed away with his sword, sliding backwards a few feet. He stepped slowly around DaiRyuuseiKnight, searching for a blindspot, suddenly rushing at him again. DaiRyuuseiKnight once more dodged, counterstriking, hitting Grey with the flat of his blade in his left side, sending him flying, rolling with the landing to come back up on his feet and left hand, the right hand held behind him, the Z Saber aimed up. Grey gave a growl, lowering his stance. He rushed again, but feinted a thrust, turning it instead into a stalemate with DaiRyuuseiKnight, their blades locked together. Grey took his left hand, aiming another Drive Claw at DaiRyuuseiKnight, but was blocked by the hilt guard, which DaiRyuuseiKnight had managed to raise just enough to still hold the Z Saber in place while blocking the destructive attack.

"I'm not gonna lose to this animal," Grey said, his eyes slit like Megaman's Beast-Out form, narrowing them. "_I _control my thoughts and actions. And my destiny." DaiRyuuseiKnight nodded.

"Then I can end this knowing you took something from it," DaiRyuuseiKnight said, kicking Grey away, Grey's mouth coughing up a little blood at the impact. Grey rolled again, his third time knocked to the ground like that. But this time, when he stopped moving and didn't get up, those gathered could see he was still breathing. He reverted back to Beast Drive, the eyes on the helmet suddenly glowing. This time, when he moved, it looked more like the armor was doing all the moving, Grey just a passenger. The armor walked over on all fours to the group, going to Ashe before turning back around to face DaiRyuuseiKnight and laying down on its side. The eyes stopped glowing and Grey lost Megamerge, his eyes closed, his breathing now calmer. DaiRyuuseiKnight looked around the group once more, settling on Tenshi Zero.

"Yeah, yeah," Tenshi Zero said, walking forward before DaiRyuuseiKnight could open his mouth. "I gotta take the test. Let's just get it over with." He drew the Z Saber, charging straight at DaiRyuuseiKnight, releasing his aura for this fight. "But I'm not gonna lose!" DaiRyuuseiKnight backed up one step before raising his blade in a two handed grip to catch Tenshi Zero's, who just as quickly followed up with an up, down combo, ending with an uppercut with his left fist, just missing DaiRyuuseiKnight's chin.

"Where is your resolve?"

"What?"

"I said, where is your resolve? Your forms are amazing, yes. But what about your resolve? What drives you to continue to better yourself?"

"Just to do it," Tenshi Zero replied, holding his sword two handed over his head.

"Is that all? Nothing more?"

"Far as I can tell, no. Nothing more." Tenshi Zero's wings grew from his back, flapping to speed him up as he charged DaiRyuuseiKnight again. He jumped just before reaching him. "Ryutsuitsen!(Dragon Hammer Strike)" He slammed his blade against DaiRyuuseiKnight's blade, pushing him into the ground to create a small crater that he now stood in. "Get ready, DaiRyuuseiKnight! This is a technique that I've worked on for ten years of my life to create and master!" Tenshi Zero pushed off of DaiRyuuseiKnight's blade. He fell back, closing his eyes, his aura growing larger. "Sen Ryū no Mai.(Thousand Dragon Dance)" Copies of Tenshi Zero began to appear, spreading all around DaiRyuuseiKnight. "Prepare yourself, DaiRyuuseiKnight. For you shall be the first to have fought this technique. First Dance: Giri!" All of the copies suddenly rushed DaiRyuuseiKnight, one at a time, slicing their sabers as they reached him. This continued as copies appeared from the copies and the attack continued for a full minute, the copies speeding up to the point that it looked like three would slash at him at once, DaiRyuuseiKnight blocking the first two hundred or so before hits began to find their mark, until DaiRyuuseiKnight received exactly one thousand slashes, and no more. When DaiRyuuseiKnight didn't go down, Tenshi Zero made even more copies. "Second Dance: Taifū!" This time, the copies ran around DaiRyuuseiKnight, slashing and hacking at irregular intervals, some firing off small tornadoes of energy, others charging in and then fading back into the crowd. Once again, the attack continued for a minute, before Tenshi Zero nearly collapsed.

"Is that all you have in you?" Tenshi Zero gripped his Z Saber. "Your drive…if you cannot find your drive, then you will not grow stronger. You shall never move beyond your limits. And you will _never_ stand a chance against your future enemies."

"My drive," Tenshi Zero whispered. "And what if I don't have a drive?"

"Then cease this. And remove yourself from my sight."

"A drive…" Tenshi Zero's thoughts suddenly turned to a girl with long brown hair, holding her in his arms. He remembered her, taking time everyday to honor her memory in some way. "Iris," he whispered. DaiRyuuseiKnight had turned away from him, looking around the team, when he suddenly sensed instead of felt a change in Tenshi Zero. He turned around to see his aura had grown much larger, the aura flowing into his blade, amplifying its abilities well past its normal levels. "Now I remember," he said, his eyes closed, his head facing off to the side. "I vowed that day…to never allow that to happen again." He opened his eyes, turning his head to look at DaiRyuuseiKnight. "I'm sorry, Iris," he whispered. "From now on, I'll fight only for the purpose of protecting those around me, starting now." Tenshi Zero suddenly released an extremely large amount of Ki, aimed at DaiRyuuseiKnight, who was forced back half a step, Tenshi Zero's hair whipping in the sudden wind created by it. He raised his Z Saber above his head one-handed, pointing it straight up at the sky, his aura still flowing into it. "Ultima," he began, the Omega symbol on his chest glowing. "Dragon Wave!" He swung his blade, releasing pure white Ultima Energy, which formed into a dragon made of the pure white energy, roaring as it closed in on DaiRyuuseiKnight. Before the smoke of the resultant explosion cleared, Tenshi Zero was already rushing into it, his blade held behind him. The team heard the sounds of a scuffle, seeing shadows fighting back and forth in the smoke, one Tenshi Zero's, the other DaiRyuuseiKnight's. DaiRyuuseiKnight's shadow struck Tenshi Zero's hard, knocking the reploid out of the smoke and into everyone's view. DaiRyuuseiKnight appeared next, his sword held at Tenshi Zero's throat, who looked back up the sword's length, at DaiRyuuseiKnight's eyes. DaiRyuuseiKnight nodded, moving his sword away from his opponent's throat and offering his hand to help Tenshi Zero up. Tenshi Zero gripped his wrist, pulling himself up with a little help from DaiRyuuseiKnight. He nodded, walking back to the group. At this point, Grey groaned, stirring, his eyes opening. He sat up, looking up at Ashe, his eyes full of questions. She mouthed 'I'll explain later' to him and he nodded, standing up slowly, nearly falling back down on the first attempt, but Ashe and Tomari Axl gripped under his arms to help him up on the second attempt.

"Who wishes to come forward now?" DaiRyuuseiKnight asked.

"I will," Lan answered. He got clear of the group before settling into a martial arts stance, which Max recognized as Tiger Style. "Kaio-ken!" His chi erupted off his form. "Times 30!" The chi almost exploded this time, his hair growing longer, flowing out the back of the open-backed helmet. Max raised his eyebrow in surprise.

"I can't believe Goku actually taught him that," he said.

"Let's go!" Lan threw a jab at DaiRyuuseiKnight, who blocked with his right wrist, swinging his sword at Lan. Lan managed to catch the blade with his thumb, index finger, and middle finger, holding it there. His arm was trembling as he held the sword at bay. "You're…a lot stronger than you look," Lan commented, his voice strained. "But so am I! Kaio-ken times 40!" His hair grew longer once more, his chi expanding, and his arm stopped trembling as he easily threw it to the side, his knee slamming into DaiRyuuseiKnight's gut, the first to get a good hit on the knight, knocking him back. And so Lan's test began.

* * *

"There you go, little one," Tan'ya said, running his hand down the hooksword's blade. "All fixed up." Tan'ya stood up, the hooksword in his hand, as he walked out of his hut. "Well, I'm not really allowed to go there, but just this once, I'll deal with Lai if he says anything." He created a Zone Portal with his Zone Energy, stepping into the Portal to appear just outside of a house in the Watchers' Zone. "This is something I need to deliver personally." He went up to the door, opening it, making sure that no one was watching. "Tara?" he called. "Tara, I've got something here for you." He heard footsteps and looked up the stairs to see Blaze coming down. "Already moved in, huh?"

"What the hell are doing here, Tan'ya?" Blaze whispered furiously. "You know what'll happen if one of the other councilors finds you here in this Zone!"

"Yeah, I do," Tan'ya answered. "But there's one problem." He put his hand on one of his swords, his eyes hard. "I'm not Katta," he hissed. "I have no qualms with killing to protect myself. You know that. Lai and his followers will learn soon enough if they mess with me.

"Blaze, dear, who is it?" Tara asked from the top of the stairs. She then noticed Tan'ya standing there. "Oh. Katta? Or Tan'ya?"

"Tan'ya, Tara." He held up the hooksword. "I have a delivery here that I felt needed to be made personally." Tara came down the stairs. She was out of her armor, a dark brown necklace with a yellow gem set in it, the gem shining in the dim light. Her hair was down, while a dark green turtle neck hugged her body, the sleeves reaching past her wrists, a hole cut in each at the tip of the sleeve through which her thumbs were hooked. She was wearing a pair of black jeans. She looked at the hooksword, and then up at Tan'ya before hugging his neck, tears rolling down her eyes.

"Thank you," she said.

"Anything for my god daughter," Tan'ya said with a smile as he wrapped his free hand around her, giving her back a gentle pat. "Would you like to know this sword's name? Or would you like to learn it on your own?"

"I think I'd like to learn it on my own, Tan'ya," Tara said, releasing him and stepping back, wiping away the tears in her eyes. "Now then," she continued, regaining her normal composure. "You need to get out of here quickly, Tan'ya. Before a few members of the council come to investigate the Zone Portal you created to come here." Tan'ya gave a casual salute as his farewell, turning around and leaving.

* * *

"Kaosu Hakei!" Lan released the Chaos Energy infused ball of chi, twisting his hands this way and that to find a weakness in DaiRyuuseiKnight's defenses. In the middle of their battle, he had pulled out the cellular-like device on his belt and had said something that had sounded like Tensou to Lan. When he had done that, two dragons, one a robotic white-blue dragon, the other a robotic black and red dragon, had appeared from two Zone Portals individually, roaring as they approached. The next thing Lan knew, DaiRyuuseiKnight had used the cellular device once more before his form glowed before it transformed into the head. The head roared before tripling in size. It released a light from the back and transformed the light into the body of a majestic, robotic dragon with an angel wing and a dragon wing. The entire body was split down the middle between black and white while the eyes of the head were blue and red. This form he had called Downloadion. Lan was currently trying to prevent him from using it again, but was failing.

_"Downloadion, Advent!"_ the dragon roared in DaiRyuuseiKnight's voice, _"Tensou Gattai!"_

_-Combine. KaiserKnight!-_

The Shining Dragon and Darkness Metal Dragon roared as their wings folded into their bodies. Their head flew off as their neck and tails fused into a black and white broadsword. The hind legs fused together to form the lower part of the arms and clawed hands while the head attached to form shoulder guards. The larger black and white dragon roared as its head flew off. The tail and neck removed themselves from the body while the arms fused with the legs to form new, larger legs. The wings flew off before fusing into a shield. The back of the dragon flipped backward to the front into a cape-like shape, revealing knight-like gold and silver torso armor beneath. The arms fused to the sides of the body as the black arm gained the shield while the right arm gained the sword. The dragon head attached to the body. The underside of it opened in three places, revealing a gold visor with a silver faceguard.

_"KaiserKnight, Advent!" _DaiRyuuseiKnight's new form declared. Everyone's eyes were wide at this new form. Lan paled as his Kaosu Hakei was deflected by KaiserKnight into the ground.

"Oh, shit," he said. He jumped back about eight feet, putting his hands together. "Kame…Hame…HA!" Lan released the ball of chi, yanking his hands so that it would curve just under the giant mech, the trajectory one that would tear through the bottom of the mech and come out of the head. But the mech charged at Lan just as it was going to hit, swinging the sword in its hand.

"_NettoBlue Slash!_" KaiserKnight slammed his sword down on top of Lan, who caught it between both hands, holding it at bay, his entire body shaking with the effort.

"Urgh…Kaio-ken…times…" Lan bit out, his voice strained as he just barely got out the words. "50!" His hair grew longer once more, reaching his knees now, while his body bulked up very slightly, slowly straightening as he continued to hold the sword. He let it go, pushing it to his right so that it slammed into the ground before jumping up at the head of KaiserKnight, slamming his fist into it. The recoil launched Lan back far enough to fire off another Kaosu Hakei, followed by two Kamehamehas to make it even bigger, the explosion applying a force that should have been more than sufficient enough to blow the head off. But the smoke cleared and the head was still there.

"_SaitoRed Shield!" _KaiserKnight slammed his shield down onto Lan, who had landed. He pulled the shield up and Lan was flat in the crater. Lan groaned, slowly standing. "_You may stop now. You have proven to be efficient in battle, although somewhat impulsive as well._"

Lan grinned, knowing the description was extremely accurate. He walked over to the group, releasing Kaio-ken once he reached them and then promptly fell flat on his face. "Damn it," he said, his voice muffled. "I forgot about the after-effects of the Kaio-ken times 50. I'm just gonna lay here for a couple hours, okay?"

"You do that," Ultimate X said. "I'll take the test next." He began walking towards him when a Zone Portal suddenly appeared, depositing a familiar Murian on top of Ultimate X.

"Solo?" Max said, looking at him. When Solo looked up to glare at him, he knew it was their Solo. "What the hell just happened? How did you get here?"

"I need to get back," Solo said, standing up. "Laplace! Make another Portal!" Laplace came out of the VG-Hunter at Solo's side, shaking his head. "What do you mean you can't connect to our home?...What?"

"Solo, what's wrong?" Sonia asked. He stared over at the group, finally noticing how they had all changed. But he shook his head, quickly dismissing the thought.

"My home is what's wrong!" He kicked a rock in anger. "Damn it!" He then noticed DaiRyuuseiKnight, who had changed back to his normal form while the Murian had appeared. "The fuck you lookin' at?" DaiRyuuseiKnight didn't answer, but turned his head back to the group and Ultimate X. "Oi, I asked you a question. Don't turn away from me! Laplace!" Laplace threw his arms around Solo and wave changed with him. His armor had changed since the last time the group had seen him. His sword was now back to its original shape, although the blade's color was still pitch black. The armor itself was now spiked on the shoulders and the visor was now part of a helmet that covered his entire head, his hair spiking out of an opening at the back. His shoes were streamlined with two slits on the front of the toes. His symbol was still there, now emblazoned on torso armor, while the medallion that had belonged to his father hung around his neck. "You will regret turning your back on the Captain of the Guard!" Solo swung his sword at DaiRyuuseiKnight, who suddenly disappeared, reappearing behind Solo. Solo's eyes shifted to look behind him and he smirked. "Fool." Everyone's eyes, save for DaiRyuuseiKnight, widened as Solo disappeared into shadow, while DaiRyuuseiKnight looked down at his torso to see the blade of Solo's sword sticking out. "Shadow Slice," Solo said from behind DaiRyuuseiKnight, his mouth next to his ear. "There is no one that can dodge this attack."

"And you are a fool to believe that it would be effective," DaiRyuuseiKnight replied, gripping the blade. He began squeezing the fingers in his hand, applying more force slowly and the blade shattered, falling to the ground in pieces. DaiRyuuseiKnight then shot his elbow back into Solo's face, Solo's head snapping back. DaiRyuuseiKnight turned around to thrust his own sword into Solo's gut, but was rewarded instead with a barrier originating from the medallion, the barrier keeping the sword at bay. Solo himself was unconscious, Laplace beside him, looking at DaiRyuuseiKnight with his solid yellow eyes, waiting to see what he would do. DaiRyuuseiKnight turned around instead of continuing his fight, leaving Solo there to himself.

"Okay, _now_ I can go through my test," Ultimate X said. "But if you'll allow me a second. Solo's landing threw off my balance. I'll just be a sec." DaiRyuuseiKnight nodded and Ultimate X took a few seconds to let his internal systems regain balance, his systems rebooting in stages. After ten seconds, Ultimate X gave a thumbs up. "Alright, ready to go." But they both just stood there. DaiRyuuseiKnight either had gotten used to them attacking him first or he was a true gentleman, giving the challenger the first strike. But when it came, no one, other than Ultimate X, was actually expecting it. He fired his X Buster, releasing a shot the size of a small comet at DaiRyuuseiKnight, who was forced to dodge, only to find Ultimate X now in his face, his armor seeming to hold flames in its plates, his right fist on fire. He swung that fist, hitting DaiRyuuseiKnight in the face, sending him back. But he never gave him a chance to recover. When he came back into view, Ultimate X's armor had changed to the color of ice, releasing a large cloud of vapor from his mouth, freezing only part DaiRyuuseiKnight, but managing to catch the hand holding the sword. DaiRyuuseiKnight went to pull out his cell-like device, but found it frozen in a block of ice. He looked up just in time to see Ultimate X charging again, this time his armor green, bombs held in the fingers of his hands. He threw two at DaiRyuuseiKnight's feet, throwing two more at his own to provide himself with lift, which he then used to get even higher than DaiRyuuseiKnight, who had been thrown straight up by the explosions. Ultimate X's armor changed to red and yellow, his right fist tripling in size before slamming it into DaiRyuuseiKnight. All of this had taken place in the span of seven seconds and only a few of those gathered had actually seen everything that happened, including DaiRyuuseiKnight creating a crater on impact. He stood up, shaking his head, jumping back just in time to avoid a triple-sized foot, which hit the space he had just been in only a few seconds earlier.

"Reshiram Laser!" DaiRyuuseiKnight fired the three lasers from his blaster, all three striking Ultimate X, one in the chest, one in the neck, and one more in the head. Ultimate X began to fall back on his knees, but suddenly stopped. Slowly, his body straightened up, his knees pulling him back up. His armor changed to a dark purple, the color that his Neutral Armor had been.

"Maximum Charge!" Ultimate X aimed his X buster at DaiRyuuseiKnight, the charge shot seen in the mouth of the weapon. When he fired it, it tore a deep trench in the ground, ripping its way through anything and everything unfortunate to get in its way. Right now, that was a few boulders and the ground that was in front of the lower half of the shot. When it finally stopped with an explosion, Ultimate X turned away, his armor changing back to its normal dark blue, sure that even DaiRyuuseiKnight hadn't survived that, at least not without being knocked unconscious. He then looked around as he heard the three lasers of DaiRyuuseiKnight's blaster come again, hitting the exact same spots again, followed by one more volley. Ultimate X fell again, this time staying down as his systems began to fail. Tenshi Zero walked out to him, grabbing his arm and pulling him up. Ultimate X groaned.

"You were doing great, up until you got cocky and turned around," Tenshi Zero said, taking most of Ultimate X's weight on his own body.

"Need…aspirin," Ultimate X groaned under his breath, falling into unconsciousness.

"Tomari Axl, you shall be next," DaiRyuuseiKnight said, brushing off his armor, which now had a burn mark or two from Ultimate X's charge shot. Tomari Axl gulped, sweating bullets.

* * *

"Come on, boy," Katta said. "You've gotta focus harder." Kent was still trying to perfect channeling his energy and was showing a lot of improvement, but was still finding it hard.

"Almost…there," he grunted, swinging with all his might at a panel of Metal Zeta Katta had set up. Katta had demonstrated earlier that while it was impossible to actually break Metal Zeta, as well as cut it with Wind Zone Energy, he had shown Kent how effective Shatterpoint was. But the point was incredibly small to hit, Katta himself having to take six tries before finally finding it. Moon was with him again, but this time both Model Q and Model HM were there, Kage and Kad watching from a distance, a shogi board between the two. "Why am I trying this on a panel of Metal Zeta again?"

"Because, if you can find the point on Metal Zeta, then finding the point on other items will be even easier. Although, there is one thing that I forgot."Katta walked up to Kent, staring him straight in the eye. "Before we continue, you must swear that you will only use this as a last resort. If you use this for personal gain…" He trailed off, Kent searching his eyes for the last bit of the sentence. "If you use this for personal gain and not as a way of saving your friends or family, then I will be forced to hunt you down myself…and to be honest, I've actually grown somewhat fond of you. Do _not _force me to have make good on that promise." Kent's mouth was agape and he closed quickly, nodding.

"Alright. I swear…that this technique will only be used for the protection of others."

"Good," Katta said, gesturing at the panel. "Now, shatter the panel." Kent closed his eyes as he turned his body to face the panel, both hands gripping the hilt of the sword in his hands, thinking about Katta just said, trying to imagine a time when he would need this technique. And with one strike, no chance to change its trajectory, no room to allow himself second thoughts and doubts, he swung at the panel. When he opened his eyes, he saw now a panel on top a pole in front of him, but a mound of dust at the bottom of a pole.

"I did it," he whispered, dropping the sword. Moon was beside him, smiling, as was Katta. Kent turned around, lifting Moon bodily in a hug, caught up in the moment. "I did it! I finally did it!" He then noticed who was in his arms and saw Kage holding a kunai, wagging his finger at Kent. Kent quickly put Moon down, blushing. "Uh, sorry about that." Moon shook her head, conveying that it was alright and gave him a hug in return, smiling up at him.

"Congratulations," Katta said. "You have achieved basic mastery of the Shatterpoint. But I can only take you as far as stationary objects in training. Moving objects you'll have to figure out for yourself. Now, run through your Zone Energy exercises and then we'll call it a day." Kent nodded, his mind still on his accomplishment.

* * *

"Ungh," Sage said, waving a white flag from the crater he was in. "I'm done. Just can't keep up with the younger folks these days." He stood up, staggering slightly, leaning on his sword for support. There was now only Max, J, and Geo left to take DaiRyuuseiKnight's test. The Hikari trio and their netnavis had passed, Netto and Rockman very nearly destroying the blanket Zone with their Chaos Spiral Apocalypse, Kishi had been knocked out after his Zone Energy was suddenly negated by a strike from DaiRyuuseiKnight's KaiserKnight form, Tomari Axl had somehow been on the receiving end of his own bullets, everyone still trying to figure out how DaiRyuuseiKnight had managed to switch with him in such a short time, and Bud had…well, to be frank, Bud ended up knocking himself out after trying to knock over KaiserKnight by ramming into his legs. He had actually succeeded, but hadn't been able to get out from under the giant mech quickly enough, which had left him fairly close to a Bud-sized pancake. Geo was currently stretching his arms and legs, ready to take on DaiRyuuseiKnight.

"Okay, I've got this," Geo said under his breath. "Alright, here goes. Tribe Sage!" Geo's form glowed, his armor changing, pieces growing on it. When the glow faded, his armor was now a mix of all three Starbreak modes and Tribe King pieced together. His helmet was like the three AM Sages' heads put together, the upper jaw of Dragon covering his eyes, the sides of the helmet resembling the ears of Pegasus, and the rest of the helmet was Leo's head. Omega-xis' head wasn't present, but the Saurian skull was on his right shoulder, bathed in flame, the Shinobi star on his back, and the Sword of Berserk was held in his right hand. His armor was slim, not bulky like Tribe King, but it looked like it could take a beating and keep fighting, hugging his form. He opened his eyes, revealing them to have changed to a gold color. DaiRyuuseiKnight was about to pull out his cellular device when Max put a hand on his shoulder.

"Recovery 300, download," Max said, the pink glow moving from his body onto DaiRyuuseiKnight's form, fading to reveal his armor was repaired. "No point trying to fight with a handicap, Dai. It'll only insult him."

"Ready," Geo said after DaiRyuuseiKnight had changed to KaiserKnight. He jumped up, coming level with KaiserKnight's head before going even higher. On his way back down, he gripped the Sword of Berserk with both hands, slashing down with all his might. KaiserKnight retaliated with his own sword, using his shield to push at Geo's form. But he was met with a face full of leaves, all of which suddenly started flying at KaiserKnight, leaving scratches over the armor. Geo reformed behind KaiserKnight, the Saurian skull aimed with its mouth open. "Genocide Blaze!" The skull released a stream of magma at KaiserKnight, Geo rushing as soon as the stream stopped, the star in his hand. He threw it at KaiserKnight, blowing a cloud of ice vapor behind it. The star struck the armor, sticking in the right arm, as the vapor froze the shoulder joint of the same armor. Geo jumped again to strike it, but was rewarded with a shield to the face, the ice shattering as KaiserKnight flexed the frozen joint, the star clattering to the ground. Geo coughed up a little blood, holding his body up on his knees and hands. He looked up with a fierce determination as red blobs of Noise began to build up in the area. "Sage Card King," he said, the Noise flowing into his body. He felt it rush in, the power building, but was unable to use it. It went out of control, attacking the inside of his body and he began to cough up more blood.

"Oh, damn," Max said, running up to Geo's side, Sonia and Bud close behind him. "Geo, you've gotta release it!"

"C-can't," Geo hacked. "Too much f-feedback."

"Geo, you have to listen. Don't you dare fall under," Bud said. "Do what Max said. Just let it go!"

"Geo, please," Sonia begged. She was the closest to the boy, trying to put her arms around his shoulder, but the excess Noise prevented her from doing so without receiving injury. Geo slowly stood up, his body trembling with the effort. He held his hand out, away from the team and KaiserKnight, aiming for a spot in the sky only he could see. And he let it loose. Every last bit of power in him was released, flowing out like a torrent, a river of unstoppable power. The flow continued for a full minute, showing no sign of stopping, but slowly weakening. Max had pulled Sonia and Bud back to a safe distance, watching as the Noise continued to flow out of Geo. After it finally stopped, Geo's hand dropped, Geo himself keeling forward onto his face, unconscious, his wave change now lost. Omega-xis was beside him, his breathing labored, his body scratched and scuffed everywhere. Jen came over to grab her adopted father with Lyra, while Bud and Sonia carefully lifted Geo, taking him back over to the group. Max took a look around the Zone, surprised that there wasn't more damage. But he shook his head, dismissing it.

"Well, J, you wanna go next? Or shall I?" Max asked.

"Um…I think I'm gonna let this one go," J replied. Max noticed his body was twitching. "I'm…having some trouble keeping my programming under control…" Max nodded in understanding.

"Want me to get you back to HQ?"

"Nah, I think I'll be okay so long as I don't fight DaiRyuuseiKnight myself," J replied, shaking his head. Max nodded, his jacket turning into his armor.

"Alright, Dai," Max said, turning to face the knight, once more back in his normal form. "Time to see what you can do." _And what I can do_, Max thought to himself. "So, shall you go first or shall I? You are the challenger, after all." DaiRyuuseiKnight nodded his head, but Max didn't understand why, until DaiRyuuseiKnight appeared in front of him, swinging his sword at Max's head. Max ducked back, using his momentum to flip away from DaiRyuuseiKnight. He pulled out his hilt, channeling his Zone Energy into it to create his Portal Sword. He brought it up just in time to block DaiRyuuseiKnight's second attack.

"Do not hold back, Maxwell Escal," DaiRyuuseiKnight said. "You cannot be afraid to destroy your opponent." Max pushed him away, taking another jump backwards.

"And what makes you think I'm holding back?" Max asked.

"Because only a fool would believe that this is all you truly possess." Max stood in his spot as DaiRyuuseiKnight circled him, almost casual in his walk. "But a greater fool is one who holds back everything he has."

"Alright, Dai," Max said, nodding. "I'll concede that much. So, I'll just have to give some more." And Max released more of his pent-up Zone Energy. The energy roiled off him, pushing everyone on the team back, area around him cracking, breaking up, but just as easily reforming itself. His armor began to change, but the only difference that was noticeable was its sudden slimness, every part suddenly becoming sleeker, a new luster added to it. DaiRyuuseiKnight nodded, seemingly satisfied, before disappearing from view at the same time Max did. When they reappeared, they were all over the Zone, too many afterimages appearing almost simultaneously. No one could tell which one was the start of a new clash and which was the end of an old one. All the while, the Zone Energy coming off Max never eased, but held steady, while DaiRyuuseiKnight himself was letting off some of his Ultima Energy, the two energies canceling each other out at each clash. When they stopped again, Max and DaiRyuuseiKnight were standing back in their original spots. Max was the only one who seemed to have suffered hits, his armor cut and buffed in multiple areas. They stood staring at each for a few minutes before Max made the first move. He jumped forward, his Zone Energy condensing into his fist. "Zone Tsunami!" He hit the ground, releasing the compressed Zone Energy in an instant, the Zone Energy spreading out much like a tsunami would, knocking DaiRyuuseiKnight back. When DaiRyuuseiKnight stood back, his sword now had the cellular device attached to the guard.

"Set! Kyurem Edge! Tensou!" a voice from cellular said.

In response, a voice from seemingly nowhere replied, "Summon: Kyurem Edge!" From his device, a wider blade made of glowing gray ice engulfed his blade; the inside resembled a frigid-like dragon.

"The all engulfing Energy Trio Power. Frozen World!" DaiRyuuseiKnight declared. He swung his blade, releasing a shockwave that size of a pencil tip. Nothing happened for a few seconds...until the shockwave touched Max. Max and what J guessed to be the next two thousand miles behind him were frozen completely solid, startling everyone. Max's form began to glow red after a bit and the ice exploded off of him, Flame Zone Energy slowly fading back into his normal silver Light Zone Energy.

Max grinned, holding his head. "Wasn't expecting that," he said. "Gave me one helluva headache, too." And he charged him again, rushing at him with an aggression J hadn't even known Max possessed.

"You underestimate your power," DaiRyuuseiKnight said as they once more disappeared from view, their afterimages showing their split second collisions.

"You sure about that?"

"Take a look around you, Maxwell."

"Max is fine, Dai."

"…Max, then. This Zone has already begun to heal itself. And it seems to borrowing from your Zone Energy to do it."

"What's your point?"

"My point is that you have more inside you than you realize." They split apart to come back into visibility, Max holding his Portal Sword with both hands. "But why do you hide from it?"

"You know, this is the most you've spoken the entire time," Max said, shrugging. "But to answer your question, I don't think I'm hiding from anything." Max went to initiate another set of clashes, but stopped in mid stroke, as did DaiRyuuseiKnight, much to everyone's surprise. Max put his Portal Sword down, shaking his head. Between the two was the crystal he had found, floating between them like a barrier. Max took it, putting it in his jacket pocket as his armor disappeared, his Zone Energy dwindling down. "I think I've seen enough, Dai. I would have lost this match."

"Do not hide from what you hold," DaiRyuuseiKnight said, turning around. "Embrace it and accept it for what it is." He was about to leave before turning back around, pulling out some pictures. "Also, these are from Will. He wants to know if you're jealous." Max looked at the pictures, his eyes narrowing.

"Tch, please," Max said, trying to act cool, but failing. "As if I'm jealous of…such…okay, yes, I'm fucking jealous. When did this happen?"

"A few months ago, I believe." And DaiRyuuseiKnight left, leaving the team in the blanket Zone.

"Come on, let's get some of you to the infirmary," Max said. He looked down at Lan, who Maylu had managed to get onto his back. "Does it feel as bad as it looks?"

"Depends," Lan replied. "How do I look?"

"Like you went to hell and back."

"Then yes, it does feel as bad as it looks," Lan replied, grinning before wincing as he tried to sit up. "Damn. Maybe I should have grabbed those Senzu beans when Goku offered." Max chuckled, shaking his head.

"Probably. Well, I'll call Blaze, see if he can bring Pyre to heal you guys up here," Max said as he pulled out his cell phone.

* * *

**Gah, so tired. I think this is my longest chapter to date, not including the little after note here. Please Review.**


	97. Meet Zaxlew

**Meet Zaxlew**

"So, Blaze," Blademan said. He had managed to swing a ride into the Watchers' Zone after talking with Katta, Beamer accompanying him. "About this P'andor fellow."

"What, Blade?" Blaze asked, although he had a pretty good idea of why he and Beamer were there.

"When are visiting hours?"

"Right now. Uh, be careful, though. He can still," Blaze said, turning around to see the two netnavis gone. "…burn you…" He shook his head. "Idiots." He turned back to the desk he was at, grumbling. "Man, I hate paperwork." He looked around to see if anyone was looking his way before 'accidentally' setting flame to the paperwork, grinning from ear to ear. He heard footsteps behind him and quickly tried to pat out the flames.

"Is there any reason you're burning your work again?" Tara asked as she leaned down to rest her arms on the top of his head.

"Um…it…bit me?" Blaze offered, an innocent smile on his face, even though Tara couldn't see it. But he was sure she could hear it. Thinking quickly, he changed the subject. "So, what brings you to the temporary prison?"

"Oh, just wanted to come see my fiancé and find out what he wanted for dinner tonight." Blaze grinned.

"Even though you've already got the roast cooking?"

"Oh? And how did you know about the roast?"

"I smelled it as I left," Blaze replied. Tara stopped leaning on his head and he turned around, some surprise registering at the hooksword at her side. Suddenly, Blademan came crashing through the wall, Beamer following. Beamer stood up, growling, putting a hand on each wrist, adjusting his limiters. He held up his hand, Spiral Energy coating it.

"Alright, you wanna play rough, we'll play rough, you bastard," Beamer said, walking back through the hole. Tara and Blaze heard thuds, whimpering, and what sounded like a little girl screaming. Beamer came back out, dusting off his hands as he set his limiters back on default. "Alright, we're done here. Thanks for your time, Blaze. Oh, uh, P'andor's hands were already like that, by the way." Blaze's expression showed his confusion as Beamer picked up Blademan, throwing him over his shoulder. "If you could just set me near my restaurant, I'd appreciate it." Blaze nodded, creating the Zone Portal to get Beamer home.

"Even in a Zone where they aren't villains, Bass and Beamer still scare the hell outta me," Blaze said, shivering.

* * *

Max sat on the floor of his room, the Pure Ultima crystal floating in front of his eyes as it always did when he was practing using the Eye of Zones. He had decided to try and find Kalar with it, but was unable to do so or at least find the right one. He had found plenty of Zone Doubles, but everyone single one was good. This puzzled Max a bit, as it was rare for there to be only one bad Zone Double of someone. "I don't suppose you could give me any answers," Max said out loud, but as always, the crystal did not answer back. He stood up, walking out of his room, the crystal following him. Max held his hand out to grab the crystal, letting some of his Zone Energy build up in that hand. The crystal glowed in response and his Zone Energy was negated, the glow diminishing. He put the crystal back in its usual spot, walking down the hall. He kept walking until he was in the teleporter room, which was empty. He stepped up to look at the screens, the computers watching as many Zones as was possible for the machines to handle, looking for anomalies. Max shook his head. He knew, as did the entire team, that it was pretty futile to attempt to do something like this. No matter how many Zones they could keep watch on, Kalar would almost certainly have his hand on others that hadn't been searched yet. That may even take years for the computers to get to. He then noticed one screen flickering, a red light on the panel under it blinking red. He hit a button and the screen stopped flickering, text scrolling across it. "Need help," Max read to himself. "Home…invaded…Resistance almost crushed…only have few minutes…anyone who receives this, send help…invader…Kalar…" Max stepped back, his eyes narrowing.

* * *

"Blaze, call Maxwell Escal," Tarn said as he walked by Blaze. "Tell him I want him to meet with me in the Council's Chamber." A few minutes later, Max arrived, walking into the chamber. He nodded his head towards Tarn before noticing a second occupant, Lai. "Maxwell. I have asked you here to help free a Zone that has just recently come to our attention. You will be accompanying Lai and two people, one of his choosing, one of yours. The invader works for Kalar, but unfortunately, we don't know anything past this." Max waited for Tarn to continue, but the man remained quiet.

"Is there anything else, Councilor Tarn?" Max asked.

"Yes. Choose your person carefully." Again, quiet. Max noticed Lai leaving and concluded that Tarn had dismissed them. But he stayed for a bit. "Is something wrong?"

"Well…why am I doing this with Lai?"

"Because it is not good for there to be a rift between you and the council. A majority of the council is willing to hear anything and everything Lai says. If you can gain his trust, then the rest should follow. But I also think he could benefit from working with you."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll understand once you see how he operates."

* * *

"Thanks for coming along, Gent," Max said as he and Gent, who was in Armor of Sea, but was a lighter color, like ice, walked to meet up with Lai and whoever it was that he chose. They arrived to see that Addy, her armor that of Light Zone Energy users, was standing, talking to Lai, which surprised Max. Gent and Addy were equally surprised to see the other. "Is this your choice?"

"Yes, it is," Lai said, nodding. His expression was one of embarrassment and he extended his hand. "Since we're stuck on this mission, then let's try to get past what we did when we first met. At least for now." Max shook the hand, nodding.

"Well, on to business. What do we know about the Zone we're about to head to?"

"It's mostly forest," Addy spoke up. "Several different types of life forms, all in abundance. The being who is currently in control of that Zone also has a pet that can absorb Zone Energy." Max nodded, his eyes closed as he absorbed this information.

"Do we have any idea what or who the being is?"

"No, we don't," Lai answered. "All that we know is that he or she or it works for Kalar. At least, that's what we've concluded from the known data."

"Alright then. I suppose we should get going now," Max said.

* * *

"Traps," Max grumbled. "Always with the fucking traps." He felt like he was hunting down Cameo, what with all the traps set by this newcomer, Max pulling a knife out of a gap in his armor, surprised it hadn't penetrated skin. Gent was just behind Max, Lai and Addy in the front. Gent had on a pair of goggles, looking back and forth. "Anything yet?"

"I think there might be something. A noticeable drop in the energy of this Zone," Gent replied. "It's all centered on one area. So I think it's safe to assume that we've found the creature." Lai nodded.

"I think I smell it," he said, holding his nose. "Oh, damn. Yep, I smell something." They reached a clearing to see a large animal with holes all over its back. It was an ugly thing, its body somewhat misshapen, but the muscles just under the skin were rippling. It was like a cross between a large badger and a wolf, its head elongated, its jaw bloody, strips of flesh hanging from its teeth as it feasted on what looked like a deer. They all froze, hoping it wouldn't see them. But they saw its nose twitch and it looked straight at them.

"Oh, boy. Okay, guys, carefully back up," Max began. But Lai overrode his advice.

"Gent, Addy, you two distract that thing," Lai began. "Max and I will circle from behind and-"

"Are you insane?" Max hissed, the beast going back to its meal. "It'll kill them!"

"No, it'll only get one of them," Lai argued back, seemingly oblivious to the Harusame twins standing right beside him.

"Moron." Max closed his eyes. "Okay, this thing's got a taste for Zone Energy, right?"

"Yes," Addy confirmed. "And I recognize it from the archive. Its more inclined to live in warm areas, as the cold slows its body down. It doesn't go into stasis, however, as its blood is actually more water than most beings."

"And freezes quicker," Max concluded. "Okay, here's what we can do. And this will insure that _all _of us survive," Max added, shooting a glare at Lai. "You and I can let some of our Zone Energy out, drawing it to us. Gent, you and Addy get behind it, figure something out." Gent and Addy nodded, moving to slowly circle around the beast. "Okay, Lai. Now it's our turn." Max slowly let out his Zone Energy, but not letting it go all at once. The beast's nose twitched again and turned to stare at Max this time, the holes on its back opening and closing. Max noticed his Zone Energy was slowly being sucked into those holes. "Come on, Lai. Get with the program."

"Fine," Lai snapped under his breath. He began removing panels from his armor, consisting of his arms and his helmet. Max was surprised at how much Zone Energy began to erupt from Lai. The beast began walking towards them now, almost looking like it was grinning. It then pounced at them.

"Harusame Twin Special: Reitō-kō Ryū!" Gent and Addy yelled from behind the beast in mid-pounce. They fired off their Zone Energy, Gent releasing Ice Zone Energy, while Addy released Light Zone Energy. The energies mixed to become a dragon, the ice making up its scales, the light providing a body for those scales. It slammed into the beast, freezing it on impact, the beast shattering as it landed. Max wiped the sweat from his brow as Lai reattached the parts of his armor.

"Please don't cut it so close next time," Max said.

"Sorry," Gent said. He was suddenly sent flying by an unseen force, slamming into a tree, Addy flying in the opposite direction.

"What the hell was th-" Lai began when he, too, was sent flying back. Max felt an unusual energy behind him and he turned around to face…himself! Max was now standing face to face with a Zone Double with blonde hair, a sneer on his face.

"So, this is the guy Kalar's worried about?" the Zone Double said. "Looks weak. And you killed my pet."

"He attacked first," Max said, stepping back, his hand going to his hilt. He suddenly felt himself lifted bodily, his Zone Double's right hand pointed at him.

"I'm Zaxlew, but just Zax will do for now," his Zone Double said. "Harbinger of ruin, destroyer of multiple Zones, blah, blah, blah. And you?"

"Maxwell," Max answered, getting up with a grunt. He saw the hand move again and this time let some of his Zone Energy loose.

"Oh, finally caught on, did we?" Zax asked. "An extremely condensed ball of Zone Energy from my hand into your body. Impressive. But can you stop a mental assault?"

"A what?" Suddenly, Max went to his knees, holding his head. "GAH! UNGH!" He thrashed about, his head reeling.

"Oh-ho, what have we here? A girl? Oh, a team, too, huh?" He walked around Max as he continued to thrash, holding his head. "Hm, I've never tried pulling a switch before…I wonder how much fun it'll be. Oh, the things I could do to destroy your team. And Kalar will be so pleased when I'm done, too. Hell, maybe he'll even tell me what he's planning for those Zones he's got right now."

"Ungh…stay a-away from my team," Max grunted, still holding his head.

"Hm? I'm sorry, did you say something? I couldn't quite hear you over your pain." Zax flicked his hand, sending Max into a tree, hard enough to crack the trunk. "Perhaps I'll have some fun with your girl and your sister. Hm, but it looks like I'll have to remove that Kishi fella first."

"I s-said…leave them alone," Max growled. Lai was starting to come to, watching groggily at the exchange. He then worried that he was becoming blind as the plants began to fade in color, but he noticed that they were also wilting.

"Wait…what are you doing?" Zax asked, noticing the change as well. He turned back to look at Max who was standing up.

"Come near my friends and you will never know a moment's peace," Max said, eyes narrowed, his pupils now blood red, his hand outstretched to a spot behind Zax. Zax turned around to see a red Zone Portal appearing. He then felt Max shoulder charge him into the Portal, his face one of shock.

"You idiot!" Lai exclaimed as the Portal closed, punching Max to the ground. "Do you have any idea what you nearly did?" he yelled, Addy and Gent slowly coming to.

"No, I don't," Max said.

"You nearly destroyed this Zone, you fool," Lai continued, his voice still a yell. "That was a Negative Zone Portal!"

"A…what?"

"Negative Zone Portal! It leads to a Zone that should never have existed. Not even Palkia-sama, his brothers, hell, not even Arceus-sama herself will go to that Zone. Because they can't reach it!"

"I still don't get what the problem is."

"The problem is that the reason they can't reach it is because it requires the energy of a Zone to reach! Look around you, you fool!" Max did, noting all of the wilted plants lacking color. "This has probably happened throughout this entire Zone!" Max's mouth dropped. "Exactly!"

"No," Max said. "No, I…I didn't know! I didn't even know what was happening!" Max's eye color slowly changed back to normal as he stood up. "There…there's gotta be something I can do to fix this." He then remembered what DaiRyuuseiKnight had told him. But then chided himself. Even if he could do what DaiRyuuseiKnight had said, he didn't know how to apply it to fix a Zone. He didn't even know where to begin. "Can Palkia-sama fix this?"

"No," Lai said. "No one can. This Zone will probably fall into ruin now." Lai turned away. "I'm going to report to Councilor Tarn. Gent, Addy, come with me." Lai began walking away, leaving Max to stand by himself. He looked around the forest, the horror of what he had done evident on his face. He clenched his fists, feeling his nails dig into his palms.

"Damn it," he whispered. He then left, remembering the feel of the Zone. Even though he didn't know what he could do, he vowed that he would figure it out someday. And with that thought, he went back to the HQ.

* * *

**Even Max has evil Zone Doubles, huh? And a Zone that even Arceus won't go to? Please Review.**


	98. Chaud Returns

**Chaud Returns**

"Damn it," Max whispered to himself. He was back in the Zone he had killed, watching as it began to shake. "Damn it. Damn it!" He suddenly woke up, sweating. He looked around the training room, the bench underneath him now holding finger marks on it, as if he had been gripping it in his sleep. He shook his head, noticing DaiRyuuseiKnight in the doorway. "Dai…I assume you know, then."

"Change. Dowloadion," DaiRyuuseiKnight said.

* * *

"Max?" Z stuck her head in the doorway of the training room, her eyes widening in shock as she saw the damage. She then saw Max rubbing his neck, his eyes red, while DaiRyuuseiKnight sat on the bench beside him, talking to him. Max nodded, gripping DaiRyuuseiKnight's wrist, something he had told her he learned from an uncle, a sign of camaraderie in the Escal family. DaiRyuuseiKnight returned the grip, though it took him a few seconds to realize what Max meant by it, and then released it, walking past her. "Max? Are you okay now?" she asked after DaiRyuuseiKnight was gone.

Max looked up at the sound of her voice, straightening a bit. "Yeah," he replied. "Yeah, I'm fine." She walked in, sitting down beside him, leaning against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Just…had some sense beat into me, was all," Max said. They remained silent for a few minutes, Max letting his head rest on hers. "So, is there anything new?"

"Not really," she answered. "Well, except for a call from Chaud. He said he wants to come back."

"Really?"

"Mhm. Said that he's done sitting around and moping when everyone else is actually doing something. He said that he's ready to do what needs to be done."

"Well, I don't see why not," Max replied, lifting his head. "If he thinks he's ready, then we'll bring him back."

"Um…well, actually, he claims he can get here on his own." Max turned his head to look at Z as she sat up.

"Sorry, I thought you just said he claims to be able to get here by himself."

"Well, those aren't the exact words, but yes, I did say that."

"Jerk. When I say I can do it, I can do it." The couple turned around to see Chaud behind them. His outfit had changed since they had last seen him, his vest now a trench coat, his hair grown out longer, almost the same length as Protoman's hair. His pants were ripped in various places on the legs, scars present on his face and neck, a result of what Max and Z assumed to be whatever training he had been through. He was currently standing nonchalantly, his hands buried into his pockets. He turned his head to look at Lan, who was standing in the doorway. "Something wrong, Hikari?" Lan grinned, walking up, slapping Chaud's back.

"You're definitely the Chaud I know," Lan said. Chaud grunted, smiling.

"And you're still the same idiot." A tick mark developed on Lan's forehead.

"You've only been here for a minute and already insulting me? And what's up with your aura?" Max turned his attention to Chaud when Lan said that, suddenly noticing Chaud's aura was indeed strange.

"My aura?"

"You've been training with Vegeta and Goku," Max said, more a statement than a question, standing up. Chaud looked at Max, nodding.

"Yeah, I have. What of it?"

"How did you find them?"

"I just snuck into the Watchers' Zone and met some girl named Addy. All it took was the right questions and a little bargaining, but I eventually got my hands on some good training Zones."

"What did you…"

"Bargain with?" Chaud finished. He held up his PeT, which had also changed. Protoman's symbol was still present on it, but it had become smaller. The PeT now seemed to resemble a VG-Hunter combined with the original Transer, while small hooks held something onto the back of it. The screen lit up and data began scrolling across. "By providing her with more information on my Zone's World Three, Zero, Gospel, and a little more about the Cybeasts of my Zone. She was surprisingly compliant after seeing the info, almost fanatic even. Guess she loves learning about new things."

"And how did you get here? In fact, how did you travel between Zones is a more accurate question."

"Zone Code, 34/5SF8, download." The PeT began to beep, the screen growing brighter.

"Please choose an option," a voice from the PeT said.

"Transport," was Chaud's reply. A small beam shot out of the screen, stopping between the four as a small Zone Portal began to appear, growing larger. "End." The Zone Portal began to shrink before disappearing back into the small beam, which receded back into the PeT. "Compliments of Yuchiro Hikari. It's the only one of its kind and will never be produced again. At least, not in our Zone, Lan."

"Dad made that, huh?" Lan replied, shaking his head as he nodded. "Well, if anyone could do it, it would of course be dad. So," Lan said, cracking his knuckles, "care to show us what you can do now?" Chaud grinned.

"With pleasure," he replied, beginning to take off his coat.

"Whoa, whoa, time out here," Max said. "If we're doing this, then we're doing it in a blanket Zone. With the levels this team has gotten to, matches in the HQ are out of the question now." Z looked at Max, grinning as he stepped between Lan and Chaud, trying to keep them from starting.

_I don't know what it was DaiRyuuseiKnight did, but I 'm thankful for it,_ she thought to herself.

"Seriously guys, let me at least try to find a blanket Zone. Maybe the one we just used is still open for some fights," Max said, trying to keep the two from starting their fight. He quickly took out his hilt, slashing a Zone Portal into the air, pushing the two through quickly. He followed them in, looking around the blanket Zone. "Okay, now you two can…" He looked to see them already going at it. "…begin…" He sat down on a rock, his elbows on his knees, his chin resting on his hands. "Well, this oughta be good." He then jumped off the rock, dodging a stray Kamehameha. "Oi, watch it!"

"Kaio-ken!" Lan and Chaud both yelled, their auras erupting off them. They charged at each other, striking and counterstriking. It was easy to see that Vegeta had a large impact on Chaud, if his aggressive fighting style was anything to go by, while Lan reminded Max a bit of Goku, though the hair didn't help that image very much. Chaud suddenly slid by a strike thrown by Lan, hitting Lan's gut with his elbow, Lan falling back to the ground. Max sighed, shaking his head.

"These guys are complete idiots when they fight," he said under his breath. Lan jumped back up, shoulder charging Chaud back.

"Kame," Lan began, jumping up to float in the air above Chaud, his hands pulled back. "Hame…HA!" He fired it at Chaud, who retaliated with one of his own, the Kamehamehas pushing each other back and forth, though Chaud's was red in color. Max looked around before moving some rocks around to create a makeshift chair and sat down.

"This'll be awhile."

* * *

"Oi, where'd Max go?" Tenshi Zero asked as he walked in with a few brown bags.

"He's watching Chaud and Lan," Z answered.

"How's he doing?"

"Better," she answered.

"Good. Otherwise, I would've had to work with Axl to cheer him up." Ultimate X came up behind him and smacked him in the back of the head. "Ow!"

"Last time you and Axl cheered someone up, _I _had to pay the bail," Ultimate X said.

"Last time?" Z asked.

"It's, uh, not something I enjoy bringing up," Tenshi Zero replied, rubbing the back of his head with a blush. "Took months before Layer even started talking to me again. And Palette and Axl...well, he still has nightmares about it."

"Uh…"

"Trust me," Ultimate X said, putting his hand on Z's shoulder, "you're better off not knowing."

"I'll…take your word on it," she replied.

* * *

Max stood up, stretching out his legs as he walked over to Chaud and Lan, who were flat on the ground, panting. "Better, fellas?"

"Not (pant) really," Chaud replied.

"Having trouble (huff) breathing?" Lan asked.

"Oh, shut the (puff) fuck up, you (huff) wimp," Chaud shot back.

Max shook his head as the two began to shoot insults back and forth. "Just when I was getting used to the quiet, too," he said, sitting back down.

* * *

"So, we're back." Protoman appeared just outside of the HQ, his armor bulkier with a sun-shaped shield on his back and a broadsword made entirely of Ultima Crystals. His hair was done in a style like Ed Elric's, but half of it was black and the other half was white. The horn of his helmet had elongated and resembled a blade. His shoulder guards, knee guards, boots, and helmet all resembled dragon heads. Beside him, a large T-Rex stood. It had blue skin with orange markings on the back and legs. The tip of its tail had a blaster and a blade while it wore a metal helmet with two horns on the sides and a blade on the tip and scarlet eyes.

"Is Master's Master here?" the T-Rex asked.

"No, Greymon, he isn't," Protoman said, sighing, wishing his answer to be false. "But I promise that we'll see him after this, okay?" Greymon nodded enthusiastically, his tail wagging a little.

"Why are we here, Master?"

"To see some old friends, Greymon. And to test Megaman." Protoman grinned. "But I doubt he's gotten that much stronger. After all, we've been through two years worth of intense training. He's only been through a few months of training. This'll be a walk in the park."

* * *

**Well, Chaud's improved quite a bit, huh. And won't Protoman be surprised to fight Megaman **_**and **_**see ****Chaud? Sorry for a short chapter, by the way. Please Review.**


	99. Megaman Versus Protoman

**Megaman Versus Protoman: Chi and Chaos Versus DigiXros**

Max walked into the infirmary, checking to make sure that the tape over Lan and Chaud's mouths was holding. "Well, at least this'll keep you quiet for a bit longer," Max said. He then noticed the tape beginning to melt and the liquefied tape beginning to evaporate. He sighed. "Right. Forgot about the chi training."

"Max, please let us loose," Lan said, beginning to strain against the rope bonds. "Before we set this place on fire from our chi."

"…" Max stood there, contemplating his options, Chaud and Lan glaring at him. "Nah…I think you two can get out on your own. But I would avoid setting fire, seeing as this is the infirmary beside the lab," he said as he walked out of the room.

"Oh, shit," Lan paled.

"What?" Chaud asked as he continued to channel his chi towards his wrists. "It can't be that bad."

"Except that they're working with some rather explosive compounds today." Lan smelled smoke and looked at Chaud, who was now paling himself, as his chair caught fire from the concentrated chi.

BOOM

Max came running into the hallway the lab was situated on, watching Lan, Chaud, Sasuke, and J trying to put out the flames. "The hose, you idiots!" he yelled as he ran up to them.

* * *

Protoman pushed the front door open, Greymon jumping back as it fell off its hinges. "Must be doing something in the lab right now," Protoman said out loud as he stepped onto the door. Greymon poked his head in, sniffing around before following Protoman into the HQ. "Hello?" Protoman called out.

"Damn it," he heard. "Door must've broken…again." He saw Tenshi Zero walk in and stop. He drew his sword, holding it with the tip pointing at Protoman. "Please tell me you're you, Pro." Protoman grinned as Tenshi Zero used his nickname for Protoman, though he wondered if that nickname still applied with his new look.

"I'm me," Protoman replied. He felt Greymon nudge his back.

"Is this Master's Master?" Greymon asked.

"No, it isn't." Protoman looked Tenshi Zero up and down. "But it is an old friend…although I don't remember your armor looking quite like that." Tenshi Zero relaxed his grip on his saber, eyeing Greymon, who was now sniffing and circling him. "This is Greymon, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Greymon," Tenshi Zero said, while Greymon stopped in front of him. "I'm Tenshi Zero."

"Tenshi? When did you change your name?"

"After I had some upgrades. By the way, was Greymon asking about Chaud?"

"Yeah, he was."

"…Come with me," Tenshi Zero said, leading the two down a hallway before arriving at the lab, the hallway still smoldering a bit. "Oi, Max! We've got some company," he called into the smoke. When Protoman listened closer, he heard coughing.

"Hang on," Max called back. He came out of the smoke, waving his hands back and forth in an attempt to clear it out, but with little luck. His eyes were watering, his vision blurry. "Company, you say?" He looked behind Tenshi Zero to see Greymon and Protoman. "Ah. So, it's true, huh?"

"You knew?" Protoman asked.

"I had my hunches when I suddenly found you between Zones," Max answered, recalling a sudden image of Protoman a few days ago when he had been practicing his Eye of Zones power.

"…huh?"

"I'll explain later," Max replied. He looked down at Greymon, who was circling and sniffing him like he had Tenshi Zero. "And this is?"

"Greymon," Protoman replied. "My Digipartner."

"Ah."

"Max, what's going on?" Protoman looked into the smoke cloud to see Chaud emerge. But it took the two a few seconds to realize who they were looking at. "Proto?"

"Chaud?"

"What are you doing here?" the two asked at the same time. "Me? What about you?" Max rubbed his head.

"One at a time, damn it," he said, groaning.

"Master?" Greymon asked. Protoman looked at Greymon and nodded. Greymon wagged his tail again, jumping on Chaud. "Master's Master?"

"Master's Master?" Chaud repeated, stuck under Greymon's bulk. "Protoman, does he belong to you?"

"Not really belongs, but I suppose in a way, he is mine. Chaud, this is Greymon. My Digipartner. Greymon, this is my netoperator, Chaud Blaze," Protoman said.

* * *

"So, Clockman, now SpacialClockman, was the one to get that chip into you," Max said. He and the others who had met with Protoman and Greymon so far were sitting in a kitchen around a table, Megaman having joined them. "And now you're here."

"Yeah. Ran into Will as well before coming here," Protoman replied. "That new armor of his is something else."

"Yes, so I've heard," Max replied, drinking whatever was in his cup. Greymon was walking around the kitchen, sticking his nose into cabinets and corners, when everyone heard a crunching sound. They looked to see he had found some pretzels logs and was happily munching away on them.

"So, where's the rest of the team?" Protoman asked.

"They weren't able to stay," Max answered, setting his cup down. "About a month ago, I pushed the entire team to try and train in a Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Some of them couldn't cut it, no matter how hard they tried. Those who could stay achieved power beyond what was previously expected, in all honesty. They progressed in ways that not even the Zone Watchers had expected. I mean, Lan's broken what was previously thought to be the highest achievable level for the Kaio-ken, Megaman's created a new move set by combining Chaos Energy and Chi, Geo's attained new forms, and…well, the list goes on and on. I've discovered a new power in me coined Eye of Zones by Palkia-sama's very first disciple. And we've met a couple of interesting people since you've been gone even."

"Like the Zone Watchers?"

"Yeah. And then Tan'ya, the Hunter Eradication Army, and Dai."

"Dai?"

"DaiRyuuseiKnight."

"Oh, that guy."

"Yeah. All in all, it's been somewhat eventful since last we saw you," Max finished.

"And it's about to get even more eventful," Protoman said, standing up. "Megaman, it's time. I want to see how strong you've gotten." Megaman stood up as well, nodding.

"And I you," Megaman answered.

"Blanket Zone first," Max said, looking at Chaud. "If you would please be so kind."

"Of course. Zone Code, 64/BKZ001, download," Chaud said. "Transport."

* * *

"So, this is a blanket Zone," Protoman said.

"Master, Master," Greymon said, his tail wagging. "Can I fight, too?"

"If Megaman doesn't mind." Megaman shook his head.

"Not at all. You're gonna need it. Trust me," Megaman said.

"Heh. You're gonna eat those words," Protoman said, grinning. "Protoman: Kaiser Mode!"

"DigiXros!"

"What?" Megaman asked as the two suddenly became a beam of blue light and a beam of red light, the two beams converging to create a pillar of golden flames. The flames parted and a new figure reached out of the flames, brushing the flames away. He was tall and decked in scarlet and cobalt armor. His shoulder guards were black and white and resembled dragon heads that reminded those gathered of Greymon's helmet. On the back of his arms were cobalt plating with scarlet dragon head armor that went past his black, clawed fists by a foot each with two horns on the back of each 'head.' His boots resembled two scarlet dragons for the feet parts and cobalt dragon heads for the upper parts. His torso had gold marking that were foreign to all of those watching. His head resembled an orange dragon head made of metal fused with a knight's helmet, red eyes looking through the sockets, with three horns. On his back was a broad sword that was as tall as him with a larger version of Protoman: Kaiser Mode's shield. He unsheathed the two weapons and entered a stance.

"KaiserGreymon: Model Protoman!" the newcomer declared, brandishing the sword in Megaman's direction, who gulped.

"Oh, shit," he said. He jumped backwards, dodging the broad sword as it cleaved a trench into the ground. His jaw dropped at the size of the rip in the ground. "Holy crap! That's a lot of power!" Max watched on passively, while the rest of the audiences' jaws dropped as well. He nodded, his irises a silver color again, taking in every detail of the battle and Protoman's new form.

"New power for a new form," he said. "Appropriate." Megaman back flipped away from another strike, trying to get out of range.

"Kaosu Hakei!" Megaman fired off the Chaos infused chi ball, watching as KaiserGreymon blocked it with his shield. The shield seemed to be absorbing it, up until it flared brightly, growing three times larger, and self-destructing right in KaiserGreymon's face, knocking him onto his back. Megaman took the time to power himself up. "Beast Out! Gregar!" His body was engulfed in green flames before parting to reveal a changed Beast Out: Gregar. The helmet had lost some of the spikes, slicking back to hug his head, while the claws on the backs of his hands seemed to have grown longer. The tail had also grown longer, the tip of it now a nasty looking serrated blade with two more blades going off at forty five degrees each. The armor had slimmed down just a little bit, hugging his frame, but still providing him with more than adequate armor. His feet still had the claws on them, though the claws were longer. His fingertips had now been turned into claws as well, though they hadn't been given any added length. "Now we can begin in earnest!" Megaman charged the much larger KaiserGreymon, jumping up to his face, slashing with his right hand, KaiserGreymon's shield coming up to block. Megaman continued his spin, his momentum carrying his left leg around to kick the shield, his tail dragging along the shield, leaving a small tear in it. Megaman landed, jumping backwards as KaiserGreymon's sword landed in the spot he had previously been. KaiserGreymon raised himself back up onto his feet, picking the sword up out of the ground. He put the shield on his back, holding his sword with both hands.

"Enryūgeki!" The sword transformed into a crossbow, energy building up at the tip. He pulled both triggers, one on either side, releasing the energy at Megaman.

"Beast Destruction!" Everyone's eyes widened as Megaman used the same move that had been his and Lan's Final Smash at the tournament alone, meeting the energy arrow from KaiserGreymon's sword head on, an explosion rocking the area and leaving a crater the size of a small city in its place. Megaman charged out of the cloud, dodging another swipe from KaiserGreymon's sword, jumping onto the blade to run up its length at his opponent's face, KaiserGreymon slapping Megaman off with his free arm. "Kaosu Hakei!" Megaman fired the energy ball at KaiserGreymon in mid fall, using the push from the attack to twist his body around to land on his feet, rolling back to decrease even more of the force from the fall. KaiserGreymon dodged to the side, letting the Kaosu Hakei continue on its way, disappearing in the distance.

"Burning Slasher!" KaiserGreymon released a flaming shockwave at Megaman, the shockwave exploding as it hit him. But when the smoke cleared, Megaman wasn't there anymore. KaiserGreymon looked up as Megaman fell down at him, blocking the axe kick aimed at his head, grabbing Megaman's tail, but just as quickly letting go as he accidentally grabbed the blades, his hand oozing data. Megaman fell to the ground, his armor dinged, scorched, and scratched. KaiserGreymon's wasn't actually any better looking, scratches and gaps visible everywhere, results of the aftershock from the Beast Destruction attack. Megaman stood up, grunting in pain as he held his left thigh, which was oozing data almost as quickly as KaiserGreymon's hand was. Both were heavily panting, neither of them having expected to have to use so much energy in this fight.

"I've…got one more hit left in me," Megaman bit out, staggering backwards a few steps. He closed his eyes, his chi and Chaos Energy starting to build up, the crystals in his armor glowing. "Chaos Beast Stream!" He fired a beam of chi and Chaos Energy from his hands, the beam mixing with a laser that had been fired from the helmet's mouth, the beam growing larger.

"Kaiser Destruction!" KaiserGreymon released an even larger shockwave at Megaman, the shockwave a multicolored beam of energy. The two attacks collided, the explosion even larger than the one cause by Beast Destruction and Burning Slasher. The crater was also four times larger, rivaling that of the one that Netto and Rockman had made when they had used their Chaos Spiral Apocalypse. Megaman was out cold, his Beast Out gone, while KaiserGreymon still stood, albeit just barely. He then collapsed, turning back into Protoman and Greymon, the latter of which was snoring, the former moaning in pain, but still conscious.

"Well…that was…something else," Max said, the first to get over the shock of the size of the final attacks and the resultant crater. "We better get them outta there and back to the infirmary."

"Please hurry," Protoman said. "I think I lost feeling in my legs."

"Well…that might be because they're….kinda gone," Max called down. Protoman looked down at his legs to see they had de-rezzed, data seeping out of the stumps.

"Damn it," he said before finally passing out.

"And now I gotta explain to Palkia-sama what happened here," Max sighed, his head hanging, his shoulders now slumped. "This is not gonna be fun."

* * *

**Good luck with that, Max. Please Review.**


	100. Special Intermission: Future Christmas

**Well, looks like I was wrong about the special intermissions. Cause here's another one. This chapter takes place twenty years in the future of the current time line in the story. This also marks the hundredth chapter in my story.

* * *

**

**Special Intermission: Future Christmas**

BOOM

"Son of bitch!" Max exclaimed. He was on the floor right now, old reflexes having brought him there. In the past twenty years, he had grown a few inches taller, a beard now covering his face.

"Sweetie, I would really appreciate it if you would warn me when you did that," Z said from under him. In his small trip to the floor, he had taken his wife with him, shielding her with his body. Like Max, she had gotten a little taller as well, but only an inch at most, her hair now much longer, reaching her waist. Max smiled sheepishly at her, getting up and helping her up.

"What happened?" was the exclamation they heard as Julie ran into the kitchen, grabbing the doorway.

"My bad," Will called from down the hall. "J and I were experimenting with the coat for Kyuubi," he said as he walked in. Even though they had long grown used to it, Max and Z's attention flashed to the scar over Will's right eye. His chin and throat were covered in stubble and his build had gotten a little bulkier over the years. "We hit some of the old lab equipment."

"The defense system?" Max asked.

"The defense system," Will confirmed. They both shuddered. It was three days before Christmas and the original team, plus their families, had decided to come back to the HQ and fix it up to bring the entire team there. Although that had been the original plan, some of the members wouldn't be able to make it, but Max had managed to arrange for ways to get their gifts to them.

"How's the armor for Mister Netto coming?" Julie asked.

"Well…it's coming," Will replied, rubbing the back of his head. "But without him here right now, I can't finish it."

"Are you basing it off of your own armor?"

"Well, I'm basing it off my _original_ armor. Before it…evolved, so to speak. It's surprisingly easy to get a hold of nanotechnology. Even easier to get reploid technology and fuse the two together." Will rubbed his right eye, his finger unconsciously tracing the scar. "Anyways, I'm heading back now. Kassie's about to head to Tyler's play. Should I save you guys a row?"

"Yeah," Z said. "Of course."

"Alright then," Will said with a smile. "I'll see you three and J and Jen in a few." He walked out of the kitchen and a few seconds later, the Escal family heard the front door close.

"Oi, J," Max called down the hall towards the lab. "We're about to head to Tyler's play."

"Give me a second to get this thing back on its stand," was the reply. A few seconds later, J came into the kitchen. He now wore his hair slightly longer than he had in his younger years, but had never actually grown facial hair, but he chose to blame that on his being a netnavi. "I'll meet you three there. Have to pick up Jen first." The four left the HQ together, but took separate paths.

* * *

"Any idea what you get a guy who's older than seven centuries?" Max asked Kishi. They were both standing on top of a large skyscraper in the Watchers' Zone, looking out over the city. Kishi had aged well in twenty years. Although his build hadn't gotten bulkier, but instead slimmer, he was still physically strong. He was now the foremost expert in Darkness Zone Energy, both as a scholar and as a fighter, and held a place on the Watchers Council. Max had just come from Tyler Star's play, promising to his wife that he would be back in three hours, at most.

"What?" Kishi asked.

"Tarn. What the hell am I supposed to get the man?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Kishi, I just spent the last half hour explaining that Christmas is in three days, I'm getting as much of the team together as I can, sending those who can't make it their gifts, hunting for presents for a few Zone Watchers, and can't think of a single thing to get for Tarn. Tara and Blaze, easy enough. Pyre, no problem. Jake, a walk in the park. Lai…well, I think the best thing I can give Lai is a break from the novices for a day."

"Ah. So that's why you invited him to the Prime Zone," Kishi said.

"And not the HQ specifically."

"You already covered Gent, Addy, and my dad?"

"Kishi, your dad is one of the most simple minded, yet wisest, men I've ever known. Who loves tea," Max said flatly. "Hell, his alternate personality is just as easy to please. Gent, I got my hands on some new tech for him to play with and for Addy, I called in some favors for books she's been trying to get her hands on."

"Well, I would suggest figuring out how to get your hands on a time machine for the man, but knowing him, he's probably already got someone with one as a friend."

"He does. Two, actually."

"Wait, what?"

"He knows the Doctor in about six different Zones and is also friends with Professor Paradox."

"Who's the Doctor?"

"Get rid of 'the' and put the first word after the last in your question and what do you get?"

"Doctor…Who…wait, he was serious about that?"

"Kishi, the man's more than seven centuries old. He's bound to know people."

"Good point. So, what time should Taly and I get there?"

"I guess about seven in the morning. Taly can help with the last minute cooking and you can help us with deliveries."

"What about Iridesca and Sage?"

"Aren't able to make it. Dessy's spending time with her own family, who she hasn't seen for a few years now, and Sage is…well, to be honest, I don't know about Sage. He just said that he has pressing matters to deal with."

"Like what?"

"Something about becoming a great-grandfather."

"Huh…we'll have to make sure we send him a card sometime," Kishi mused.

"Maybe a box of cigars."

"The man's in his seventies. Is smoking really what he needs right now?"

"Hey, he's from the same Zone as Tarn. I don't think it matters much."

"Damn," Kishi said as he noticed the setting sun. "I better get home before Tal gets pissed."

"Where you two living now?"

"We managed to get a house just outside Ground City in the Prime Zone."

"And yet you spend more time here than there?"

"I'm on the council. It comes with the job."

"Heh. Well, I'll let you go then," Max said, pulling out Kishi's old hilt.

"You're still using that thing?" Kishi asked as he looked at it.

"Well, only when I really need it. It's compact and isn't metal, so detectors aren't set off every time I go to heavily guarded locations. It's also easier to hide than my other ones."

"But…I thought you could…"

"Only at the risk of hurting myself. This at least makes it easier to focus the energy without backlash."

Max swung it at the air, a Zone Portal appearing as a small dot before growing. "Showoff," Kishi said with a grin. Max returned the grin.

"Hey, make the most of it," Max replied as he stepped through the Portal.

* * *

The next day, the Stars and Escals were back at the HQ. Will and J had retreated to the lab once more and Kassie, who hadn't changed very much at all, save for an inch worth of difference in the length of her hair and her face seemed to have aged a little bit, Jen, Z, and Max smiled, feeling nostalgic about it. "Just like old times," Max said. Julie was watching her parents. Beside her was a boy who was about ten, with short pink hair and brown hazel eyes. This was Tyler Star, the son of Kassie and Will. He was embarrassed to have inherited his mother's hair color and made up for it by styling it the way his father had done when he was still a teenager. He had inherited some of his father's intelligence, but all of his mother's short patience with people who called him certain words. Which meant he had also inherited his mother's Battle Rage, as he liked to call it. "All we need is Sasuke here and the Tech Trio will be whole."

"Did someone call my name?" They turned around to see Sasuke, Netto, Naruto, Kyuubi, Rockman, and Shinobi standing behind them.

"You weren't supposed to come here for another two days," Max said as the Hikari brothers exchanged greetings with the rest of those gathered.

"Well, we got impatient," Netto said. He was wearing a brown jacket, his signature headband now around his neck, wearing white gloves with alchemy symbols for fire transmutation on them. In his twenty years since being with the team, he had become a Zone Plumber, a branch of a group known as the Plumbers who worked closely with the Zone Cops. The last Max had heard, he had earned the rank of Magister and was now the overseer of his Zone.

"Yeah, right," Naruto said. Naruto wore his hair longer now, the hair stopping at his shoulders, two long bangs on the sides of his face. He wore a black shirt with red flame designs, a flame themed ANBU vest, and black jeans. On the weekends, he called himself a Yorozuya, a Jack-of-All-Trades, and owned a restaurant that specialized in ramen, dango, onigiri, and curry and was known among many Zones. Netto also owned part of the restaurant. "More like Netto just wanted an excuse to get away from his wife."

"Mood swings again?" Max asked, being careful to phrase his words. The last thing he wanted was for Jen, Kassie, and Z to turn on him for accidentally letting slip something offensive.

"No!...well, maybe….yes," Netto said.

"Well, you're welcome to stay, as always," Max said. "But Kyuubi and Netto, I would suggest staying out of the lab. Sasuke, of course you can go in there."

"What the hell?" the two forbidden to go in there yelled.

"I can always ask Will and J for those peppermint bombs."

"They…still have those?" Shinobi squeaked. Shinobi seemed to have aged a bit, thanks to a program that Sasuke had made for the netnavis. Shinobi was now wearing a black lab coat, what Max suspected to be jet boots, and laser gauntlets.

"Yep. And they just found out that the odor gets stronger the longer the container isn't broken and lasts even longer," Max said, his arms now crossed.

"I'm just gonna go find a quiet room without those horrible bombs," Kyuubi said, leaving the room. Kyuubi was wearing a white jacket with blue flame designs on the bottom and no longer wore his headgear, which gave his fox ears more freedom.

"In that case, I'll go see if there's anything I can help with," Sasuke said, following after Kyuubi to make his way towards the lab.

"I just realized something," Max said.

"And what would that be?" Kassie asked.

"We haven't put the teleporter through its paces yet. I better go get that started up now."

"I'll help you out," Rockman offered. Like everyone else, he had aged as well. He now wore an ANBU vest that was emblazoned with a small symbol just below his navi symbol, a small circle split into two green triangles and two black triangles.

* * *

In the lab, J, Will, and Sasuke were studying a jacket that was all black with orange flame patterns on it. "So, who wants to test it?" Will asked.

"Well, if it doesn't work, we're in trouble," J said.

"And it would be a waste of your time if it does not operate within expected parameters," Sasuke added. Sasuke was wearing a standard lab coat, a black shirt, and black jeans. He still wore glasses, but had decided to grow his hair out to shoulder-length and pull it back, save for two bangs. On his left wrist was the newest in PeTs, designed by Sasuke to look like a watch, much like Max's first watch had been designed to work like a PeT. Unlike Max's watch, this PeT could project a solid image of a netnavi into the real world, minus powers and weapons, but allowing for chakra systems, if the netnavi had any, to remain intact. He had also become president of both SciLab and NAXA.

"True…so, should we flip for it?" Will asked.

"With three people?" J asked.

"Good point. Well, I guess there's no helping it…" Will pushed J forward as he and Sasuke stepped back.

"Asses," J grumbled. He materialized a Katana Battlechip before walking over to the jacket. He sliced the jacket before Sasuke unleashed a Fireball Jutsu at the jacket. When the flames died down, the only visible mark on it was a rip in the jacket from the sword, but the rip began to repair itself, the strings seemingly reconnecting on their own. The three geniuses sighed in relief. "Well, that's two functions down. Not including the weatherproofing, I might add."

"Still can't believe you actually went into a tornado, snow storm, lightning storm, _and _hail storm just to test that function," Will said.

"Now we just need to test the kunai and shuriken launchers."

"How did you manage such a large load capacity for it?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, remember that mini generator we had tried making a few years back?"

"Yes."

"Well, I managed to perfect it in the past five years. After some heavy discussion, I talked Palkia-sama-"

"WHERE?" Even after twenty years, Shinobi still freaked out whenever Palkia was mentioned and it still surprised J that Shinobi's hearing was that good.

"- into making a mini Zone for the ammunition. The generator itself I've managed to sew into the jacket's sleeves as threads and the generators are automatically connected to that mini Zone. Assuming that he's bored enough to use that feature continuously, he can keep it up for about….thirty years. At….Will, what was the last _successful_ test we had?"

"About two forty a minute," Will answered.

"That's almost four billion kunai and shuriken," Sasuke said.

"Yeah. And the best part is that the kunai and shuriken will automatically return to that mini Zone after a set time limit," J said.

"And what about Netto's armor?"

"That's going to take a little longer," Will answered. "I'm basing it on my original armor. But the problem is that I can't finish it without him. I have to finish it with him in it so that it'll bond to him. Not like mine, but more in a sense of brain waves."

"And…what about Naruto?"

"Well, he's the easiest out of you fellas. We got our hands on a mountain of ramen for him," J answered.

"Very appropriate," Sasuke conceded.

* * *

"One more day," Max said as he walked into the HQ, followed only by Sasuke, Will, and J this time. "And where the hell is Tan'ya at? He should've been here yesterday."

"Don't give me nunna yer shit today, boy," Tan'ya said, chewing on his customary toothpick, his blue eyes sweeping between the four men as he walked in behind them. Tan'ya/Katta's physical appearance hadn't changed much in twenty years, save for small streaks of grey appearing throughout his hair. "Be thankful I even agreed to this." Max noticed the three additional swords strapped to his back.

"And would those be the katana for Shinobi?" Max asked. Silently, he was cursing Katta for allowing his alter ego deliver the gifts. He had at first thought the split personality something of a fascination, but soon grew weary with his attitude. Granted, he had his moments, but he could still _try _to be polite every now and then. Tan'ya nodded before unstrapping them and tossing them at Max, who only managed to catch one. J and Sasuke caught the two he had missed, saving the swords from damage.

"I added something that'll help the twerp store his chakra," Tan'ya said. "Make sure you warn him that he can't go overboard in a fight with his chakra. Those crystals are gonna be siphoning off about a sixth of his chakra everyday, so long as they're in contact with him. And they'll hold the chakra even when not in contact with him. Also, seeing as how I have a good idea who inspired him, take these." Tan'ya handed Sasuke a set of scrolls. "Those are a few techniques that can be used with three swords at once. But keep this one away," Tan'ya said, holding up one more, "until he's completed the training for the rest of those scrolls. This is the most dangerous one for him to learn." He placed the scroll on the top of the small pile, distinguishable from the others by its red ribbon. The rest all had green, blue, or black, but no others were wrapped by a red ribbon.

"I will be sure to keep that in mind," Sasuke said, putting the scrolls carefully in a bag, but keeping the other one on his person in a pocket that was hidden on the inside of his lab coat.

"You going to be there?" Max asked. "Or is Katta?"

"Neither of us," Tan'ya said. He closed his eyes and opened them to reveal Katta's forest green eyes. He took the toothpick out of his mouth. "I'm actually going to be a little busy tomorrow," Katta said. "Visiting some old friends."

"Ah," Max said. "Well, alright then. An early Merry Christmas to you, old friend." Max handed him a small box, which Katta accepted before grinning.

"And one to you as well. I left some Dragon Rum in the main kitchen for the festivities."

"Oh…uh, thank you," Max said, all four men forcing a smile. They weren't going to say no thanks, but the second they had a chance, they would get rid of it. No one could handle the alcoholic beverage, but the last time anyone had some was when Kyuubi had spiked Roll's drink with it twenty years back. The conclusion had ended in Megaman receiving 'The Talk' and had been scarred for a few years. Although having someone like Jiraiya explain hadn't helped matters at all. It was even worse when taking into consideration that he had already had 'The Talk' the same time Lan's father had explained it to Lan at the age of fourteen.

"Well, I'll be off then. And don't forget what Tan'ya explained," Katta said as he walked out the door.

Once they were sure he was gone, they went into the kitchen and spotted the barrel. "So, any idea how to get rid of it?" Will asked. "Because I'm not too keen on poisoning the Ground City reservoir with this stuff."

"What about burning it?" J suggested.

"That would be a very bad idea," Sasuke said. "After seeing how fast Roll went under and then analyzing the drink itself, the alcohol level is much too high. The resulting explosion would most likely rip half of the HQ apart and the other half would be reduced to smoldering ruins."

"If we burn the whole barrel?" Max asked.

"If we burn the whole barrel," Sasuke confirmed.

"Well, I could always send it to Saito. If I remember correctly, Katta was first introduced to Dragon Rum by him. I'm sure he wouldn't mind receiving some on Christmas Eve."

* * *

"Oh, my head," J said, sitting up with some difficulty. He looked around himself to see that Will and Sasuke were just coming to as well. "The hell happened?"

"I believe that happened," Will said, pointing at the pink smoke cloud. "Some of the peppermint bombs went off." They heard coughing and looked over at the cloud to see Max coming out of it, waving his hand as he tried to clear out a small path, Kassie right beside him.

"What did I say about setting those things off indoors?" Max yelled as he and Kassie finally cleared the cloud.

"We didn't," J replied.

"It would seem the pressure inside has exceeded what the containers could handle," Sasuke said, picking up a piece of glass that had once been part of a peppermint bomb glass container.

"Just get it cleared," Max said. "We've got Sol, Eva, and Luna coming in a few minutes. Last thing Eva needs right now is this kind of stress."

"Geez," Will said, slapping his forehead. "I forgot she's got another one on the way."

"You know, you could always just send it to another Zone," J said.

"True, but since I might send it to a Zone that's an ally, then how good would it look if it looked like we were attacking them?" Max pointed at.

"Ah. Very good point," J conceded, shrugging. "Well, it should clear up in a few minutes. Is the teleporter up and running?"

"It is now," Rockman said from behind Max. "They just got here." He turned his body halfway to gesture at Luna Rena. Her hair was cut shorter than they were used to seeing and looked more like an Amazoness in build, a few inches taller as well.

"Where's…"

"Eva kinda had to puke again," Rena answered, rubbing the back of her head, smiling. "And Sol's there for moral support, I suppose."

"The kids?" Max asked.

"Missions."

"On Christmas?" Rena shrugged.

"It can't be helped," she said. "We all knew what they were getting into. As did they. But they should be done in time for a Christmas dinner back in our Zone." She then heard a mewing and looked down to see a kitten.

"Ah, crap. You weren't supposed to get out yet," Max said, walking over. He gently picked up the kitten, placing it in his jacket pocket, its head sticking out as it mewed again.

"Is that the kitten you were talking about getting for Eva?"

"Yeah. And here," Max said, handing her a bottle of pills. "That painkiller you were asking for." She took it, nodding her head.

"Thanks," she said, putting it away.

"Are you sure you can deal with this?" they all heard, Sol's voice coming from around a corner. Max quickly stepped behind J, giving the kitten a quick glance, his finger over his lips. The kitten stopped its purring, almost as if it understood what Max meant and pulled its head into his jacket pocket. Sol came around, his hand on Eva's back. Sol had grown a few inches taller and had stopped wearing the paint on his face, but there were no other features noticeably different. Eva was currently wearing a pink dress, her hair reaching to her mid back, her stomach a small bulge.

"Yes, Soso, I'm sure," Eva replied. The two looked up from each other to look at those currently gathered. Eva grinned, Sol forcing a smile, though his thoughts were obviously more focused on keeping his wife stress-free. "Hey, guys!" Max shook his head, grinning, returning the greeting, making sure to be careful of the kitten in his pocket.

* * *

"Mom, dad," Julie whispered near her mother's ear.

"Mmm?"

"It's Christmas morning," she replied, still whispering. She looked over at the clock, which said 8:30 am. Her mother mumbled something incoherent before turning over, Max's form shifting slightly at his wife's movement. "Guys, come on. Please get up?"

"Any luck?" Tyler asked from the doorway. Julie shook her head as she walked out. "Me, neither. Mom and Pop just did the same thing."

"Well, we could always go for a race around the city," Julie said. Tyler smiled.

"Alright. Terms?"

"Hmmm…how about….no powers….and finish line is the HQ?"

"Deal." They walked out the front door, taking positions. Julie knelt down to roll up both pant legs to reveal her father's old leg gear. "You still using those?"

"I don't see why not," she answered. "They've never failed my dad and they haven't failed me. Besides, aren't you going to check yours?"

"Nah. Pop made these," Tyler said, scratching the back of his left calf with his right foot. "Self-diagnosing, auto-repair, and they'll warn me if I'm approaching an unsafe speed."

"Fine. But it's your loss."

"Yeah, yeah. So, how we gonna do this?" Julie pointed at a stray snowflake, the first to fall. Tyler nodded and they both bent down, knees bent, hands held in front of them. And once the snowflake touched down, both were off.

* * *

Z finally woke up twenty minutes after her daughter had left the room, stretching her arms as she yawned. She shook Max's shoulder. He woke up quicker than her, his eyes snapping open. He sat up, swinging his legs off the side of the bed. He gave his neck a stretch, hearing and feeling something pop. He turned around, giving his wife a smile. "Morning, hon'," he said, standing up. "And Merry Christmas."

"Same to you," Z replied. She stood up as well, bending backwards, her back slowly popping. "I think Julie was in here earlier."

"Probably was," he answered. "Kids and Christmas," he said, grinning.

"Ha! Won!" Max and Z looked at each other, wondering if they had both heard Julie's voice. They walked downstairs to see Julie and Tyler, both sweating, Tyler's hands on his knees as he panted, Julie grinning in triumph, both with a light dusting of snow on their heads.

"Best," Tyler said, gasping, "thirteen (gasp) out of twenty-five (gasp)?"

"No way," Julie said. "I won fair and square and you know it." He held up his finger, but then collapsed.

"I'm just gonna lay here for a few minutes."

"Still havin' trouble, huh?" Max asked. Tyler nodded from where he lay on the floor.

"What's all the commotion?" Will asked groggily, Kassie beside him, leaning on him, half asleep herself.

"Just a friendly race, Uncle Will," Julie said, still grinning.

"Could you be a little quieter?" J asked. He was holding what looked like a small pad with a touch screen. "I'm still finalizing Sasuke's gift."

"Which is?" Max asked.

"The data we have on every single Zone," J replied, tapping the screen a few times. "I've spent the better part of six years getting everything together, from what's polite to what's unacceptable, and it should be done…now." The pad released a small ding, a green light blinking at the top of the pad.

"Heh. So I did beat you," Will said.

"In what?" Max asked.

"Who would finish their present for one of the Hikari brothers."

"But…you said…"

"I talked Rockman into helping me."

"How…"

"Gave him some early upgrades to the buster," Will replied. "Besides, it was just a little helmet I had Netto wear during a spar with Rockman. Just to measure brain waves…and I kinda put a couple nanites in a needle on the helmet that should have been injected into his bloodstream."

"So, will he…ya know…"

"No, these nanites are different," Will answered. "These are just signal broadcasters for the suit. I also made him these." Will held up a case. "Lenses that'll take care of any genjutsu no problem."

"Handy," J commented.

"Damn right it is," Will replied, Kassie slapping the back of his head. "Right. Children present. My bad."

"Well, since we're up, we may as well get started on breakfast…although," Max said, opening the front door. "Julie, did you pass your Aunt Taly or Uncle Kishi?"

"No, I didn't," she replied. "Why?" Max shook his head, leading the way to a kitchen, all of them stopping when they smelled food cooking.

"Never mind, sweetie," he said, walking in to see Talina cooking. Her hair was cut short to her shoulders, a habit she had started getting into twenty years ago, growing it out once every two or three months. She hadn't changed very much in twenty years, still the same height. "Just found her. So, I see you two let yourself in."

"You gave us a key," Talina replied as she turned around, a spatula in her hand. Kishi walked in, carrying wrapped presents.

"Just passing through," he said, walking into the main living room. He came back into the kitchen, the presents now gone. "So, when is this party starting?"

"Once we get the others up and bring in a few more members of the team," Max replied. He took a seat with the rest of his family, his mouth starting to water as he listened to the bacon sizzle. "And Merry Christmas, guys."

* * *

**Merry Christmas to all of you out there(even though it's still Christmas Eve)! Hope it's great! And a happy New Year's as well!**


	101. Fefnir's Plea

**Fefnir's Plea**

"Alright," Max said, throwing Proctor's feet off the desk. "So, first time I've had to come to you. Why?"

"Oh, no reason, really," Proctor replied, gesturing to the chair on the opposite side of the desk. "I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?" Max crossed his arms as he sat in the chair, a tick mark developing.

"You have the Eye of Zones, too," Max said. "You tell me."

"Aw. So, you figured it out, eh?"

"Yeah, after figuring out how to find you. Which wasn't easy."

"Yes, well, I like a certain amount of mystery about me."

"And what about founding the Zone Watchers? Because I know about your family's legacy now."

"Oh, that…well, it isn't entirely untrue, mind you. The one who inherits the name of Proctor must be willing to accept all that makes one Proctor. Including the legacy of creating the Zone Watchers. Or at least, giving Palkia-sama the _idea _of the Zone Watchers. And yes, adopting the name of Proctor is part of my family's legacy. But, that is _not _why I asked you to come."

"Is it about what's supposed to happen in the next four months?"

"Team Ryuusei or the end of all Zones?"

"Wait, what about Team Ryuusei?"

"Oh, dear. That Rockman, he must have just missed you with the news. Ah, well, bygones are bygones and all that…or was it let bygones be bygones? I do get such things confused, you know." Proctor leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk, letting silence creep into the room. He broke the silence a few minutes later. "As you know, in the very near future, an event unlike any other is going to happen. Unfortunately, I can't provide much, but…I can tell you that you still have some training to complete."

"Such as?"

"That crystal you found…you do an exercise everyday with it, correct? Where you build up Zone Energy and let the crystal dispel it?"

"Well…yeah…"

"But lately, it's become easier and easier for you to maintain your Zone Energy for longer periods of time."

"Yes?"

"But you don't know why. And the answer is simple. You are…mastering Ultima."

"What?" Max's jaw dropped open before closing abruptly. "No…no, you're pulling my leg."

"No, I am not pulling your leg. I'm over here, on the other side of the desk. How could I possibly do that?" Max sweatdropped. "Oh, wait, that was an expression, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, kind of…"

"Oh, dear, seems I really _do _need to get out more often. Anyways, to continue, you are slowly learning how to use Ultima. However, it seems you can only do so with that crystal as a channel. And only with your right hand, as the case stands."

"And what does this have to do with my training?"

"Precisely the point, dear boy. _You _must learn to control that power quickly. Your friend…er, DaiRyuuseiKnight, correct?"

"Yeah, that's his name." Proctor chuckled, shaking his head.

"Oh, the fun I could have right now, but I'll skip that for now. Anyways, I understand that 'he' can use Ultima naturally. Quite fascinating, really. I wonder what kind of conditions arose to allow such a being to exist, much less maintain that existence. Then again, what is existence? What is non-existence, for that matter?" Proctor looked at Max, who seemed very confused. "Oh, whoops. Almost spoiled it for you. Never mind what I just said. Back to the subject at hand. I think it would be wise to study your friend's techniques, whether from memory or from whatever that Shadow fellow recorded. Because as you learn how to control Ultima through that crystal, you'll find that it is very…difficult to work with. Out of all the energies, it can be the most volatile at times. One could say that you shouldn't trust it as far as you can throw it, but considering that it _is _energy, it can be 'thrown' considerably far. Oh, dear, look at the time. Well, I'm afraid that you must be going. Oh, and one more thing."

"What?"

"The second you walk out of that door, you will forget everything," Proctor said, "that was discussed in this room. But you will feel the need to look over the recording Shadow the Black Arms holds of DaiRyuuseiKnight, as well as ask the netnavis on your team to check the memory data for the fight against DaiRyuuseiKnight." Max looked at Proctor like he was insane, but left anyways.

"Well, that could have gone better," Paradox said from the chair Max had just been occupying.

"Yes, I suppose so," Proctor replied, nodding.

"Gumball?"

"Sure. So, Paradox, what news bring you?"

"Nothing, actually. Although I would be careful about that lightbulb on the third floor that needs replacing. If you're too lax, you'll find yourself in sudden need of a healer."

"I'll keep that in mind. And young Max's training?"

"Well, after that little conversation, everything seemed to be okay. But then again, I was only just there. Or have I yet to go there? You know, I really should go check again, just to be sure."

* * *

"Help!" Z looked up as Megaman came running through, a holo of Shadow chasing him. "Damn it, why can't you turn it off?" he yelled backwards.

"The button's stuck!" J yelled. Z heard thuds, as if someone was hitting something very hard. "Just keep running, okay? It's only an image right now, without the powers."

"But it still has his strength!" Rockman yelled, Z just now noticing him as he hid behind the couch she was sitting on. The holo-Shadow turned towards the sound and Rockman gulped.

BOOM

The holo-Shadow disappeared, Rockman and Megaman sighing in relief. "So, how'd you fix it?" Megaman asked as J walked in, shaking his head. Behind him was Fefnir. "Oh, no. No, no, no. Not you again!"

"Hey, I ain't exactly happy about this either," Fefnir said.

"Let me guess. Fefnir applied his own unique tech expertise?" Z said. J nodded, looking like he was coming close to tears.

"That computer was so young!" he exclaimed. "We just installed it two days ago!" Z sighed.

"You boys and your tech," she said. "So, what's the problem, Feffy?" Z asked, addressing Fefnir with the nickname Alouette used for him. Fefnir gave a "Tch" at the nickname, but otherwise said nothing about it.

"We're in some deep trouble. Zero's gone missing, Harpuiea's busted up bad, and Levi…well…Leviathan's been kidnapped. But the problem is, we don't know who it is. He…looked like Max, but with blonde hair instead of brown."

"Zone Double?" J asked, suddenly focused on the conversation. Z nodded.

"Wouldn't be surprising. Just because we don't see them doesn't mean we don't have any ourselves. But…where's ZS at then?"

"Dunno. Like I said, he's gone missing. Ciel's pretty worried about him, but she's still staying strong for her troops. But I don't know how much more that can last. We've had a lot of casualties recently. Top officers are disappearing, soldiers are suddenly dying, and then there's…the Night."

"The Night?"

"The Night. We don't know who he or she is, but recently, the Night has claimed almost every single death and kidnapping that's happened in the military. They were good enough to leave Harpuiea so busted up, Harp's not getting out for six months. Intensive care. We think we might know what happened to Levi, but it's still speculation at this point. I'm the only one still in working condition at this point and…it's not easy, I'll tell you that much. Ciel's holding me off the front lines in case the same thing happens to me."

"And you're here for help," Z said.

"Yeah. Anyone you can spare."

"Alright…Max isn't back yet, is he?" J shook his head no. "Well…I don't know what we can do right now." Z looked back at Fefnir, her eyes widening. Fefnir was actually on his knees, bowing.

"Please," he said. "You don't know how hard this is for me, but for Zero, Harp, Ciel, and Levi, I'll do anything at this point. Anything at all to keep them safe and sound." He looked up as Z knelt down, putting her hand on his, smiling.

"Alright, Feffy," she said, nodding. "We'll help you." She stood up, turning to J. "Call Grey, Ashe, Zero, Axl, and Bud. They have a mission." J nodded, saluting.

* * *

**Short chapter, I know, but I'm still working out a few details of this mission. But it'll be good…I think…no, it will definitely be good. Please Review.**


	102. MMZ Mission Part I

**MMZ Mission Part I**

"Wow," Tenshi Zero said, looking around the city. They had just transported there with Fefnir and it looked like a very large army had rolled through.

"This is just the inner limits," Fefnir said, walking forward. "The outer limits of the city…well, this is like a paradise compared to how things are there. We managed to get a barrier up separating the two limits, bringing in everyone from the outer limits in order to create a minefield outside the barrier. So far, its kept the unknown enemy and the Night out, but their soldiers…their soldiers are slightly more determined. All outdated reploid models, missing mavericks now coming back into the open, even the old Pantheon divisions, all coming out of the woodworks to aid whoever the hell is running the show."

"That doesn't sound very reassuring," Tomari Axl said. "Uh, where are we going, by the way?"

"Right here," Fefnir answered, kicking a STOP sign. The ground beneath the group rumbled and began moving down, revealing its true purpose of being an elevator. They continued down, looking around at the levels of the base, technicians, soldiers, and even civilian volunteers running back and forth, carrying items, children, or pushing carts. When they stopped at the bottom, Fefnir led them through a large door. "Fighting Fefnir, reporting for duty, sir!" Fefnir snapped to attention, his posture military perfection. A man with long blonde hair turned around, a helmet covering half of his face.

"At ease, soldier," the man said. He acknowledged the group of people behind Fefnir. "And this?"

"Those are the people I told you about, Elpizo," Ciel said from behind him. He turned around, saluting. "Thank you for coming," she said, now addressing the small group who had accompanied Fefnir.

"Not a problem, Ciel," Grey said, stepping forward. "Just tell us where to go and what to do and it'll get done." Ciel smiled, nodding.

"I have no doubt of that, Grey. But you _did _just get here. Elpizo, would you be so kind as to give them a tour of the areas that'll be of utmost importance during their stay?"

"Of course, miss Ciel," Elpizo replied.

"And what shall I do, commander?" Fefnir asked, once more at attention.

"Fefnir, please, just Ciel. I don't like that title very much," Ciel said, Fefnir relaxing.

"Good. 'Cause I really hate standing at attention," he replied, cracking his back. "I was made for fighting, not being a perfect soldier. Not that that's a bad thing," Fefnir added quickly after Elpizo gave a 'Harumph' of indignity.

"Well, if you'll all follow me, I shall show you through the complex," Elpizo said, turning away from Fefnir.

"Wait, one question," Ashe said. "You said that the guy you saw looked like Max, but with blonde hair, right?"

"Yes," Ciel replied. "After spending time with your team, I was able to create some of those Zone Energy scanners here from memory. Their Zone Energy is nearly perfectly in sync."

The reploids and humans looked at each other before turning back to Ciel, Elpizo, and Fefnir. "Alright, that's all we needed to know," Ashe said. _Damn it. Wherever Max sent that Zaxlew guy, it wasn't enough to hold him there for long._

"So, shall we begin?" Elpizo said.

* * *

"Okay, let's take a look," Max said, stepping back from the three-dimensional projection, showing recordings of when DaiRyuuseiKnight had tested the team. He stopped it on the part where he had used Frozen World on Max, but he wasn't sure why he was taking a sudden interest in DaiRyuuseiKnight's techniques. He was holding the crystal in his hand, flexing his fingers, building and releasing his Zone Energy in small bursts in his right hand, the crystal glowing in response, as it always did. "Hmmm…the way that was released…maybe a super compressed blast of arctic air? Or does super compressed Ultima?" Max continued to study the image, going frame by frame, while still holding the crystal. "Or is there something else to it? And why does it look like Gent's Zone Energy after it hit me?" Max suddenly felt like his hand was numb and he looked to see it encased in ice, the crystal starting to dim. "The fuck?" he exclaimed. "Okay, calm down…let's just melt it," he said, putting his free hand to the block of ice, releasing Flame Zone Energy over it. But the ice remained, puzzling him further. He whacked the hand against the wall, but only succeeded in busting multiple holes into the wall. "Aw, fuck…wait a second…" He studied the image once more, then looked at the crystal. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and reopened them to see the block had grown larger, the crystal glowing and then dimming again. He grinned. "Well, looks like anyone really _can _learn how to use different energies. Just like one can learn Spiral and Zone Energy, one can learn Ultima…but…" He frowned as he looked at his hand. "Aw, shit. Knew I should've asked Dai for a way to get ahold of 'im." He sighed, hanging his head. "Damn you, Ice Ultima. Damn you and your rotten sense of timing." He then looked back at the recording. "And of course, Dai didn't use anything that could have helped me melt this stuff…I wonder if Blaze can help…"

* * *

"And the last place of interest is the mess hall," Elpizo said. "Other than that, there's nothing more that need concern you. Unless you would like to see the nursery. Volunteer some of your time while you're here," he said.

"Well, much as I love kids," Tomari Axl said, "we're only here to stop that Max look-alike and that Night guy you people keep mentioning."

"Ah, yes. Him," Elpizo said. "Tell me, were you aware that Harpuiea, Leviathan, and Fefnir are part of Master X's original Four Generals?"

"Yeah. They told us about it and their brother, Phantom," Bud replied, Taurus nodding.

"And are aware that he was trained in the art of the ninja? To be able to strike from the shadows at any time?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because all of the assassinations, all of the kidnappings, everything the Night has claimed match up with Phantom's techniques, his behaviors, his caution. Everything Phantom had, this Night seems to have. However, I haven't discussed it with miss Ciel and General Fefnir because of…their relationship to those kidnapped, missing, and injured."

"But if you think you know, why not say it?" Ashe asked. Elpizo turned to look at them.

"Well, what right does a dead man have in taking away the one thing they still hold? Faith that their comrade, even if resurrected, would never do this to them?"

"Dead man?"

Elpizo looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought before continuing. "Yes. A dead man. I owe my life to miss Ciel right now. When I first worked with her, I took over command in her place, so that she could focus her time on the Ciel System. I made it a top priority to find Dark Elf and was burned for it. Corrupted by the promise of power, I became an enemy of both miss Ciel's small army and Copy X. I defeated Master X, stuck in a Cyber-Elf form, and broke the Dark Elf's seal. I then learned the cost of that power. I went insane with that power, put down by Zero himself. For a split second, Dark Elf reverted back into the Mother Elf, releasing me from my form as a Cyber-Elf, before my life could truly end. I wandered the world, but somehow miss Ciel found me. My body was found and repaired, my mind and spirit transferred from my Cyber-Elf form back into my original body. And to insure that such an event could not occur again, miss Ciel placed failsafes throughout my body." He looked at his fists, clenching them.

"Are you…angry about that?"

"Angry?" Elpizo repeated. "No, girl. In fact, I love miss Ciel for it. I no longer have to worry about losing myself again when faced with such a responsibility again. I can now control myself. If not for her, I would still be wandering as a Cyber-Elf. I owe her my new life and it shall be spent serving her in whatever she needs. Including this new threat." Elpizo turned away from them, walking. "Now then, if you truly wish to be out of here quickly, follow me to the command center and I shall show you where you can begin your search."

* * *

"Well, I have no idea how the hell you managed this, but I can't help you," Blaze said. He was scratching his head, looking at Max's hand, still encased in ice. "I've never seen ice that couldn't be broken or never melts. This is…just weird. But on the upside, you now have a new weapon, albeit a very crude one," Blaze said, chuckling. Max sighed in resignation.

"I was afraid of this," he said. "You think Katta could maybe use that Shatterpoint technique on this thing?"

"I wouldn't try it," Blaze replied, shaking his head. "The technique targets the weakest point in an object, which the user then channels his or her Zone Energy towards. In this case, the weakest point is your hand and I'm fairly sure even _you _don't have a technique for growing back limbs."

"Damn it. This is just flippin' perfect," Max said, throwing his hands up, Blaze ducking back as the ice almost hit him. "How the hell am I supposed to get this thing off now?"

"I dunno," Blaze said. "Maybe that DaiRyuuseiKnight guy can help?"

"Except I don't know how to get ahold of him," Max said.

"Hmmm, I see," Blaze said. "Well, perhaps…no, wait, that was outlawed in _every _Zone just last year…maybe…no, no, survival rates are in the single digits for that…yeah, I'm stumped. I guess you'll just have to get used to it or hope DaiRyuuseiKnight pays you a visit soon. Otherwise, you're gonna have to get used to Ice Cube around here."

"Ha ha, you're hilarious," Max said, walking out of Blaze's front door.

* * *

"Wow. You weren't kidding when you said that the inner limits look like paradise compared to this," Bud said, now in wave change. Fefnir nodded from up front. All around, building were in shambles, craters all around, ruins smoldering, while the air was filled with smoke.

"Told ya," Fefnir said. "But it could be a lot worse."

"How so?"

"Well, the Night could be here."

"Funny you mention that," a voice said to Fefnir's side. The group turned to look at a figure in the shadows. He stepped forward to reveal that he resembled Ashe and Grey's A-Trans Model P, but his armor was completely black, and the face mask was gone, the helmet replaced by one that had three spikes slicking back. "Hello, brother. It's been awhile."

"Ph…Phantom?" Fefnir stuttered.

"Oh, good, you do remember me," Phantom said. "Poor sis nearly went offline, too, once she realized who I was."

"Phantom, what are you doing?" Fefnir asked.

"What? The kidnappings and what not? Nothing more than missions relayed to me by Zaxlew, direct from Master X," Phantom replied.

"Phantom…how…when…"

"Master X and a man named Kalar revived me. Though Master X now stays in hiding, for fear that you and your little rebellion try to kill him."

"Wait…X? Phantom, Copy X has been dead for almost two years now," Fefnir said, jumping back as Phantom threw a shuriken at him.

"Quiet!" Phantom barked. "How dare you speak of Master X in such a way?"

"Hey, hang on now," Bud said. "The X you know _is _dead. I saw the recordings from ZS's memory myself." Bud looked down as Phantom suddenly appeared under him, a sword stuck in Bud's gut.

"You'll die where you stand for your disrespect," Phantom growled.

"And you just made a mistake in coming within arm's reach," Bud shot back, grabbing Phantom by his shoulders, seemingly unaffected by the sword.

"Uh, Bud?" Grey said as Bud continued to hold Phantom up.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I got a pin stuck in me. Just leave it for now," Bud said, the group sweatdropping as Phantom struggled.

"Release me!" he yelled.

"Oh, shut up," Bud said, slamming his head into Phantom's hard enough to send him temporarily offline. He threw Phantom over his shoulder. "I'll just head back to the base with him."

"I'll come with you," Tomari Axl said, Ashe following him. "You three go on. With that sword in his gut, he'll need back up." Fefnir nodded.

"Alright. Just be careful of the Pantheons and Neo Pantheons. They have a tendency to swarm," Fefnir warned as the groups parted ways. Grey waited until they were just out of site before turning back to the direction they were heading.

"Beast Drive!" His armor changed to his Beast Drive, Tenshi Zero looking at him.

"Why are you just now using that?" he asked.

"Well…I didn't wanna worry sis. I think it scares her that I went berserk last time," he replied. "But I've been practicing every chance I get, when she isn't around. I don't want her worried that I'll lose control."

"Will you?"

"Only if I let Gregar have his way," Grey replied, the eyes on his helmet glowing briefly. "You'll get your turn, alright? But right now, I'm in charge." Grey looked at Tenshi Zero and Fefnir as they stared at him. "Sorry. I didn't tell you that Gregar and I are on speaking terms, did I?"

"No, you didn't. Anyways, which way now, Fefnir?" Tenshi Zero asked. Fefnir jerked his head to the right.

"Down here oughta be the right way," he answered, leading them forward.

"Gregar doesn't think so," Grey replied. "He says he can smell a lot of oil and lubricant down there and hears movements. He thinks it's an ambush. Oh, and he says that we should head north instead. Something about a familiar scent."

"Uh-huh. And did he say what the scent was?"

"He said it's Phantom's. Hey, don't give that look. I'm just telling you what he said. And besides, he does have more acute senses than us," Grey said.

"Well, I suppose we could," Fefnir said. "But if he's wrong and we end up having to backtrack, I'm kicking your ass." Grey gulped.

* * *

**Next chapter should involve some fighting, though whether it's Fefnir versus Grey, I don't know…yet…anyways, Happy New Year! Please Review.**


	103. MMZ Mission Part II

**MMZ Mission Part II**

"Well, Grey?" Fefnir asked. "Which way does Gregar say now?"

"Two degrees west, then a couple more feet to the east after…ten paces," Grey replied. They followed the Cybeast's instructions and came upon a very large, very new fortress.

"Huh…I'll be darned," Fefnir said, scratching the back of his head. "He was right."

"Of course I was right," a low, scratchy voice said. Tenshi Zero and Fefnir turned to see that Grey's eyes had changed to slits, the eyes of the helmet glowing.

"Gregar, I presume?" Tenshi Zero asked.

"Yep," was the reply. Gregar cracked his knuckles. "Alright, let's get to work. The kid's hungry and so am I...even though I can't actually eat, granted…"

* * *

Max sat on a rock, smacking his icy hand on the ground in defeat. "Well, this sucks. Not even Beamer or Blademan could get this thing off," Max said to no one in particular, as he was the only one in the blanket Zone at the moment. He looked behind himself when he heard footsteps, seeing DaiRyuuseiKnight standing behind him. He shook his head, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "_Now _you show up?"

"I was actually only coming for a visit," DaiRyuuseiKnight replied, "but I see you got yourself into some trouble."

"Yeah, and I think I know where it began, too," Max said. "Er, if you could give me a little help?" DaiRyuuseiKnight nodded, holding his hand over Max's ice encased hand, a red and black colored energy slowly forming over the ice. It soon melted and Max looked at his hand. "What was that?"

"Magma Ultima," DaiRyuuseiKnight explained. Max then cried out in surprise, looking at his hand.

"It b-burns!" he exclaimed through gritted teeth, his face contorted in pain. "Ah, son of a bitch, that hurts!" Max bit his lower lip, trying to keep his mind off the burning sensation, but failed. "You know, maybe that ice wasn't all that bad," he said, chuckling before grimacing again. "I am going to fucking kill Proctor now!"

"Proctor?"

"Some mysterious guy who I'm sure did something that made me try to learn how use Ultima." DaiRyuuseiKnight seemed a little surprise at the last part of Max's statement.

"You can work with Ultima?" DaiRyuuseiKnight asked, sounding confused.

"Apparently so," Max replied, still trying to ignore the burning in his hand. He held up the crystal. "But I think I owe this little guy a bit of thanks." He put the crystal in his pocket. "But I'm still gonna beat the tar outta Proctor."

"May I meet this Proctor person?" DaiRyuuseiKnight asked.

"Uh, sure. Just give me a sec to…never mind," Max said as DaiRyuuseiKnight transported them to just in front of Proctor's mansion. He opened his mouth, but then just as quickly shut it. "No, I don't think I wanna know how you knew where to go. Let's just go in." They walked in, looking around.

"Wow," a female voice said. "This place is bigger than I expected." Max turned around to look at the back of a nude woman in her early twenties. He just as quickly turned back around, hiding his blush as best he could, trying to pull up his armor, but finding he couldn't.

"Er, excuse," Max said, still not turning around. "Perhaps you could put some clothes on."

"Oh, damn it, DaiRyuuseiKnight!" the woman exclaimed. After a moment, she said, "Okay, you can turn around now." Max did so, the girl now wearing a pair of blue jeans and a black and white sleeveless tee. She had long, flowing, brown hair with chocolate brown eyes. Her skin had a cream-like tone to it and soft-looking lips.

"Uh, not trying to be rude, but what happened to Dai? Or DaiRyuuseiKnight, as everyone else calls him."

The girl giggled, bowing with a flourish. "You're staring at Dai," she replied, standing up straight once more. She held up the EnergyCellular device. "And _this_ is the actual DaiRyuuseiKnight." Max extended his left hand towards the device, but it went through the it. She shook her head. "Uncle Lan already tried that. Up until he succeeded in touching him. Then he never touched him again. I'm Dai Hinata Hikari, by the way."

"Which explains why you didn't mind me calling you Dai," Max said, scratching the back of his head. "Huh. Never thought that your true form would be a girl…though it does explain how you managed to beat Tenshi Zero. He unconsciously holds back against female. Something about a girl named Iris, I think…anyways, what happened to your armor?"

"Actually, that's a good question," came DaiRyuuseiKnight's voice from the cellular device. "Because I have no idea why I'm back in this thing."

"Perhaps I should explain," Proctor said from behind the two, startling Max, while Dai looked at him in interest. "If you'll follow me to my study, I'll let you in on a few things concerning this mansion."

* * *

"Urhg," Phantom said, holding his head. "Where am I?"

"The underground Guardian Base," Ciel replied, stepping forward. Phantom looked around himself to see he was in an infirmary of sorts, other reploids and humans walking about, looking at wounded, both reploids and humans. "How do you feel?"

"Like…I don't know how to put it…kind of like I just woke up from a long dream. I…remember talking with Master X before Zero's final battle against Omega…and then nothing…"

"Do you remember anything about attacking our people?" Ciel asked.

"Doing what now?"

"I didn't think so. And what of Levi? Do you remember where you took her?"

"Leviathan? What about…wait a second…no, no! That's not…is it?"

"I'm afraid so, Phantom," Elpizo said, revealing himself. "You were revived by a man who goes by the name of Kalar. His subordinate, who our allies have identified as Zaxlew, has been 'relaying' false orders from an allegedly rebuilt Copy X. Rumors of this are still being looked into, but right now, _you _must go and assist Fighting Fefnir and the two he is traveling with to fight Zaxlew. Unfortunately, they are a bit…out of the way…"

"Where?" Elpizo stepped towards a map, his eyes scanning before he pointed his rapier at a point. "That far? I'll never reach them in time!"

"Actually, you will," Harpuia said, walking into the room. "Ciel, have you finished _them_?" Ciel nodded.

"This way," she replied. Phantom stood up, following Harpuia, Elpizo, and Ciel down the hallway. They reached what looked to be a hangar and Phantom gasped. In the hangar were four vehicles, each devoted to a color scheme for each of the four Generals. Phantom noted the black hovercycle looking vehicle, looking at his own armor, which was now black. His vehicle seemed to be a triangle-shaped chassis, two repulsors on each side. He walked over to it, sitting in the seat before leaning forward, hooking his legs up on the pegs, so that his body was parallel to the ground, the seat riding almost right in between the two stabilizing wings. He watched Harpuia walk over to a green jet, jumping into it. The jet reminded him of a small, slimmed down Blackbird-22, chuckling a bit as he remembered an old fart of a Transformer who had called himself Jetfire. Harpuia's seat allowed him to lean back quite a bit, his arms comfortably resting along the sides of the seat, the cockpit closing on him.

"Are we sure these are ready for the combination sequence?" Harpuia asked, his voice projected by an unnoticeable speaker somewhere on the jet.

"Yes, we are. Just remember, you can only combine with Levi's VP, while Phantom's is only compatible with Fefnir's," Ciel replied, cupping her hands over her mouth to be heard.

"Alright. Phantom, go ahead and grab Fefnir's jeep," Harpuia called down. Phantom looked over at the white and red vehicle. It was more of a small tank than a jeep, sporting a small gatling gun, a missile tube, and small radar dish as well, while the chassis was built thick, armor plating all over the jeep. The windshield had been made with a bullet-proof glass, mixed with small bits of metal in between that didn't inhibit the driver's view, but made it easier to dispel energy blasts aimed at the driver. "We'll have to grab Leviathan's if and _when _you remember what you did with her."

"How do I do this?" Phantom asked.

"Hit the red button," Ciel replied. Phantom did so and was shocked as Fefnir's vehicle began to break apart, electric currents jumping between the parts, the chassis and armor plating building itself around Phantom's hovercycle. The wheels of the jeep ended up attaching to the bottom side of the cycle, while the windshield somehow wrapped around Phantom's seat to provide a cockpit like design on the new vehicle. The gatling gun attached itself to the top of the new cockpit, while the missile tube attached itself just beside it, the radar dish now on the very back. The front of the cycle now sported a grill with spikes pointing outward, perfect ramming through objects and enemies. Phantom grinned.

"Oh, I like this," he said. "I _really _like this." Ciel grinned.

"I figured you would. Also, be careful of that green button. In your cycle's normal mode, it'll convert the hovercycle into a motorcycle, changing the entire shape and function of the vehicle. In this form, it'll end up depositing you into an alternate fusion form of yours and Fefnir's vehicles, you being in the passenger seat. Since you can't see it from here, the gatling gun and missile tube are attached to a swivel platform, where Fefnir _would _sit if he were here, providing you with cover fire. As it stands, since no one is on it, they're on automatic targeting, preprogrammed for the current enemies in the opponent's army."

"Er, forgive my ignorance, but what are VP?" Phantom asked.

"Vehicle Phenomenon. These are very special vehicles. They not only are transportation, but they double as fusion armor for each of you." Phantom's eyes widened.

"Seriously?" Ciel nodded. Phantom then nodded back, setting his eyes straight forward. "Alright. Time for some payback, you bastard."

* * *

"Wow," Max said, drinking hot chocolate. "I never would have guessed."

"Yes, well, this mansion is very special. No one, other than the one who holds the title Proctor, may use any type of armor when in this building," Proctor said. "Which is why the young lady regained control. Although I probably should have warned you last time you were here," Proctor added.

"Yes, well, now that I remember what we discussed last time, explain how I'm able to…uh, work with Ultima," Max said, casting a sidelong glance at Dai, who was exploring the study with DaiRyuuseiKnight.

"It's quite simple, my boy," Proctor replied. "Ultima is almost like a living organism. You don't use it. It chooses you. Miss Dai here is a very lucky lady, being chosen as a vessel through which Ultima flows. _You _were fortunate to find the crystal, which seems to have taken a liking to you." Max tossed the crystal towards Proctor, who simply watched it return to Max's hand. "Which is why it only works for you. If I'm not mistaken, Miss Dai, you aren't able to touch this crystal, much like Max cannot touch DaiRyuuseiKnight's true form."

"Wanna bet?" Dai asked. She held her hand out for the crystal, but it evaded her grasp, floating just out of reach as she made a grab for it. Max caught it as it returned, holding it out for Dai to try and touch. But her hand passed through the crystal, though it seemed to stop at the center for a few seconds. "Weird. I've never been around Ultima that rejected me before."

"That's probably because it only likes Max. Though it does seem willing to protect those close to him and those beings he considers allies," Proctor said, nodding at her statement. "Though not unexpected. Unfortunately, this is all that I really know of Ultima. Tan'ya is the foremost expert, next to you and DaiRyuuseiKnight, of course. Well, as far as I know, at least. Actually, since you two are here, perhaps you could help me to expand my library on Ultima." He opened a drawer, pulling out a small notebook, opening it to the first page, which had writing on it. He flipped to the second and third pages, which were full of diagrams and writing, but after that, the book was blank. "This small library is the result of generations of Proctors adding their knowledge. But this book is the work of my very first predecessor, Palkia-sama's first disciple. He spent the last thirty years of his life devoted to understanding Ultima energy. And this is all he has to show for it. If only he had known Tan'ya. Then I have no doubt that this notebook would be near full."

"And what is it that you need?" DaiRyuuseiKnight asked.

"Only information. The role of a Proctor includes data collection. And future generations of my family may never have this chance again. I implore to consider helping me, if only for the sake of putting my mind at ease." Dai thought about it before nodding.

"If you have some candy, then I'll help you," she said. Proctor smiled, nodding.

"For some reason, I expected that," Proctor said. He turned around, gesturing for her and DaiRyuuseiKnight to follow him. "Max, I would suggest you take a look on that shelf over there," Proctor said, pointing at the shelf he was talking about. "There are some techniques and sword forms you may be interested in. There's even a book on the theory of the Portal Sword and its training techniques, if you wish to borrow that for a time, as well as covering the Shatterpoint technique developed by Tan'ya. That one was written by my most recent predecessor."

* * *

"Oi, Harp," Phantom said, speaking into the comm. system in his vehicle. "What have I missed since Zero's fight with Omega?"

"Oh…well…you missed Ragnarok," Harpuia answered. "Dr. Weil's doing on that. We three remaining Generals nearly died in the after explosion, but we were caught up in a Zone Portal that ended up dropping us off in Area Zero. Other than that, you're up to speed."

"Never were great with details, huh," Phantom said, more a statement than a question. "So, what's the plan here?"

"Get to them in time, Phantom," Harpuia replied. "That's all we can do at this point." Phantom nodded, even though Harpuia couldn't have seen it, being above Phantom. Then, to make up for lost time, he made faces at Harpuia's jet. "I saw that, Phantom."

"Saw what?" Phantom asked innocently.

"The comm. systems come equipped with video," Harpuia replied. "Hit the small blue button." Phantom did so, a screen popping up to reveal Harpuia's disapproving face.

"Aw, did I embarrass you, brother?"

"Don't make me come down there."

* * *

**I own the VP of the four Generals. Please Review.**


	104. MMZ Mission Part III

**MMZ Mission Part III**

Gregar leaped into the crowd of blue robots with a single red optic, the Pantheon units Ciel had warned them of. He seemed to be smiling as he tore into them, Tenshi Zero and Fefnir watching, both with very large sweatdrops. "I enjoy fighting as much as the next guy, but that's just ridiculous," Fefnir said. Tenshi Zero nodded in agreement.

"Hey, you guys comin' or what?" Gregar called back, punching his fist straight through a Pantheon unit's head, pulling it back out with the optic in his hand, wires trailing off the optic.

"Gangway!" Tenshi Zero and Fefnir jumped to either side as Phantom came up, coming to a full stop. "Good. We managed to catch up." The four watched as Harpuia came in with his jet, landing it as if he had flown it all his life. "Hang on a sec." Phantom hit the red button he had hit earlier, his vehicle separating from Fefnir's, Fefnir grinning and rubbing his hands together.

"I take it you got our call in time," Harpuia said from his cockpit.

"Yeah," Fefnir said, walking over to Phantom, clapping him on his back. "Good to have you back, brother." Phantom nodded.

"Good to be back," was his reply. "So, which of you fellas gets to ride with Harpuia?"

"I will," Gregar said, jumping onto the back of the jet.

"Zero, hop up on top. You've got weapons duty," Fefnir said, stepping into the cab of his jeep. Tenshi Zero nodded, easily jumping up onto the weapons platform, taking a seat, targeting systems lighting up as the seat registered that there was something on it.

"Let's see here," Tenshi Zero said, grabbing the controls, which looked like joysticks with simple red triggers on them, plus a one or two extra buttons on each. He pushed them to the right, the platform swiveling accordingly and he nodded in satisfaction. He moved the left indepently from the right, the gatling gun following the movement, then tried the right one, the missile tube following that one.

"Hey, before we get going, how do these things fuse to us?" Phantom asked, Fefnir looking to Harpuia, who sighed.

"The Fusion Phenomenon. Remember our Armored Phenomenon? Ciel managed to isolate that set of circuits in us, building vehicles based around a similar principle. Each vehicle is linked to a certain General, but any of us can pilot all of the vehicles. But we can only fuse with one specific vehicle apiece. Ciel was able to complete the linkup between you and your Vehicle while you were unconscious at the base," Harpuia explained. Phantom nodded.

"Then I'll just follow your guys' examples when it comes time to use them," Phantom said.

* * *

"Hmmm…" Max was looking through the book that talked about the Portal Sword. He flipped the page. "Wow…I didn't think that was even possible…but it does look painful…"

"Thank you, Miss Dai," Proctor said, Max looking up as the three walked into the study. "I am in your debt." Dai shook her head, giggling.

"No, it's okay, really," she said.

"Nevertheless, if you ever find yourself in need of my services, please do not hesitate to ask," Proctor said. He looked at Max and the book in his hand. "So, have you found that book to be of any use?"

"A bit," Max replied. He held his left arm out, his hand perfectly straight. "Even managed to learn how to do this." He channeled his Zone Energy through his arm and out his hand, a Portal Sword extending from his hand, but stopping just short of its full length. He then released it very quickly, gritting his teeth. "Hurts like hell, though."

"Which is why it was only used as an exercise," Proctor said, walking over to Max and pointing to a sentence under a diagram of a human arm, a Portal Sword extending from it. He then took a look at the other diagram on the page, a Portal Sword appearing from the shoulder of someone. "Ah, yes, the full body piercing armor. Not exactly something Portal Sword users find enjoyable. However, it has been used only once in known history."

"I can see why," Max said, flipping to the next page. "Described as the most painful experience in his life. Only to be used as a last resort."

"Well, I believe that is all the time I have for today," Proctor said. "If you two would be so kind as to show yourselves to the door, I must be off. A meeting to get to."

"Well, I guess I better get back to the HQ then," Max said.

"I'll come with you," Dai said. Max nodded.

"But, uh, mind if _I _do the transporting this time?" Max asked. "There's one quick stop to make."

"Oh?"

"Er, Blademan kinda had a run in with your Uncle Lan," Max said. "He's apparently been taping both teams and sending them into ZFHV as entries."

"ZFHV?"

"Zones' Funniest Home Videos. He was apparently going to collect the tapes and Lan discovered him…Cossak is trying to fix his leg, but it's slow going." Dai nodded, giggling.

"Ah, that show! Will's been showing it to everyone."

* * *

"Alright, how do we do this?" Phantom asked. Behind them was a small swath of destruction. Tenshi Zero jumped down from the weapons platform on Fefnir's jeep, surveying the damage. He pointed to the right.

"I think those are my kills," he said.

"No way, those are the ones _I _ran over," Fefnir said from inside his jeep. Gregar jumped down from Harpuia's jet to join them.

"Phantom, this is probably the easiest part of the Fusion Phenomenon," Harpuia said from his jet. "Fusion Sequence, begin!" Harpuia's jet fell apart, reforming as new armor for him. The wings were now attached to his jet pack, while the chassis rebuilt itself as enhanced armor. His chest now sported a dark green chestplate, his legs sporting new heavy duty shin guards, forearm guards and shoulder guards matching the color of the rest of the armor. His helmet now sported the windshield, which had somehow shrunk to fit as a visor, small writing noticeable in it, which Phantom assumed was a HUD. The actual propulsion units of the jet were attached to his jetpack as well, while what looked like hydraulics were now attached attached at various points around his body. Phantom tilted his head and pointed at the hydraulic-like lines. "Those are to help us move in the armor. You'll be the only without them due to how light your vehicle actually is."

"Fusion Sequence, begin!" Fefnir declared. When his was done, his armor also sported the hydraulic-like lines. The wheels were now attached to his feet, almost like skates, two wheels to each foot. The gatling gun and missile tube had also somehow shrunk, the gun on his left shoulder, the tube on his right. His armor was thicker and bulkier than Harpuia's, but just as easy to move in, save for the torso, which he couldn't bend. His helmet also sported his windshield, which also held what Phantom was sure was a HUD now, the radar breaking up into pieces to attach at various points on the helmet. Fefnir grinned, relishing the weight of the armor. He moved his legs like he was skating, feeling how easy it was to move now. "Heh heh. This is gonna be fun!" Gregar watched all of this, his finger on his chin.

"Awww….I want some VP and FP armor now…" he whined.

"Sorry, kid, Guardians and Generals only," Fefnir said, smirking.

"So…it's really that easy?" Phantom asked. Harpuia nodded. "Alright, here goes. Fusion Sequence, begin!" Phantom barked. The cycle seemed to fold up on him, unlike the other sequences, before actually coming apart. The repulsors were now on his limbs, one for each, while the wings had come apart, attaching themselves to his body as individual pieces of armor. The screen that had been in front of the seat now acted as a HUD in a visor that had suddenly sprouted from the top of his helmet, on which sat the very tips of both wings, following the shape of the spikes on his helmet. His legs and arms had very light armor on them, his torso sporting a single chestplate and layered armor plates over his abdomen, allowing for quick movement. All of the armor was pitch black, perfect for one who fought from the shadows. The armor even allowed for his scarf to still have free movement, but after some thought, he took it off, wrapping it around his waist for now. He then took stock of just how nonexistent the armor felt. "Hey, how much can this armor withstand?"

"Quite a bit," Ciel replied, startling Phantom. He looked at the HUD to see a small viewing screen, Ciel's face present in the screen. "Good to see it worked. Now that you've all gotten there, we need to figure out how you're getting in."

"Oh, I have a few ideas," Fefnir said, smirking. He stepped back before the wheels began to rotate, screeching as they built up speed, but somehow, Fefnir managed to stay in place. He then shot forward, lowering his shoulder at the wall and broke through it without any noticeable trouble.

"Well, that's one way," Ciel observed. "But there was an entrance to the left of the new hole that you could have used." Fefnir looked to see the door.

"Oh…oh, shit," he said as alarms began to go off, the others sighing.

"Oh, well," Tenshi Zero said, drawing his Z Saber. Gregar cracked his knuckles, smiling.

"Alright. Time to crack some more skulls," he said, laughing in glee.

"We were going to have to fight sooner or later," Harpuia commented, while Phantom pulled out a katana from the armor on his back. He noticed that the place he had gotten it from was the edge of the left wing.

"Note to self," Phantom said as they walked forward. "Keep in mind the sheath on the back."

* * *

"Oi, I'm back," Max called out. Z came out to greet him, hugging him. She then noticed Dai.

"And who did you bring with you?" Z asked.

"Z, this is Dai Hinata Hikari," Max replied. "Er, DaiRyuuseiKnight to everyone else on the team." Z looked from Dai to Max and back again, then giggled.

"I had a feeling it would be a female," she said, walking up to Dai. "It's a pleasure to meet you, again, Dai." Dai smiled.

"Likewise, Z," Dai replied.

"But I can't wait to see the look on Tenshi Zero's face when he learns about this," Z said. "And poor Tomari Axl." Max tried to hold back his snort, but failed.

"Actually, I'm wondering how Lan and Megaman are gonna take it," Max said, leaning against the wall.

* * *

Phantom dropped down on the Neo Pantheon unit that had walked under him, using his katana to slice out its CPU. He looked to his team, giving them a three-tone whistle. They turned around, having acted as bait for the Neo Pantheon unit, hurrying forward. "Okay, they've obviously not thought about having high security here," Phantom said. "And from what little I can remember, they check in every fifteen minutes. This guy just got off the line about two minutes ago, giving us a thirteen minute window before they sound the alarm again."

"Then let's get moving," Harpuia said.

"If I might be so bold, I suggest we go straight up," Gregar said, pointing towards the ceiling. "Fefnir, you start shooting straight up, while the other three go through the holes. You and I will keep down here safe, since these guys'll probably swarm _us_, not knowing about the others. Good idea, no?"

"It has its merits," Harpuia replied. He looked at Tenshi Zero. "But can you make it up there." Tenshi Zero looked at him before his wings sprouted from his back. "That'll do." He then looked to Fefnir. "Alright, light 'em up, brother."

Fefnir grinned, aiming the gun and tube up. "With pleasure," Fefnir said. He fired both off, tearing through the upper levels like they were nothing more than paper. Harpuia, Tenshi Zero, and Phantom took off, Phantom jumping up and using the repulsors in short bursts to get a few more feet from each jump. He stopped once they were all through, looking around to see Gregar had disappeared. "Oi, where'd ya go, Gregar?" He heard a 'shush' sound and looked up to see Gregar hanging onto the ceiling.

"Get into the shadows," Gregar said. "We're about to have some company. Element of surprise is still ours, since they don't yet know we're the only ones down here."

Fefnir smirked. "Hang on," he said, his hand digging into a small hidden compartment in his armor. He pulled out some Claymores and grenades. He tossed the claymores down the hall, while creating a makeshift trip line with some wiring, attaching one end to a grenade pin, setting them up on the other side of the hall. Fefnir then stepped back into the shadows, just under Gregar's hiding spot. "Get ready for some fireworks, Gregar. And ya might want these." He tossed up a pair of earplugs, Gregar snatching them out of the air with one hand, putting them in with the same hand.

"And now we wait," Gregar said.

* * *

**Yes, I'm going to put you at a cliff hanger. I'm not evil, just feeling a little tired at this point. And then school starts tomorrow…man, where did the break go? Please Review.**


	105. MMZ Mission Part IV

**MMZ Mission Part IV**

Gregar grunted, his limbs becoming sore. They had been waiting for twenty minutes and still nothing. "Picking anything up on that radar?" he asked.

Fefnir looked up, shaking his head. "Not even a bug," he replied. "This is just weird."

Gregar dropped down to all fours, standing up to stretch his limbs. "Perhaps we should make some noise of our own, then," he said. He went back on all fours, a growl building in his throat before the helmet seemed to open, Gregar's mouth opening with it, shockwaves of energy and sound released. It set off all the claymores and grenades, as well knocking out a few walls. He stood back up, smirking. "If that didn't get their attention, nothing will."

* * *

Tenshi Zero, Harpuia, and Phantom leaned against the wall as the fortress shook. "The hell was that?" Tenshi Zero asked. Harpuia and Phantom shrugged. Tenshi Zero shook his head. "Oh well. Let's just keep moving." They continued down the hall, now on the very top floor. Soon, they arrived in a very large chamber. "What is it with Kalar and big rooms?"

"All the better for fighting," a voice called from the far side. Zaxlew stepped out of the shadows, his signature sneer present on his face. "So, they sent you weaklings?" He snorted, running his hand through his hair. "And here I was hoping my double would be able to make it." He turned around. "Aw, well. I'll just leave you to Copy, I suppose. But, on the off chance you somehow manage to survive, tell my double that he had better be there next time. Oh, and please thank him for me. I had been away from home for so long, I almost forgot how screwed up my childhood was." As Zaxlew walked back into the shadows, he raised his left hand, snapping his fingers. The fortress began to rumble again and a reploid looking like X before his time in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber came out of a door to their right.

"So, this is the bastard who sent me orders," Phantom said. He looked at Tenshi Zero and Harpuia. "Let me take him. You two work on getting back our Zero and Levi."

"Alright," Harpuia said, putting his hand on Phantom's shoulder. "But if you don't come back this time, Fefnir'll probably kick your ass." Phantom smiled, nodding.

"Deal, brother," Phantom said, clapping his own hand over Harpuia's. Harpuia and Tenshi Zero hurried out, Phantom turning to Copy X. "And now, time to deal with you," Phantom said, drawing two katanas this time. He chuckled to himself. "Maybe I should've invested in that third sword," he said to himself before rushing Copy X.

* * *

Tenshi Zero and Harpuia continued running down the hall, coming to a fork. "You take left, I take right," Tenshi Zero said. Harpuia nodded, this time using his jetpack to move much faster. Tenshi Zero simply sliced doors off their hinges as he ran, stopping halfway down the hall, ZS in the room, chained to the wall. Tenshi Zero ran in, cutting his bonds, ZS collapsing to the floor. Tenshi Zero reached into the canister that Ciel had given him earlier, pulling out a small blue crystal. "This E-Crystal had better work, because I am not lugging this guy around," Tenshi Zero said, dropping the crystal down ZS's gullet. ZS's eyes snapped open as the circuitry on his helmet glowed for a few seconds. He was then up, looking around.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"Right now, in the enemy's fortress," Tenshi Zero replied. "But I'll have to explain later. Help me and Harpuia find Leviathan." ZS nodded, running down the hall with Tenshi Zero. They came to a bend and saw Harpuia coming from the other end. They met in front of the last door in the entire hallway, noises coming from inside. They all nodded to each other, planting their feet into the door to knock it down. Inside was Leviathan, lying on a table, while what looked like a Pantheon unit holding a buzzsaw was looking up at them. Harpuia's expression became one of rage as he grabbed the Pantheon unit by the head, throwing him into the hall outside and 'cleaned house' while ZS and Tenshi Zero helped Leviathan out of her bonds. They walked outside to see Harpuia grinding his heel on the Pantheon unit's CPU, grinning.

"No one touches my sister," he said, spitting on the remains of the Pantheon unit, looking up at the three incredulous faces. "What?"

Tenshi Zero shook his head. "Let's…let's just get back to Phantom."

* * *

"Pathetic," Phantom said, leaning against a single katana, the other one sheathed. He looked at the shell of Copy X, his optics no longer glowing. He picked up the katana, sheathing it. "You aren't even worthy of the name Copy X, much less Master X." He kicked the shell, nodding in satisfaction as he heard a crunching sound. He looked up as he heard the heavy footsteps of a group running to see the four reploids coming towards him. "What took you so long?"

"Oh, shut up," Tenshi Zero said. "Alright, time to go back down the hole," he said. "Apologies for this in advance, but time is of the essence right now," he said, picking Leviathan up bridle-style, while she gave an "Eep!" of surprise, while Phantom physically restrained Harpuia from jumping on Tenshi Zero. They all ran towards the hole, Tenshi Zero going first, Leviathan holding on for dear life as Tenshi Zero decided to free fall the entire way. When they reached the bottom, Tenshi Zero sweatdropped at the scene, the others landing.

"No, I had the most kills," Gregar said.

"As if," Fefnir said, brushing his finger across his nose. "We both know I had the most." The two were sitting on a pile of Pantheon and Neo Pantheon units. A Pantheon came from the corner of the hall, just as quickly turning around as he saw the group and the pile.

"Mine!" Gregar and Fefnir both called out, chasing after the unit. Everyone sweatdropped this time, Leviathan still in Tenshi Zero's arms.

"Um, do you plan on putting me down anytime soon?" Leviathan asked. "Not that I mind. Being carried is better than having to walk."

* * *

"Look, I'm tellin' ya, I had more kills," Gregar said. They had reached the base and Gregar had given Grey control once more. Grey had figured out how to give Gregar a physical body, which was exactly like all of the other Cybeast Gregars, though this body was the size of an actual wolf. He and Fefnir were still arguing over who had the most kills, and quite frankly, everyone was getting sick of it.

"Look, add up the ones I ran over," Fefnir said.

"Hey, don't forget the ones I nailed as we were still walking there," Gregar shot back.

"Oh, make it stop," Ashe groaned, a normal falcon sized Falzar sitting beside her on the bench.

"Brother, would you please shut up," Falzar said to Gregar, who growled at her. "Don't make me come over there!"

"Oh, like you scare me," Gregar replied. Grey and Ashe groaned.

"All three of you, just shut up!" Grey and Ashe yelled, to which the three in question replied by doing just that.

"Well, Max said that he's got someone he wants us to meet when we get back," Tenshi Zero said, walking into the room with Bud, Taurus, and Tomari Axl in tow. "So get ready to go back."

* * *

"Oh, good, you guys are back," Max said as the six walked in, plus Model A, Gregar, and Falzar. "Guys, this is Dai Hinata Hikari," he said, gesturing to Dai. "Also known as DaiRyuuseiKnight, who is actually stuck in the EnergyCellular."

"Hi," DaiRyuuseiKnight said, while Dai giggled as the group's jaws dropped at the same time, Model A falling to the ground. Max gave Z five dollars.

"Told ya so," she said, laughing. Max nodded, smiling.

"But it was worth it," he said. "And poor Lan and Megaman are still in their room trying to absorb the info."

"I still don't know why the others were so surprised," Maylu said, Roll nodding in agreement.

"And why aren't you girls?" Max asked.

"Women's intuition," all of the girls, which included Kassie, Luna Rena, Eva, Z, Roll, Maylu, Lyra, Sonia, Iridesca, but excluding Ashe and Falzar, all replied.

"Oi, has Kishi even woken up yet?" Max pondered. Talina walked in at that moment.

"Nope. Sage is still out, as well," she said. "Protoman and…well, actually, just Protoman is still thinking about it. Greymon's decided to eat more pretzel logs."

"Uh, Tenshi Zero? You still in there, buddy?" Gregar asked, the first of the group to recover from his initial shock, while Grey shook his head, still processing the surprise. Gregar walked up to Tenshi Zero. "I think we just lost him and Bud."

"Oh, we definitely lost Bud," Taurus said, waving his hand in front of Bud's face. "What about Geo and Omega-xis?"

"Geo's okay, but Omega-xis is literally beating his head against the wall," Dai replied, laughing. "Well, it's been fun, but I've gotta go," Dai replied.

"Alright," Max said. "See ya around, Dai."

* * *

**Anticlimatic, I know, but this is what I like to call my lazy chapter, which, if you look at the story, I have maybe one each month. I've decided to go ahead and use that lazy chapter a month now, get it out of the way. Please Review.**


	106. Meet Team Ryuusei

**Okay, I've decided to try my hand at an anime opening. Let me know what you think.**

* * *

**Sailing my sea! Yeah-Never say die Gotta go! Go!**

***Camera scrolls from a desert to the sky, the words Return to the Zones in large letters, a Zone Portal appearing in the O of the Zones***

**Asu e no chizu hirogete Issho ni ikou ze Go along along (Unfold the map to tomorrow, let's go together, Go along along)**

***The camera zooms in towards the Zone Portal, fading to white before fading back in to reveal Max and his original team standing in front of the HQ***

**Bouenkyou de nozokeba Michinaru minato e Go along along (If you peek through the telescope, head to the unknown harbor, Go along along)**

***Camera zooms in through the door, running along the hallways, passing Max's team in rooms, Tenshi Zero and Ultimate X sparring, while Eva and Luna Rena cook, Kassie setting the large table in the next room, the camera moving onto the other rooms to show the rest of the team doing their own activities***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Sono te de kaji o tore (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Take the helm with your hands)**

***Scene changes to Max and his team looking out at the sunset on top of the building before cutting to Ryuu and Team Ryuusei on the other side of the HQ, staring at a rising sun, and changes again to show both teams at once, facing opposite directions***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Yoake no umi e to fune o dase (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Sail out to the sea of dawn)**

***Max and Ryuu look at each other, smirking, before the scene changes to Beamer's restaurant, where Lan, Netto, and Ryuu are in a curry eating contest, Ryuu in the lead, while both teams cheer them on, Beamer laughing, Rayne and Komatsu in chef outfits, while J.T. can be seen through the kitchen window trying to put out a fire, Meda slapping at the flames with his apron***

**Seiipai Hareryuuya Ima da go o age Nakama to tomo ni (With all your might, hallelujah- Now raise the sails together with your friends)**

***Scene changes to Tan'ya watching Kent practicing his technique in Sync Merge, Moon staring in silence, while Sonic X is in the background, talking with Rockman and Megaman, Lyra and Harp bopping Omega-Xis and WarRock on the head as the two start fighting in the background just behind Sonic X, who gets caught up in the fight, separating the two***

**Kaisei no sora no shita Yume to iu na no daikoukai e (Underneath the fine weathered sky, head to the great voyage named 'dream')**

***Scene change to Will and Kassie walking through the mall, Cyber, Sonic X, Roll, and Megaman with them, Cyber and Sonic X pushing a stroller each, Volt in Cyber's, Jazz in Sonic X's, while Chaud, Protoman, and Greymon are in a sword store, browsing through. Geo and Subaru walk into the frame with the latter three, Geo holding up a Buster Blade, pointing at it, while the other four shake their heads***

**Koerarenai mono wa nai Kaze o ayatsuri Doko made demo jiyuu ni yukeru (Nothing is unsurpassable; control the wind and freely go anywhere)**

***Scene changes to DaiRyuuseiKnight, back to camera as Ashe and Grey sit beside him, Gregar sitting beside Grey, Falzar sitting on Ashe's shoulder, Model A floating over DaiRyuuseiKnight, while all six look at the stars. The camera pans out to reveal Ace, Ash, and Pandora to the left of the group, also watching the stars, while Yuck and Kevin slept on either side of a nearby tree, Ben sitting on a branch at the top of the tree, Gwen on a Mana platform***

**Leap on Leap on sora o miro umi o miro somatta isshoku no ao (Leap on Leap on, look at the sky, look at the sea, Dyed in one color of blue)**

***Camera pans away from the group, Katta coming on screen, laying down by a small pond, a fishing pole set up beside him, while Blaze, Tarn, and Tara sit around a campfire, fish rotating on a stake over the fire, Kent's mouth watering. Camera pans a little farther to the right to reveal Hub and Mirajane sitting on the other side of Tara, joining in the conversation the three councilors are having, all laughing as Katta was yanked into the pond as he grabbed the pole, Katta resurfacing, spitting out pond water, a four foot long fish on his pole, Katta's fingers in V for victory***

**Shirani mono to ka Motto shiritai kara Go! Go! Shukkou (Because you want to know more about unknown things and, Go! Go! Depart)**

***Scene changes to J, Sasuke, and Will in the lab, trying to explain certain parts to Hub, whose eyes are spinning, while Jen and Z stand nearby, giggling as the Tech Trio soon gave up, Shinobi running down the hall as a blue laser followed him, the camera going out the door and down the hall to reveal the holo-Palkia roaring, Kyuubi and Rockman revealed to be the ones at the panel, rolling on the floor, holding their sides and crying as they laughed, the camera panning to reveal Eggman and Tails on the other side of the room, looking in wonder through the circuitry that made up the holo-Palkia***

**Nenryou tnaku mantan Mawasu igunisshonKaji to konhineeshon Nami to sesson (Fuel tank full, ignition spinning combination with the helm, session with the waves)**

***Scene change to Dai laughing at Ryuu, who's caught in a large pile of tape, Max trying to help him, while Blademan tapes it, laughing, when Ryuu's shadows extends its hands, Blademan yelping in fear and running, Max now laughing as his friend ran around the room, even on the walls and ceiling, as he tried to escape the hands, Dai now helping her uncle, but still laughing, Ryuu's shadow hands breaking Blademan's camera and then the camera the tape entangling Ryuu came from***

**Agero tensshon Kaizu hirogete adobenchaa Denjaa kugurinukete Ooshan rainaa (Raise the tension, unfold the map, it's an adventure Escape through the danger, ocean liner)**

***Scene change to Sonic X and Viral looking at a diagram, then looking at a small sculpture, turning the diagram every which way as they tried to figure out what it was supposed to look like, when Cyber appears, turning the diagram the correct way and the two looked from it to the sculpture, nodding, while Sonic X kissed Cyber before turning to look behind himself to see an angry Terios Shadow with a shotgun, flames of rage in his eyes as he gave chase to the blue netnavi. Scene change to Misora and Sonia with Lyra and Harp, all four enjoying milkshakes, when Sonic X came into the shot, jumping the table, Terios Shadow not far behind, the four females watching the scene with faces of amazement***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Atarashii ashita e (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Head to a new tomorrow)**

***Scene change to Kenjirou and Marcus with the Xros Heart Army, Nene, Knightmon, Taiki, and Agumon X beside them, watching with interest as Beamer and Bass fought each other in the Blanket Zone, craters everywhere, while the rest of the Hunter Eradication Army stood nearby, cheering on Bass, while Omega-Xis/WarRock, Tenshi Zero, Tomari Axl, and Megaman cheered on Beamer, Shinobi wearing a booky hat as he took bets from those gathered, Gent and Addy there as well, Addy holding Gent's ear, pulling him away from the betting booth, Blaze watching with a sweatdrop before placing his own bet, Solo in the background with Laplace, watching everything happening***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Suiheisen no mukougawa e (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Head to the other side of the horizon)**

***Scene change to Max laying in a field looking up at the stars, Geo, Subaru, and Ben with him, all four in a circle with their heads on the inside of the circle, their eyes widening as Zaxlew appeared above them, Zaxlew shooting Max the finger before disappearing in a Negative Zone Portal, an image of Kalar fading into view, switching places with the four stargazers, the camera panning around to reveal Kalar was watching the creation of Rampage's new body, while Lockdown stands nearby, Rampage's Spark held in his hand in a container, Lockdown smirking as he saw the weapons being added to Rampage's new body***

**Yeah – Never say die Gotta go! Go! Go! Go! (Yeah - Never say die Gotta go! Go! Go! Go!)**

***Scene change to the Ground City Arcade, Bud, Taurus, Scar, and Jing all sitting in the seats of a car game, Wily watching nearby, while on the screen, it shows Taurus in the lead, Scar a close second, Bud in third, and Jing in fourth, Kir watching with idle interest from behind Jing, his eyes going to the shooting game right beside the car arcade game***

**Kaisei no sora no shita Ima da ho o age Nakama to tomo ni (Underneath the fine weathered sky, now raise the sails together with your friends)**

***Scene change to Rockman and Megaman running alongside Sonic X, still running from Terios Shadow, who's now taking potshots at the trio with his gun, Will and Komatsu getting bowled over by the four, while Toriko watches, eating a mountain of ramen with Naruto, who stops just long enough to point and laugh at the two, while Maylu and Meiru came out in time to see Terios Shadow run by them, shaking his fist as his gun ran out of ammunition, the two girls laughing as the three he was chasing ran into a lightpole***

**Seiipai Hareruuya Yume to iu na no daikoukai e (With all your might, hallelujah – head to the great voyage named 'dream')**

***Scene change to Ruka watching with Gregar and Falzar as Ashe and Grey fought Ash and Gray in a sparring match, Ash and Gray with the upper hand, until Gregar and Falzar ran towards Ashe and Grey, disappearing in a ball of light as the two entered Beast Drive, Wulf, Akari, and Sari watching as Bumblebee and Cheetor snuck up on Inuyasha and Turbo, holding water balloons, before Inuyasha and Turbo turned towards the two, both armed with fire hoses attached to two hydrants apiece, Bumblebee and Cheetor dropping their balloons as Inuyasha and Turbo opened fire***

**Koerarenai mono wa nai Kaze o ayatsuri Doko made demo jiyuu ni yukeru (Nothing is unsurpassable: control the wind And freely go anywhere)**

***Scene change to the teams standing outside of the HQ, making goofy faces at the camera, before changing to the teams resting in the living room, all beat from the day's activities, Max and Ryuu gripping wrists in the doorway before turning to the room, walking in, the camera capturing a still shot of the two's backs***

* * *

**Meet Team Ryuusei**

"Oi, Max, it's about time," Chaud called down the hall. Max came out of the room, lightning blue paint all over his hair. "Uh…"

"I know," Max said, wiping it with a towel. "They decided to start a paint fight."

"Ah."

"Anyways, I'm gonna go ahead and meet them. Or wait for them, as they don't seem to be here yet," Max said. Two days earlier, Rockman had given them news that Team Ryuusei was coming for a time, apparently extending their remaining three months to D-Day to eight months. Max himself had felt the power that had connected about a dozen Zones and was still reeling from the amount of power he had felt. He walked into the main living room, stopping upon seeing some new people. One walked forward to meet Max, extending his hand toward the teen. He looked a lot like Lan. 'Lan's' jacket now had a hood to it that kept his face from being seen except for his mouth-now having a fang emerge from both sides of the mouth-and nose with the sleeves of his shirt ripped off to reveal intricate tattoos lining them, seeming to be more like seals. Over his hands were blue and white fingerless gloves that let his longer diamond claws stick out. His jeans were pure white with blue markings that resembled the Blue Eyes White Dragon on both legs. He removed his hood to let his hair flow out, now seeming to be smoother than the purest of silk with two bangs that went down the sides of his head to his torso. Max was a little curious at seeing his eyes had slits in them with his headband around his neck. On his back was what looked like a broadsword, but wrapped up in silver bands.

"So you're Max, huh? Nice to meet ya!" 'Lan' said as he shook hands with the teen, "DaiRyuuseiKnight told me that you should call me 'Ryuu' for some reason."

"Nice to meet you in person, Ryuu," Max spoke. _Weird, _he thought to himself. _I'm not getting _anything _from this guy. No Zone Energy, no Ultima, not even a little Chi._

"Hey, Max, Greymon just ate the last of the pretzel logs," Chaud said as he walked in.

"Nani?" Ryuu exclaimed, "How in the name of Arceus are you still alive, Chaud?"

"I beg your pardon?" Chaud asked.

"Wrong Chaud, Ryuu," Max sighed, "This is our Zone's Chaud."

"He's not out to kill me, is he?" Ryuu asked, "Because I do not want to kill another him and not know it."

"You _what_?" Chaud exclaimed.

"You were insane and nearly killed me with Model O. I don't even remember how I killed you," Ryuu replied, "All I can say is that your body-well, your body in my Zone-is now sand in a desert. Literally."

"Arceus-sama told me he tapped into Reshiram's powers that time," a netnavi looking a lot like Rockman replied before walking over to Chaud and bowing, "A pleasure to meet you, Chaud-san. My name is Dai Ryuusei Megaman X, but you can call me 'Sonic X' for our stay here. I hope you're not insane like the Chaud Blaze of our Zone was before his head was blown off by a pinky twitch and then the entire corpse turned into desert sand." Sonic X looked like Rockman's new form, but without the Zero-ZS parts. His was also a bit more sleeker and bulkier with metallic cobalt boosters on the back. His left hip has Caliburn, now a fusion of the times of King Arthur and the future, while his right hip had Carn, a silver and black dagger with the hilt having a black and white tiger head on it which prefers to wisecrack. He also resembled a twenty-year-old with the back of his helmet opened to end it four spikes in the style of his old hedgehog self.

"Oh, uh, well…thanks?" Chaud sweatdropped as he returned the bow, _'Now that is a horrible way to die…Yet, I don't feel sorry at all for the me there. I must have been pretty messed up.'_

"For the last time; no way in existence am I going to call myself 'WarRock!'" an Omega-Xis who Max didn't recognize snapped in the group.

"But, WarRock…" Geo began. But it wasn't the Geo Max knew. He was roughly 6' 4" with his hair done in the same style and still wore his necklace and Visualizer. He wore a pair of red gloves with the backs and fingers cut off and blue and white running shoes. His old shirt had been replaced by a blue shirt and a red jacket while he wore jeans with outlines of comets on the sides of the legs. On his back was a star-themed katana.

"No! No! No!" the other Omega-Xis interrupted, "I'd rather be called a…a…A Beagle Boy!"

"You want handcuffs on you?" Ryuu asked.

"What now?" the other Omega-Xis asked.

"The Beagle Boys I know are thieves," Ryuu explained, "Always robbing various places. At least, until I managed to catch them with Mickey."

"And you know these guys…how?" Kevin asked. Max raised his eyebrow as he recognized the guy. His hair had gotten longer, covering his right eye, and he had added a black jacket with a torn end and the sleeves ripped off.

"My secret," Ryuu replied.

"Oi, have we met?" Max asked. Kevin looked him over before shaking his head.

"Don't think so," Kevin replied.

"Wait…ah, now I remember. The Zone Watchers have a whole shelf just for you in the archives," Max said. Kevin winced. "What? It isn't anything too bad. Well…okay, I take it back. It isn't _all _bad stuff. Anyways, I've never heard of the Beagle Boys before," Max noted, "I'm going to have to talk to Blaze or Tarn about them."

"Hey, Max, we finished the painting!" Omega-Xis called before seeing the other Omega-Xis, "Hey, so you're the WarRock Rockman said was staying here for a bit?"

"Oi! My name is _Omega-Xis_, not _WarRock_!" the other Omega-Xis snapped as he got into the other Omega-Xis's face, "And just _who_ the hell are you?"

"You, you dummy!" Omega-Xis snapped.

"I know you are, but what am I?"

"Why you…" both growled.

"Omega-Xis, Omega-Xis, heel," Lyra ordered, causing the two to look at her and make the second Omega-Xis gawk. This Lyra had taken a slender form that resembled a young woman around twenty with her hair being the color of her EM Radiation flames that ended at her shoulders, a baby-blue mask over her mouth and nose to reveal just her eyes, and a baby-blue kimono that had her EM Radiation flames emerging from the bottom as a tail.

"That's your Zone's Lyra?" Omega-Xis gawked.

"Yep. Still can't believe she got stronger than me," the other Omega-Xis complained.

"What was that?" the other Lyra asked, her left eye twitching.

"Uht! N-Nothing, Boss Lady!" the other Omega-Xis paled in fear while saluting.

"Bwahahaha! You're whipped!" Omega-Xis laughed, "And by an out of tune harp, no less!"

"Omega-Xis!" a second Lyra, resembling her original self, snapped as she clobbered the second Omega-Xis on the head with a paint brush, turning his head lightning blue.

"Now _this_ is funny," Bumblebee laughed with a girl, Sari, with red hair flowing out of the back of her helmet down to her hips. Her outfit also bore a few inlaid circuits to them, and on her left wrist was a gold and blue-colored gauntlet which Max shuddered at seeing. He had seen that before and he knew who used it. She flexed her wrist and made a five inch silver Hidden Blade with inlaid blue designs slide out before pulling it back in with a silent hiss. Max shuddered again, unpleasant memories coming to his mind at seeing the blade. Bumblebee resembled a teen around 15 with tan skin and short, wild, dirty-blond hair. He had a black cloth around his forehead with a pair of yellow goggles and black and yellow fingerless gloves and elbow/knee-guards. He wore a black T-Shirt under a sleeveless yellow jacket with black trimming. He had a few silver chains sticking out of the right side of the bottom of his shirt and a silver necklace. He wore yellow pants with black lines and black shoes with yellow lines going down the middle. His shirt had the Autobot symbol and on his legs were two tantōs. Max resisted the urge to ask him for an autograph.

"Did you insult her again, Omega-Xis?" a voice sighed.

"Honestly, you're becoming dumber each day," a second voice giggled, "And why did we have to make a nursery again?"

The group turned to see two figures walk down the stairs, Geo and Sonia coming from the nursery. They stopped when they saw…well, themselves.

"Hello," the other Sonia bowed, "You already know my name since we're the same person, Sonia, but you can call me Misora and my Zone's Lyra-chan 'Harp' while we're here. M'kay?" Misora had tied her hair into a ponytail that was held by a gold bracelet imbedded with the crystals of her Crystal Beasts. She wore a red tee under a blue jacket with a pair of blue jeans that had baby-blue harp and red heart patterns on the sides. She also wore fingerless gloves with blue and red running shoes. On her back was what Max identified, with surprise, as a Transformer known as Dinobot's sword with her VG Hunter on her left arm and Model D on her right, now redesigned to resemble a wrist device shaped like his formed Beast Mode head, though it took Max a few seconds to make the connection to the sword. On her left cheek was a musical note tattoo in baby-blue.

"Sure. It's nice to meet, well, me, Misora," Sonia giggled, returning the bow.

"Hi," the two Geos shook each other's hands.

"Guess this is why DaiRyuuseiKnight asked me to go by 'Subaru' while we're here," the other Geo chuckled.

"I don't want to be called 'WarRock!'" the other Omega-Xis complained, "Geo, make him go by it!"

"No way! Yo, Subaru, get your dummy in control!" Omega-Xis snapped.

"Dummy? Fuck you, ass!" the other Omega-Xis snapped…before Team Ryuusei's Roll punted him into five walls, all leaving an Omega-Xis-shaped hole in different poses resembling various sculptures of the Renaissance.

"There are babies in the room, you jerk," the other Roll growled as she narrowed her eyes at the holes in the walls while pointing at the baby carrier in her free arm.

"Babies?" Sonia gasped, stars filling her eyes.

"That's why we built the nursery," Max said as the other Roll walked over to Sonia, "Sonia, Geo, Lyra, Omega-Xis, this is Roll Cyber Sakurai, but she's going by 'Cyber' while she's here. She's the future wife of Sonic X here and the mother of these two tykes."

"Aw…They're so adorable…" Sonia cooed as she tickled Volt's chin.

"I'm happy for you both," Geo said with a small smile.

"Thanks, Geo-san," Sonic X chuckled, "Just don't do what WarRock did, or you'll end up like him. My wife just hates cursing near them. And trust me, we both took language courses in our previous lives since we could talk."

"I'll try to keep that in mind…" Geo chuckled nervously as he looked at Cyber, talking with Sonia, Lyra, Harp, and Misora and giggling.

"For the last time, just stay pinned!" Lan's voice snapped.

"No way! You're getting pinned!" Netto's voice argued.

It was then two Lans, currently trying to pin one another, fell down the stairs. The other Maylu's face lit up with shades of red at the sight of three Lans.

"Enough!" Ryuu snapped as inky hands shot out from his shadow and pulled them apart, "Honestly, are the mes of other Zones like this?"

"Just them," Rockman chuckled as he appeared beside him in a plume of smoke.

"But Kamikaze-kun is a hedgehog, not a wolf," Cyber said, referring to Rockman's wolf ears and wolf tail.

"That's because his past life was Sonic the Hedgehog," Rockman replied, "My past life was Hub Hikari."

"Me?" someone exclaimed, Max tentatively identifying him as Hub. He was roughly the same body build as Ryuu, but with his hair going down to his neck and wild with spikes. Hub wore a black and gold sleeveless jacket, black and gold pants, and a black shirt with a gold outline of the dragon they were on detailed on it.

"Hub-kun?" Mirajane gawked. She was a slender woman equal to Hub in height with soft, blue eyes and waist-length white hair with two bangs going over the sides of her face and ended at just an half-inch above her chest. She was currently wearing a black and gold dress with it being primarily black and frills on the waistband, hem of the dress, and around her neck were gold while the dress stopped at above her chest, not covering her shoulders. On her neck was a green jewel attached to a silver necklace. However, over the top part of her dress was a black and gold Chinese fighting shirt that hugged her a bit.

"A pleasure to meet you in person, Sonic X," Rockman said before he received a bop on the head by the older NetNavi (in terms of the age of their souls).

"And _that_ is for some of the insults you put on me during video chats," Sonic X said, "The rest I'll be payin' ya back for later."

"Why you…You know what, I won't say anything," Rockman said, "I passed by Omega-Xis as he was going through a wall."

"Where'd he go?"

"There," Rockman replied as he pointed at the two Omega-Xis as they were doing a Homer Simpson on one another.

"Blatherin' Blatherskites…" Ryuu muttered as he dropped the other two Lans, "Okay, names?"

"Lan Hikari," Lan replied.

"Netto," Netto grinned.

"You two won't try pinning each other again, right?" Ryuu asked.

"You ain't our pop," Netto said before flinching as the two nearly stopped breathing at the KI released from Ryuu's uncaring look, while Max shook his head, rubbing his hand down his face, though wondering why the two had all but stopped breathing.

"_Never_ say that near me again," Ryuu let out in a silent growl before the KI stopped, no one having felt it but the two of them.

"Oh yeah…I…I'm sorry," Netto apologized, "I forgot about…that. I completely overstepped my boundary."

"What do you-oh yeah…"

"Don't pity us," Ryuu sighed, "He's gone, but never forgotten. Especially with his last gift; Rush."

"Rush?" Lan repeated, thinking of a small, anthromorphic, multiple shades of brown dog with a red collar.

"Him," Ryuu replied, pointing at the small puppy on Cyber's head, happily wagging his tail.

"Ah…So our sibling from an alternate reality has revealed himself to our presence at last," Sasuke said, "Strange that the scanners cannot even sense you, almost as if your existence and nonexistence is null and void."

"He means that you showed up here at last and that our scanners can't tell if you're here or not," Shinobi said as he, Naruto, Kyuubi, and Shinobi appeared in clouds of smoke.

"Shinobi? I saw you being attacked by Jenny at Smash World a few years back!" Ryuu laughed.

"Oi! That cat is insane!" Shinobi waved his fist.

"Especially having a year-old girl," 'Maylu' giggled.

"Jenny had a kid?" Ryuu asked.

"Hai, Ryuu-kun," 'Maylu' replied, "Her name is May and she's also Valor's daughter."

"When did…?"

"Three months before we were kidnapped by the Absolute Hunters," 'Maylu' replied, "Really nice, too. Terios Shadow took Roll-chan out of the PeT to be a Bridesmaid for Jenny."

"Ah…" Ryuu nodded.

"Get back here!"

"Run!"

Ashe and Grey ran into the room, startling…Ashe and Grey? It was them, but different as well. The other Grey was roughly Sonic X's height with his hair slightly longer. He wore his cable scarf, but the armor he had on was sleeker. What everyone noticed about him was that his right eye had a jagged scar running over it. The other Ashe wore a black vest that was zipped up to the point that it revealed a bit of her cleavage and a pair of violet, fitting pants with violet, fingerless gloves and violet and black running shoes. Her bangs had gotten longer and her ponytail ended at her knees while her headband now had the symbol DaiRyuuseiKnight had on his helmet on it. The two stopped when they saw Pandora, who wore a white and blue version of Ashe's outfit, except for her vest being open to reveal a white and blue tee.

"What? P-Pandora?" Ashe gasped.

"Oh man…" Grey gulped as a Model A floated out of his pocket.

-Weird…She's not pale and she's not fused to her Model W- Model A noted.

"Oi! Quit lookin' at Pan-chan like she was out to kill ya," the other Ashe snapped as she pecked Pandora on the cheek, making the three stare at the sight in shock.

"Y-y-y-y…" Grey stammered, looking back and forth from his Ashe and the Ashe currently winking at Ace, who had taken to wearing a fire-themed, black jacket with the sleeves torn off, his tattoo copied onto the back of it, and Pandora. Max looked at Ace, remembering something in the back of his mind, noting how he looked like Kent. Though it would be more accurate to say Kent resembled him, as this Ace was a good five to seven years older than Kent.

"I'm not a lesbian!" Ashe snapped, slugging him on the head.

"Neither am I. I'm a bisexual," the other Ashe grinned.

"What?" Ashe screamed before fainting.

-…That went well- their Model A laughed.

-Oh, yeah!- Model A snickered –Hiya! You're me, right?-

-Yep! But I kinda like Model Axl while we're here, okay?-

-Sure!-

"I guess our Biometals get along nicely," the other Grey grinned before giving a kind bow to his other self, "I guess you can call me 'Gray' while we're here. Along with my sister being called 'Ash.'"

"Okay," Grey replied, bowing as well, "Uh, Gray? You do realize your sis is…"

"I know. I'm okay with it. Pan-neechan is actually a fun-loving girl like Ashe-neechan once we broke her shell."

"P-Pan-neechan?" Grey blushed before Viral pulled him to the side.

"Ashe, Pandora, and the guy in the orange cowboy hat are in a threesome relationship," Viral whispered, "But they've agreed to not make it official until all this is said and done. They will date and…other things. But they won't admit to it."

"R-Right…" Grey nodded as he looked at Gray once Viral had let him go.

"Oh…I just had a nightmare. This other me was a lesbian," Ashe said as she came to.

"I told ya, I'm a bisexual and proud of it!" Ash snapped.

"But, I, you, me…_How_?" Ashe screamed.

"Take two girls who love the same guy, add the guy who loves them both yet didn't understand that they loved him, add nearly two years and a nice of good stuff, and it happens," Ash replied, "Right, Pan-chan?"

"Yep!" Pandora giggled, "But there are children present, remember? We don't want Cyber-chan's Right Hook."

"Oh, yeah…Sorry, CC!" Ash apologized to the glaring mother, tapping her left foot with her arms crossed (luckily having Misora hold the baby carrier with her twins in it).

"I'll let it go…for now," Cyber replied, "And call me 'CC' again and I will give you my Right Hook. Along with the left."

"Yes, Boss Lady!" Ash saluted.

"Boss Lady?" Ashe repeated.

"Trust me, most of us call her that for a good reason; she's a force to be reckoned with when she wants to be," Gray whispered.

"…What's with the basket?" Ashe asked, finally noticing the baby carrier.

"Oi…" Gray and Grey sighed.

"These are my little angels; Volt and Jazz," Cyber giggled as she took out the twins.

"B-Babies?" Ashe gawked before thinking about it for a few moments, tapping her chin, "That explains the Nursery…"

"I see Rockman-san gave you the request," Cyber said.

"Yeah. Thank Arceus that some of us know Chaos Control," Max said, looking over at Megaman and Rockman.

_'I'm actually proud of my students,'_ Terios Shadow thought before glaring at Sonic X, who was busy talking with the two versions of him and Hub with Hub talking as well.

"So you're part dragon?" Megaman asked.

"Yep! Wanna see it in a fight?"

"Uh…maybe later, Hub," Rockman replied, "Hey, Sonic X?"

"Yeah?"

"What's with Ryuu-san? I can't sense anything. It's like he doesn't exist," Rockman pondered, "It's like I'm trying to sense Dai."

"It has something to do with their training," Sonic X replied, "The only time you do sense him is in fights or when he uses his abilities. And even then with the latter, he's able to direct it at someone and leave the others unknowing of what he just used if it involves using his energy to intimidate someone like using Haōshoku Haki."

"What's that?" Megaman asked.

"It's something very, _very_ rare. But I can teach you both about the first two of the three," Sonic X replied.

"We finally found some eggnog!" two voices called.

"Yeah. And all it took was a trip to the North Pole of this Zone," a third voice complained.

Everyone turned to the door and the other Maylu, Ash, Gray, and Cyber blinked. It was Tomari Axl, along with Maylu and Roll. Ryuu looked back and forth at the two Maylu for a few minutes until his hair spun around his head a few times. He sighed before it re-fixed itself. Max noted that his hair seemed to act a bit like an ink-like substance when it fixed itself.

"Hello, you must be Meiru- Koishii's Zone Double of this Zone," Ryuu kneeled, "My name is Ryuu while we're here."

"Meiru?" Maylu repeated.

"That would be me," the other Maylu replied as she walked over and curtsied, making Maylu a bit embarrassed and jealous at her figure

-You're…me?- Model Axl asked as he floated around the Axl.

"Yeah. But I'm called 'Tomari Axl,'" he replied.

-I like…- Model Axl noted.

"Oh, you must be the me of this Zone," Cyber giggled, "A pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Roll giggled, "But, uh, how are we going to call each other?"

"Oh, I go by my middle name; Cyber," Cyber replied as Volt cooed, "Oh, and these are my little angels, Volt and Jazz."

"Aw…They're so adorable," Roll cooed.

"Aren't they? Oh, Jazz has her father's hair and my eyes, while Volt has my hair. We're still a bit confused about the red eyes, though…"

"Wait. Who is their father?"

"Why, Kamikaze-kun of course," Cyber replied, looking over at Sonic X, who was looking around.

"Eh? Y-You mean that in your Zone, we're…?"

"We're not married just yet, but we planned on having children ever since we were engaged," Cyber replied, "And that was two-three years before we had these two."

"Really…?" _'She's so lucky…'_ Roll thought, recalling how her Zone's Megaman was a bit afraid of girls right now due to having someone give him the talk and going into too much detail.

"Would you like to hold one?" Cyber offered.

"N-Nani?" Roll gasped as Cyber handed her Volt.

"It's okay. Just hold him like this," Cyber explained as she showed Roll how to hold a baby, "Make sure the head is elevated and keep him close so he doesn't fall."

Roll managed to get it right after a few tries. She looked down at the infant's face, who was looking up at her. Volt giggled in her holding and nuzzled into her, sighing softly-almost like a yawn.

"Aw…They're getting sleepy," Cyber giggled.

"Any reason for the eggnog?" Tomari Axl asked as he held up a canister of it.

"Evil, evil drink," Sonic X and Cyber accused, both pointing a finger at it.

"Uh…"

"Someone spiked it once at a party, they got drunk, and lost their virginities. It's biting them in the bum since their kids can't drink breast milk and can only drink eggnog," Ace explained. Those on Max's team currently in the room couldn't help but sweatdrop at that.

"Will!" Everyone turned to see Kassie in the doorway of the main living room as she tackled Will to the ground in a hug. Will had changed drastically since the last time Max had seen him. Will had gotten to Inuyasha's height and wore a simple black shirt with the words 'Mad Genius' on it with a pair of jeans. He had a slightly bulkier build with a crew cut hairstyle, five o'clock shadow, and a scar over his right eye-seemingly resembling a cut from a blade infused with something powerful-. Everyone also noted the strange arm and leg bands on him that had a drill theme to them along with one on his neck.

"Kass," Will said, wrapping his arms around the girl, holding her close. He then looked in surprise as she punched him.

"Don't you ever leave without saying goodbye, you jerk," Kassie said, fighting back tears. Will looked at her, his expression softening. He pulled her head into his chest.

"Sorry, Kass," he whispered into her ear. She then pulled back.

"Who gave you that scar?" she asked. His finger traced the scar, while he chuckled nervously.

"Uh, training accident," he said.

"Will…who?"

"Er, that would be me," Viral said. Kassie got up, walking over to him. He looked down at her. "We had a slight…mishap in training. And that scar is an unfortunate result." Kassie looked between him and Will before closing her eyes, sighing.

"Fine. But next time you hurt him," she said, drawing her fist back, while Viral just looked at her, unimpressed, "I'm going to do a lot worse than this. Even if you are immortal." She then punched him, her fists coated in flames, while Viral went flying through walls, eventually stopping _outside _of the HQ, landing among a row of garbage cans. His eyes were spinning as he stood up, staggering back and forth, while the guys of Team Ryuusei looked between Cyber, Kassie, and then to Max.

"Er, no, I don't think they're related," Max said, rubbing the back of his head. "But, uh, you know the saying 'Hell hath no fury like a woman's wrath?' Well, in Kass's case, that's about as furious as it gets…and that's outside of Megamerge…hmmm…maybe I shouldn't have let Kishi give her Zone Energy lessons…"

"Oh, Max-san…~!" Cyber called out sweetly, making everyone there that was male gulp, knowing that tone perfectly well, "Did you not hear the advice Kamikaze-kun was giving earlier?"

* * *

Max sighed as he rubbed his new black eye. He had not expected to go through the entire HQ from her Right Hook. Then again…they _did_ warn him about that. DaiRyuuseiKnight approached him.

"Hello," DaiRyuuseiKnight greeted.

"Hey, you two," Max greeted before seeing the pink Ultima on DaiRyuuseiKnight's left hand, "Uh…?"

"Nurse Ultima," DaiRyuuseiKnight explained.

He tapped Max's black eye with the glowing hand. Within seconds, the black eye healed up. DaiRyuuseiKnight replaced himself with Dai, who quickly put her clothes on as Max looked away.

"Sorry about that," Dai apologized, "It's annoying to me as well."

"Hey, Dai?"

"Yeah?"

"Wh…What happened to Ryuu? When I first met him as a Temporal Trophy, I could feel the power roaring off him. But now…"

"It is because of _what_ he has fused with," Dai replied, "You see, he told me stories of this realm known as 'Wasteland' where all those forgotten live."

"Forgotten?"

"Yes. When no one remembers you anymore, you end up there," Dai explained, "It was there that he bonded with a being I have seen with him in my time. It is a part of him just as he is a part of it."

"Wh…What is it?"

"It is a being who does not exist yet does exist like myself," Dai replied, "Those who are like that have no energy to be sensed unless an ability is used or if they are in battle. All I can say is that you'll need to look at the things art is made of if you want to better understand."

"Wait…Is…Is that why you're able to work with Ultima Energy?"

"No. You see, I was born in the Nevermore, the thing that doesn't exist and doesn't nonsexist if we fail to stop the Absolute Hunters. I was the only one born then. Those born there do not exist nor non-exist. That was because of…Spiral Nemesis."

"Spiral Nemesis?" Max gulped.

"Yes. It…It is something that pains me to talk about," Dai replied.

"I see…I won't try to pry anything out of you, Dai," Max said, "But you'll have to let it out sooner or later."

"Right…"

"Good. Now then, does anyone else but your 'Uncle Lan' know about your two genders in your team?"

"No," Dai replied, "I'm planning on telling them it once we get something done with."

"And that would be…?"

"Choosing which Omega-Xis is going to be called 'WarRock,'" Dai replied, earning a laugh from Max.

"You got any ideas?"

"Yep!" Dai replied as she changed with DaiRyuuseiKnight, "A battle between them and their partners."

"What?" Max exclaimed.

"They are both warriors, Max," DaiRyuuseiKnight explained, "Therefore, it is only natural the stronger of the two decides who has which name. However, if it comes down to speed…Subaru may have them beat."

"Right. I'll see if Chaud will…" Max began.

"I have checked with Palkia-dono already. There are no Blanket Zones right now."

"Aw man…Then how the hell are we going to let those two fight and _not_ destroy the base?"

"…A BattleZone."

"BattleZone?" Max repeated as DaiRyuuseiKnight took out a card.

"Battle Key, Tensou!" DaiRyuuseiKnight declared as he pushed '9-0-9' on his EnergyCellular.

_-Summon! Battle Key!-_

Before him, a sphere of blue and red energy spun around. It parted to reveal a strange item. It resembled a plate of sorts with nine sides and resembled a bit like an arrow. In the center of it was a strange set of markings.

"This is where they will fight," DaiRyuuseiKnight replied, "Assemble everyone outside. This will be a good way to break the ice, and the possible tension, between our two teams. If you run into Subaru, ask him to take out his Expressroid. I will need to borrow it in order to access the BattleZone."

"Why not use my Portal Sword?"

"BattleZones were created by the Tao Trio before they created Arceus," DaiRyuuseiKnight explained, "They made it so one needs two things to enter them; a vehicle with speed and power and a Battle Key. However, a Stormshock can also be used in replacement for a Battle Key."

"BattleZone? Battle Key? Stormshock? Man…I keep learning new things about those three when I'm around you two, Dai," Max chuckled, "Next you'll be telling me that you met them in person."

"…"

"…It was joke," Max sighed in annoyance before he went off to get everyone.

"Ah…"

"But the barrier…"

"The BattleZones exist within Zones. This Battle Key is connected to this Zone and this Zone alone right now," DaiRyuuseiKnight replied as he walked out, vanishing in a swirl of Magma Ultima, leaving a few scorch marks on the floor.

Max stared at the marks and sighed. "And that's repair number nine thousand, three hundred, and eighty-three," he said to himself. "Ah, well. Could be worse," he said, looking up to the ceiling, where a patch of it seemed newer than the rest of area surrounding it. "It could be like the time J and I found this old place."

* * *

"Oi, Lan look-alike," Beamer said as he walked up to Ryuu, who turned around, looking Beamer over. "You the one who gave Blade the…bum leg?"

"Er, yes, but I'm not sure why yo-" Ryuu began.

"Well, I'm Beamer, also a close friend of Blademan," Beamer said. "And for putting him in his place, you can come by anytime for free curry!" Beamer laughed, shaking the stunned Ryuu's hand.

"Ah, there you are!" Beamer turned around, gawking at Rayne and Turbo. Rayne had her left eye covered by her hair while the rest was put into a bun on the back of her head. She also wore a fire-themed gentlemen's outfit with a fire-themed VG Hunter on her left arm. Turbo had changed to resemble a slender figure in a racecar jacket and helmet with a fire tail for his bottom half and a flame-tinted visor on his helmet.

"R-Rayne? Turbo?" Beamer asked, pushing his open jaw up with his right hand.

"Yep! The…er, actually, I suppose I can't say the one and only, huh?" Rayne said with a laugh. She then looked at Ryuu, whose hand was still stuck out. "Er, what did you do to Ryuu?"

"Huh? Oh, that's the kid's name? Ah, I didn't do a thing…well, other than offer free curry at my restaurant for life. Anyways, I've been meaning to get a hold of you for a time."

"I was wondering if you'd work/offer me work for a time here," Beamer and Rayne said at the same time, respectively. They stopped and then laughed.

"If you're wanting to work, I'm offering," Beamer said.

"And if you're offering, I'm working," Rayne replied, the two shaking hands. "Hey, does J.T. still suck at cooking?"

Beamer hung his head, sighing. He didn't want to admit it, but yes. He nearly burned water the last time he cooked.

"I guess so. Well then, it's a good thing I'm here for a while!" Rayne grinned, "Hey, you think a friend of mine could also help here? He's worked at a six-starred restaurant as head chef."

"H-Head chef of a _six-_starred restaurant?" Beamer gasped, "Well, let's meet him!"

"He brought along his most famous recipe for you to try as well," Turbo said before turning to the door, "Komatsu, come in!"

"Coming!" Komatsu called as he walked in, carrying a pot, followed by Toriko, drooling a near-river. Toriko was roughly over 7'. He had somewhat large muscles on his form, barely hidden under his orange sleeveless t-shirt with white trim and jean shorts. He had black eyes and wild blue hair. He also wore blue sandals.

'…_What is with his nose?'_ Beamer thought as he saw Komatsu's nose and its visible nostrils. Komatsu had semi-short black hair, black eyes, and his nostrils seemed to show more than a normal person's nostrils. Komatsu wore a white gentlemen's outfit with a black apron and scarf with his legs looking strong.

"Toriko, what are you doing here?" Rayne asked.

"At first, it was to try out this 'Flamer' thing you talked about," Toriko replied as he tried to wipe the drool off his face, "But now Komatsu's brought _it_."

"It? What's it?" Beamer asked.

"Oi, guys, you've got to try this!" Toriko waved over to Lan and Netto, who were dragging Ryuu up, "Curry Coma?"

"You know this?" Lan asked.

"Yep. He did this once he learned my world had a river made of curry-and there those two go," Toriko laughed as he saw Netto and Lan enter the same trance as Ryuu, "Now they're in the Land of Curry!"

"I'll snap 'em out," Rayne said as she rose her left leg, "Smelling Salt Cracker!"

With that, she delivered three kicks to their nostrils. All three had their eyes widened before screaming out in pain. They grasped their noses and collapsed to the ground, running around in a circle on the floor, whooping like a certain member of the Three Stooges.

"Not bad…Not bad at all," Beamer grinned before turning to Komatsu, "Okay, what's in the pot?" _'Now I'm glad the others are having a day off…!'_

"It's called 'Century Soup,'" Komatsu replied, making Beamer gawk.

"C-Century Soup? _The_ Century Soup!" Beamer gasped, "You mean _you_ can make that delicacy?"

"Y-y-y-y-yes!" Komatsu yelped in fear, his eyes bugging out with his lips puckered out in fear.

"Century Soup?" the three versions of Lan Hikari repeated.

"It is only the greatest soup in existence!" Beamer explained, drooling a bit, "It's said it is the perfect blend of countless ingredients! They say that it can be naturally made once every century!"

"However…Toriko and these guys who were after it kinda…destroyed it in our Zone…" Komatsu chuckled nervously.

"Oh, come on…" Beamer groaned.

"But that's why Komatsu can easily remake it. He actually remembered all the ingredients from just _tasting_ the last of what was made frm that tower of ice it was made in!" Toriko grinned as he patted Komatsu's shoulder after he put the pot on a table.

"You guys can eat this as well," Komatsu offered.

"Really? Thanks, Komatsu," Ryuu grinned as everyone quickly sat at the table with Rayne pulling out clean bowls for them to pour the soup into.

"Now then, everyone, the Century Soup…!" Komatsu began.

"Bon Appetit!" Rayne finished as Toriko put his hands together in a prayer-like fashion.

_'Itadakimasu—' _Toriko thought.

With that, Beamer opened the lid of the pot. Everyone awed at what they saw in the pot. It was crystal clear, almost as if it wasn't there, but they could all faintly see it from their trainings. Suddenly, an aurora emanated from it.

"It's the aurora~!" Beamer awed, tears nearly coming to his eyes.

Komatsu and Rayne poured the soup into each bowl and handed it to everyone. The two sat down with their own bowls. Each one took a spoon-full of it. Beamer was the first to sip it…and bit down.

_'What the…I just bit it…The taste is so rich I thought I was putting a hamburger steak into my mouth…The kinds and numbers, 'savoriness' are packed, together with all expenses taken…Yet it's easy to eat and swallow…It feels like the thick layers that had accumulated since ancient times are gradually coming undone and spreading around the inside of my mouth. Primitive senses up until then been sleeping up until now are waking up little by little…'_

He proceeded to swallow it. His head tilted back a little, a look of solemn on his visage. He uttered one word, barely heard by even the most sensitive ears there; 'yum.'

_'It's an ancient taste and yet…somehow it's fresh…what an incredible feeling of satisfaction…This is Century Soup!'_ Beamer thought as his eyes and mouth began to twitch slightly, _'Wh…What's this! The corners of my eyes are…lowering, and the corners of my mouth are rising…? I can't stop making this face that's trying to become a 'smile…!' It's too delicious…It's too satisfying…I'm totally grinning~~!'_

With that, he proceeded to give off the goofiest, most satisfied grin he ever gave. Within seconds of tasting, everyone was giving the goofiest of satisfied grins, all drooling. Suddenly, they all noticed each other and began to laugh.

"What weird faces~~~~!" Ryuu laughed.

"Wahahaha!" Toriko laughed.

"What is that?" Netto exclaimed happily as he pointed at Turbo.

"Even Beamer!" Lan laughed.

"And _this_ is why it's on my Full-Course!" Toriko grinned as everyone effects of eating the Century Soup's first bite died down.

"Komatsu, you got the job!" Beamer grinned before the door's normal ring was heard and made them turn to see Meiru walk over.

"Max…Max-san told me…"

"Meiru-Koishii, what's wrong?" Ryuu asked.

"Here; drink some of this soup," Lan offered.

"Arigatou, Lan-san," Meiru said before drinking some of the soup and getting the face, making nearly everyone start to laugh.

"Meiru-chan, what did Max want?" Ryuu asked once the effects of the soup stopped.

"Max-san said to tell everyone in our two teams to meet up outside the city as soon as possible," Meiru replied before giving a small smirk, "But…I'm sure they can wait until the soup's gone."

"A woman who's not only got a good figure, but also a brain. Kid, you got the perfect woman in my opinion…although, there is the knowledge o if she can cook or not," Beamer grinned, earning a ladle to the face thrown by a blushing, embarrassed Meiru.

"B-Baka!" Meiru exclaimed. Beamer rubbed his nose, picking the ladle up.

"Um…ow?"

* * *

Max took a look at his watch, looking back up at the setting sun. "Damn," he said. "Knew I should've made sure they at least got out of the HQ before running a few laps here." He looked up, sensing a huge mass of Zone Energy coming toward him, though there was a bare spot, who he assumed to be Ryuu, as he was the only he couldn't sense, next to DaiRyuuseiKnight and Dai, but those two were already standing beside him, watching the setting sun.

"Sorry we're here a little late," Lan said, his hands on his knees. "But it didn't help matters any that you guys didn't give us any specific directions other than meet in the desert."

"Oh…my bad," Max said. "Anyways, you guys got what's needed?"

"Right here," Subaru said, holding up a card. On the card was a picture of a bullet train with two eyes. He handed the card to DaiRyuuseiKnight, who took it, nodding. His hand began to glow with a white and black energy. Suddenly, the energy coated the card and created a new one. He caught the other card and gave the original back to Subaru. Max and Ryuu noted the card's back was pitch black with a white '949' on the center. He flipped open the EnergyCellular, getting a 'Gotcha' from it. He slid the card into it.

"Change Card. Tensou!" DaiRyuuseiKnight declared as he pressed the three numbers and then closing it.

_-Change! Railion!-_

DaiRyuuseiKnight glowed before transforming into the main engine of a train. The engine was pure black with bits of white metal on it, such as on the front and sides. On the front of the engine were two blue crystals that resembled narrowed eyes. From the back of it, four cabins materialized. Everyone jumped back as the train increased to ten-fold the size of a normal train. The Battle Key glowed before attaching itself to the front of the vehicle.

"All aboard!" a familiar voice called from one of the carts.

Everyone turned to the voice and saw it was Dai. She was wearing a black and white conductor's outfit that hugged her in a few places. Ryuu knew he'd have to have a little talk with his niece about her choice in clothing eventually…He just didn't want to end up getting beaten to a bloody pulp by Downloadion's tail…again. Everyone quickly went into the cabin and awed. It was a luxurious cabin with white and black velvet everywhere with a few impressive paintings of the Tao Trio and various Duel Monster and Pokemon.

"Who are you?" Ed asked.

"Oh…I'm, uh…An AI program Railion made," Dai replied.

Max opened his mouth to argue when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Ryuu had placed a hand on his shoulder. He shook his head at him.

"They don't know and she wants to tell them herself," Ryuu whispered.

Max blinked before nodding. Everyone quickly went about and sat in one of the seats there. Dai made sure to fasten the twins tightly into a special seat made for the baby carrier while Cyber and Sonic X sat at the left side of the carrier, Cyber resting her head on Sonic X's shoulder with a soft smile. Terios Shadow's left eye twitched in annoyance. He just had to deal with it until the wedding…and he couldn't. Dai, fortunately, had foreseen this and proceeded to scratch his left ear. This resulted in him collapsing into his seat, purring. Everyone but the couple with twins stared at the sight before some of them began to snicker to themselves.

"I'll kill you for snickering at me later…" Terios Shadow said between purrs, making them pale, before Dai went into the engine room and came out.

"Umm…DaiRyuuseiKnight cannot drive himself in this form unless he is changing into its fighter mode," Dai explained, sweatdropping a bit.

"Don't worry, I have a friend who could help," Ryuu said.

"Who?" Kir asked.

Ryuu didn't reply as he pulled out a sword, sheathed in a baby-blue and gold sheath, and a small, red locket shaped like a heart. Everyone watched in awe as the sheath changed into ocean-blue paint and changed into a new sword. The blade was gold, silver, and white with glowing blue markings. The shaft displayed two hearts-one made of gold and the other made of the glowing blue-, and its handle bore two angel wings, contrasting the bat wings that comprised the other's handle. The teeth were fashioned in the shape of the Kanji for 'light' (光). The area connecting his guard to his blade was a jewel resembling a glowing, ocean-blue heart. It had a chain, though it was silver and thin. The end of it had a charm resembling a heart with the Kanji for 'Maylu' on it.

"This…is Oathkeeper," Ryuu said.

"A Keyblade?" Kassie pondered.

"It is not a Keyblade!" Ryuu snapped before collecting himself, "My bad…Just a bit annoyed by that. Oathkeeper isn't a Keyblade, but my Paint Brush. And as for the locket, I call it the 'Forgotten Heart.'"

"The Forgotten Heart?" Scar repeated.

"Yep. Now watch…and be amazed," Ryuu grinned, "Powers of Paint, allow this one to regain their Heart. Unleash the power and create the Life! Let's go, Launchpad McQuack!"

With that, he tossed the Forgotten Heart into the air. He grasped Oathkeeper with both his hands and preformed a simple vertical slash. The 'key' part of the blade hit the Forgotten Heart, releasing a blue light. Oathkeeper transformed into Paint before engulfing the Forgotten Heart. Instantly, the Paint changed into a tall figure, going up to Toriko's shoulders. He seemed strong at first glance. He was covered in white feathers and was an anthromorphic duck. He had an orange bill and black eyes. He wore a brown pilot's outfit and brown boots resembling webbed feet. He also had a tuff of orange hair sticking out the front of his pilot's hat.

"Hey there, LH!" the figure greeted as he pulled Ryuu into a bear hug.

"Launchpad…can't…breathe…!" Ryuu gasped out.

"Whoops. Sorry about that, LH," Launchpad apologized, releasing Ryuu, before seeing Lan and Netto, "Huh? I'm seeing triplets!"

"You're not, LP," Ryuu replied, "I'll explain while we're in the engine room. We need you to drive this train."

"Really? Never drove a train before, but I took a crash course in train piloting," Launchpad chuckled as Ryuu and him went into the engine room.

"Uh…What was that?" Max asked, _'Weird…Didn't feel anything from that guy…Almost like Dai and Ryuu…'_

"He's a Forgotten One," Meiru explained, looking down at the floor with a sad expression, "When one is considered a Forgotten One, it means that they have lost their Heart."

"Their Heart?" Maylu repeated.

"Hai. Ryuu-kun told me about this realm he went to. He called it the 'Cartoon Wasteland,'" Meiru explained, "Those that live there have no Heart and cannot leave there. But the Forgotten Heart…it gives them a Heart until he recalls it."

"And you know this…how?" the Prime Zone's Omega-Xis asked.

"I was lucky enough to meet their ruler of that place; Oswald the Lucky Rabbit," Meiru replied.

"Hey, Max! I think we'll need a bit of help here," Ryuu said before dragging him into the engine room.

"Any reason why you took me out of there?" Max asked.

"Yeah; it needs three people-well, two people and a duck-to operate it. One driving and two generating energy to fuel it," Ryuu explained.

He motioned to the engine room. Max looked around. It seemed to be more like a plane's cockpit, but with three seats instead of two. In front of the left and right seats were strange devices while the middle seat had a steering wheel, which Launchpad was sitting in and reading a book. Max sweatdropped as he saw its title; How to drive a train for Dummies.

"Are you _sure_ he's the only guy who can pilot this?" Max whispered.

"Trust me. He's a great driver," Ryuu replied, "I feel more safe with him driving than anyone else."

"Okay…" Max gulped, "So what do we do?"

"You sit in the free seats and hook yourselves up to Railion," Dai explained.

She ushered the two to the seats. She then attached a strange set of cuffs that were connected to Railion by cables to their arms. Instantly, a white energy seeped through the cables and into Railion. Launchpad put on his pilot goggles.

"Hang on, everyone! This is going to be a bumpy ride!" Launchpad declared.

With that, the engine of Railion let out a whistle and blast of steam. Slowly the vehicle began to move ahead. It soon accelerated to a high speed, yet no one felt the change in speed inside the vehicle. The Battle Key shot ahead of Railion and created a giant, swirling vortex. The giant vehicle went right through the portal and emerged in a large forest-like area with the plants as big as Railion's engine. Max screamed as Ryuu and Dai laughed.

"Faster, Launchpad, faster!" Ryuu cheered.

"Slower, Launchpad, slower!" Max yelped as they barely dodged a giant tree.

"Attention, passengers, this is your captain Launchpad speaking," Launchpad said into the intercom, "We're in the, uh, wherever we're supposed to be I guess. However, please remain seated until the vehicle has come to a complete stop."

"You're not helping me feel better about this, Launchpad!" Max shouted as they barely dodged a giant falling acorn, "Was that acorn the size of an elephant?"

"Oh boy…" Launchpad gulped.

With that, Railion impacted with a baby tree. The back cabins rose up a few meters before falling down in a straight line. The doors opened and Max dashed out, kissing the ground, as the others got off.

"It wasn't that bad," Ryuu said, "Thanks, LP."

"No prob, LH," Launchpad replied.

"Tell the others I said 'hi,'" Ryuu grinned before Launchapd turned back into Oathkeeper and the Forgotten Heart.

_-Change. DaiRyuuseiKnight!-_

"It was not that bad," DaiRyuuseiKnight said to Max.

"We crashed into a baby tree the size of a Blue Whale!" Max snapped, pointing at the giant sapling with a Railion-shaped imprint of it.

"We crashed?" Roll asked, earning a groan form Max.

"The cabins were perfectly safe and have their own artificial gravity," DaiRyuuseiKnight explained before looking around, noting the tree sapling was the only thing in the clearing, "This is perfect for the spar."

"Uh…spar?" Geo and Subaru both asked, the teams confused.

"Yes," DaiRyuuseiKnight replied. "In order to decide which Omega-Xis gets to keep his name, you two will fight with them to determine who gets which name. It's as simple as that."

"But," both began before their wave partners spoke up.

"Agreed!" the two EM beings barked, glaring at each other.

Geo sighed. "Fine," he said. "EM Wave Change! Geo, On Air!" Geo wave changed, his armor not having changed much, save for a little more torso armor. "Berserk Magician!" He changed to the icy colored armor, looking at Subaru, waiting for him to Wave Change.

"Yo, Subaru, wanna go at them together or separate?" Subaru's Omega-Xis asked.

"I say together," Subaru replied, "They're going with their Wave Change, so we'll go out with ours. EM Wave Change! On the Air!"

Subaru's Omega-Xis roared before engulfing Subaru in his EM Radiation. The radiation parted and Geo looked at him. His armor was slightly bulkier, yet sleeker than his own. He did have to note his back and shoulders didn't have armor, just the jumpsuit. Subaru smirked at him as he rose his right fist outwards to his right.

"You're wondering why I'm missing shoulder guards and back armor, right? It's because Jazz taught me something that causes anything on my back and shoulders to be destroyed," Subaru explained, "In this technique's complete form, the user is covered in highly-compressed Kido on his or her back and shoulders. Then by exploding that Kido, he or she pounds it into the arms and legs to fight. In other words, when the technique is utilized, the back and shoulder fabric are simultaneously blown away."

"Jazz?" Sonia repeated, looking at the baby girl, drinking a bottle of eggnog in Sonic X's arms.

"The Jazz from twenty years from now," Ryuu replied.

"Shunkō is the technique's name and she made sure the two of us learned how to perform it individually and united," Subaru continued as a white aura emerged from him.

Suddenly, the white aura began to release sparks of white lightning. His body tensed as the lightning ripped along the ground around him, breaking it apart and causing it to float around and break apart further around him. It flew away from him before calming down and leaving the aura and a few strands of the white lightning emanating from him.

"Oh well. The truth is I didn't come here to do any fighting, especially with this technique," Subaru continued before entering a stance, lowering his right arm and holding his left one up in a 'come on' gesture, "Be careful, Geo Stellar. We can't completely control this technique yet."

He then made a simple flick with his left hand and Geo flinched as his world was filled with the aura and lightning. It receded back into Subaru to reveal a path between him and Geo made in the ground by the attack, branching off into the paths mere feet before Geo.

"Please do not falter or hold back in fighting us, Geo. For if you do…" Subaru advised as the aura and lightning returned, "…It could be your end."

* * *

**Collab between Gammatron and myself. Team Ryuusei is owned by Gammatron. Please Review.**


	107. Subaru vs Geo

**Sailing my sea! Yeah-Never say die Gotta go! Go!**

***Camera scrolls from a desert to the sky, the words Return to the Zones in large letters, a Zone Portal appearing in the O of the Zones***

**Asu e no chizu hirogete Issho ni ikou ze Go along along (Unfold the map to tomorrow, let's go together, Go along along)**

***The camera zooms in towards the Zone Portal, fading to white before fading back in to reveal Max and his original team standing in front of the HQ***

**Bouenkyou de nozokeba Michinaru minato e Go along along (If you peek through the telescope, head to the unknown harbor, Go along along)**

***Camera zooms in through the door, running along the hallways, passing Max's team in rooms, Tenshi Zero and Ultimate X sparring, while Eva and Luna Rena cook, Kassie setting the large table in the next room, the camera moving onto the other rooms to show the rest of the team doing their own activities***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Sono te de kaji o tore (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Take the helm with your hands)**

***Scene changes to Max and his team looking out at the sunset on top of the building before cutting to Ryuu and Team Ryuusei on the other side of the HQ, staring at a rising sun, and changes again to show both teams at once, facing opposite directions***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Yoake no umi e to fune o dase (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Sail out to the sea of dawn)**

***Max and Ryuu look at each other, smirking, before the scene changes to Beamer's restaurant, where Lan, Netto, and Ryuu are in a curry eating contest, Ryuu in the lead, while both teams cheer them on, Beamer laughing, Rayne and Komatsu in chef outfits, while J.T. can be seen through the kitchen window trying to put out a fire, Meda slapping at the flames with his apron***

**Seiipai Hareryuuya Ima da go o age Nakama to tomo ni (With all your might, hallelujah- Now raise the sails together with your friends)**

***Scene changes to Tan'ya watching Kent practicing his technique in Sync Merge, Moon staring in silence, while Sonic X is in the background, talking with Rockman and Megaman, Lyra and Harp bopping Omega-Xis and WarRock on the head as the two start fighting in the background just behind Sonic X, who gets caught up in the fight, separating the two***

**Kaisei no sora no shita Yume to iu na no daikoukai e (Underneath the fine weathered sky, head to the great voyage named 'dream')**

***Scene change to Will and Kassie walking through the mall, Cyber, Sonic X, Roll, and Megaman with them, Cyber and Sonic X pushing a stroller each, Volt in Cyber's, Jazz in Sonic X's, while Chaud, Protoman, and Greymon are in a sword store, browsing through. Geo and Subaru walk into the frame with the latter three, Geo holding up a Buster Blade, pointing at it, while the other four shake their heads***

**Koerarenai mono wa nai Kaze o ayatsuri Doko made demo jiyuu ni yukeru (Nothing is unsurpassable; control the wind and freely go anywhere)**

***Scene changes to DaiRyuuseiKnight, back to camera as Ashe and Grey sit beside him, Gregar sitting beside Grey, Falzar sitting on Ashe's shoulder, Model A floating over DaiRyuuseiKnight, while all six look at the stars. The camera pans out to reveal Ace, Ash, and Pandora to the left of the group, also watching the stars, while Yuck and Kevin slept on either side of a nearby tree, Ben sitting on a branch at the top of the tree, Gwen on a Mana platform***

**Leap on Leap on sora o miro umi o miro somatta isshoku no ao (Leap on Leap on, look at the sky, look at the sea, Dyed in one color of blue)**

***Camera pans away from the group, Katta coming on screen, laying down by a small pond, a fishing pole set up beside him, while Blaze, Tarn, and Tara sit around a campfire, fish rotating on a stake over the fire, Kent's mouth watering. Camera pans a little farther to the right to reveal Hub and Mirajane sitting on the other side of Tara, joining in the conversation the three councilors are having, all laughing as Katta was yanked into the pond as he grabbed the pole, Katta resurfacing, spitting out pond water, a four foot long fish on his pole, Katta's fingers in V for victory***

**Shirani mono to ka Motto shiritai kara Go! Go! Shukkou (Because you want to know more about unknown things and, Go! Go! Depart)**

***Scene changes to J, Sasuke, and Will in the lab, trying to explain certain parts to Hub, whose eyes are spinning, while Jen and Z stand nearby, giggling as the Tech Trio soon gave up, Shinobi running down the hall as a blue laser followed him, the camera going out the door and down the hall to reveal the holo-Palkia roaring, Kyuubi and Rockman revealed to be the ones at the panel, rolling on the floor, holding their sides and crying as they laughed, the camera panning to reveal Eggman and Tails on the other side of the room, looking in wonder through the circuitry that made up the holo-Palkia***

**Nenryou tnaku mantan Mawasu igunisshonKaji to konhineeshon Nami to sesson (Ruel tanke full, ignition spinning combination with the helm, session with the waves)**

***Scene change to Dai laughing at Ryuu, who's caught in a large pile of tape, Max trying to help him, while Blademan tapes it, laughing, when Ryuu's shadows extends its hands, Blademan yelping in fear and running, Max now laughing as his friend ran around the room, even on the walls and ceiling, as he tried to escape the hands, Dai now helping her uncle, but still laughing, Ryuu's shadow hands breaking Blademan's camera and then the camera the tape entangling Ryuu came from***

**Agero tensshon Kaizu hirogete adobenchaa Denjaa kugurinukete Ooshan rainaa (Raise the tension, unfold the map, it's an adventure Escape through the danger, ocean liner)**

***Scene change to Sonic X and Viral looking at a diagram, then looking at a small sculpture, turning the diagram every which way as they tried to figure out what it was supposed to look like, when Cyber appears, turning the diagram the correct way and the two looked from it to the sculpture, nodding, while Sonic X kissed Cyber before turning behind him to see an angry Terios Shadow with a shotgun, flames in his eyes as he gave chase to the blue netnavi. Scene change to Misora and Sonia with Lyra and Harp, all four enjoying milkshakes, when Sonic X came into the shot, jumping the table, Terios Shadow not far behind, the four females watching the scene with faces of amazement***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Atarashii ashita e (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Head to a new tomorrow)**

***Scene change to Kenjirou and Marcus with the Xros Heart Army, Nene, Knightmon, Taiki, and Agumon X beside them, watching with interest as Beamer and Bass fought each other in the Blanket Zone, craters everywhere, while the rest of the Hunter Eradication Army stood nearby, cheering on Bass, while Omega-Xis/WarRock, Tenshi Zero, Tomari Axl, and Megaman cheered on Beamer, Shinobi wearing a booky hat as he took bets from those gathered, Gent and Addy there as well, Addy holding Gent's ear, pulling him away from the betting booth, Blaze watching with a sweatdrop before placing his own bet***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Suiheisen no mukougawa e (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Head to the other side of the horizon)**

***Scene change to Max laying in a field looking up at the stars, Geo, Subaru, and Ben with him, all four in a circle with their heads on the inside of the circle, their eyes widening as Zaxlew appeared above them, Zaxlew shooting Max the finger before disappearing in a Negative Zone Portal, an image of Kalar fading into view, switching places with the four stargazers, the camera panning around to reveal Kalar was watching the creation of Rampage's new body, while Lockdown stands nearby, Rampage's Spark held in his hand in a container, Lockdown smirking as he saw the weapons being added to Rampage's new body***

**Yeah – Never say die Gotta go! Go! Go! Go! (Yeah - Never say die Gotta go! Go! Go! Go!)**

***Scene change to the Ground City Arcade, Bud, Taurus, Scar, and Jing all sitting in the seats of a car game, Wily watching nearby, while on the screen, it shows Taurus in the lead, Scar a close second, Bud in third, and Jing in fourth, Kir watching with idle interest from behind Jing, his eyes going to the shooting game right beside the car arcade game***

**Kaisei no sora no shita Ima da ho o age Nakama to tomo ni (Underneath the fine weathered sky, now raise the sails together with your friends)**

***Scene change to Rockman and Megaman running alongside Sonic X, still running from Terios Shadow, who's now taking potshots at the trio with his gun, Will and Komatsu getting bowled over by the four, while Toriko watches, eating a mountain of ramen with Naruto, who stops just long enough to point and laugh at the two, while Maylu and Meiru came out in time to see Terios Shadow run by them, shaking his fist as his gun ran out of ammunition***

**Seiipai Hareruuya Yume to iu na no daikoukai e (With all your might, hallelujah – head to the great voyage named 'dream')**

***Scene change to Ruka watching with Gregar and Falzar as Ashe and Grey fought Ash and Gray in a sparring match, Ash and Gray with the upper hand, until Gregar and Falzar ran towards Ashe and Grey, disappearing in a ball of light as the two entered Beast Drive, Wulf, Akari, and Sari watching as Bumblebee and Cheetor snuck up on Inuyasha and Turbo, holding water balloons, before Inuyasha and Turbo turned towards the two, both armed with fire hoses attached to two hydrants apiece, Bumblebee and Cheetor dropping their balloons as Inuyasha and Turbo opened fire***

**Koerarenai mono wa nai Kaze o ayatsuri Doko made demo jiyuu ni yukeru (Nothing is unsurpassable: control the wind And freely go anywhere)**

***Scene change to the teams standing outside of the HQ, making goofy faces at the camera, before changing to the teams resting in the living room, all beat from the day's activities, Max and Ryuu gripping wrists in the doorway before turning to the room, walking in, the camera capturing a still shot of the two's backs***

* * *

**Subaru vs Geo**

Geo gulped as he saw the lightning and aura recede from him. "Well, this…could be a problem," he said. Geo drew the sword, hefting it in his right hand, as if he were testing its weight. "Been awhile since we actually had a real fight, hasn't it, Omega-Xis?"

"Yeah, it has," Omega-Xis replied. "So stop standing there and _go for it!_"

"Flash Freeze!" Geo swung his blade into the ground, a wave of ice erupting from the new trench in the ground, heading towards Subaru.

"Child's play," Subaru smirked, jumping over the ice as it made its way towards him, landing easily on the sheet of ice left from the sudden cold wave. He then slid forward, landing on his face as Geo hit him from behind with the flat of the sword. "Okay, really shoulda seen that comin'!" He jumped out of the way as Geo's sword landed in his spot, flipping backwards, the lightning and aura melting the ice in his path. He jabbed at Geo, the lightning and aura erupting from his hand. Geo caught it with his sword, the force of the blow sliding him backwards on the sheet of ice, until he eventually came to solid ground, digging his heels in.

"Oh, crap, crap, crap!" Geo yelped as the attack started tipping him over. "Omega-Xis, time to kick it up one more notch! Tribe Sage!" Geo changed into the new form, the area around him cracking from the power alone, the lightning and aura flowing around Geo.

"You were holding back?" Subaru asked. "Now I just feel insulted." He leaped at Geo, concentrating the lightning and aura into his right fist, but Geo opened his eyes, revealing the golden color, catching the fist with his own.

"Now it's your turn," Geo said. He looked at the fist, smirking at the lightning and aura erupting off of it. "Because you and I both know that we've been holding back on each other. So come on. Let loose. Or else _I'll _be the one doing the hurting." Geo released the fist, his hand smoking, but he continued smirking, unfazed. Subaru returned the smirk, nodding.

"Alright then," he said, disappearing from view, appearing to the right of Geo, "I have been holding back. Now try this!" He disappeared again, reappearing every now and then, striking Geo at irregular intervals.

"It's about to be over," Max said, his irises silver again. "It's been ten minutes…one of them's about to show their hand."

"Why the card analogy?" Ryuu asked. Max closed his eyes, smiling.

"Because Geo's been holding back more than you'd think. But he won't pull it out yet," he said, looking at Bud. "Isn't that right, Bud?" Bud nodded.

"Yeah. Still needs a little more time before he can pull _it _out," Bud replied, Ryuu giving Max a questioning look.

"_It_?" Ryuu repeated.

"Just be ready to pull up a barrier when necessary," Max said, opening his eyes, returning his attention back to the fight.

Meanwhile, Subaru had been hitting Geo from all sides with Shunko, but so far, Geo wasn't fazed. In fact, if Sonia didn't know any better, she'd have thought Geo was asleep. "Okay, this is getting me nowhere," Subaru said. He held his left hand over his face as a black energy began to gather over it. He brushed his hand away and revealed a black and white mask resembling a Stardust Dragon's head as the whites of his eyes turned pitch black. He then brandished his sword in the air.** "Burn in the Atmosphere, Shūtingu Sutā!"** His voice had become darker, twisted. His blade erupted in stardust-colored flames, engulfing him. The flames parted to reveal his torso, legs, left arm, and head were covered in a fusion of his normal armor and the form of a Stardust Dragon, including its wings and tail. His right arm/hand were covered in a strange, stardust-colored metal with a long, wide sword fused to it. He still wore the mask. Geo smirked again, slowly bringing his blade up to point at Subaru.

"Oh, boy," Max said. "I suggest you guys get ready for some backwash. Every time I see him use this form, he gets even stronger." Geo's right eye twitched and a wave of energy rolled off of him, Max's Zone Energy flaring in response, a barrier spreading out from in front of him, the energy rolling around the barrier. Subaru remained unfazed, yawning. "Say, Dai, do you care how much damage this Battlezone takes?"

"The BattleZones automatically heal themselves within an hour," DaiRyuuseiKnight replied, "It is Geo and Subaru that I am worried about. Especially Geo."

"Why Geo?"

"He has never fought a being who bears a Malefic Mask before," DaiRyuuseiKnight replied.

Subaru growled as he opened his mouth, causing the mouth of his mask to open up as well. In his mouth, a sphere of black, stardust-themed energy began to build up. He roared before firing a train-sized beam at Geo. He barely flew over the attack and turned to see what it had done. He gawked at the sight of a giant hole the size of the beam going through two and half of the giant trees in the area.

"That was…a beam of Crimson?" Sonia pondered.

"Not just any beam of Crimson," Harp replied, holding her head a little, "It was a Cero (Empty Disaster). Normally, it is a highly-compressed sphere of spiritual energy, but Subaru can only use Crimson for it."

"That explains the headache…" Lyra muttered, holding her aching head.

"If he did that with just Crimson…then what can he do with that Spiritual Energy stuff?" Sonia asked.

"You do not wish to know, Sonia-sama," DaiRyuuseiKnight replied.

The two fighters narrowed their eyes at each other. Subaru flew right at Geo and the two swung their blades. They collided and created sparks for a few seconds. The two proceeded into a battle of blades. To those watching, it seemed more like a dance of death than a swordfight.

"Wow," Tenshi Zero said. "I've seen many swordfights as a swordsman myself, but…"

"Nothing like this," Protoman finished. "Er...not to sound redundant, but…what exactly is Geo going to pull out? And how soon?"

"Well, after that not so little Cero, I'd say Subaru's just cut Geo's normal time by a good ten minutes," Max replied. "Factor in the amount of energy released earlier…add in the swordfighting at its current rate…and…"

"Three minutes," J finished, Max looking at him, J nodding. "I'm one hundred percent positive that he'll be able to use it after three minutes."

"Come on, come on!" Geo exclaimed, swinging his sword with more ferocity, while Subaru tripled his own efforts. "Tribe Obliteration!" Geo took the star off of his back with his free hand, while the skull opened its mouth wide. He threw the star at the same time the skull fired a stream of magma at Subaru, a tornado of leaves surrounding the star, hitting Subaru just after the magma, super cooling the molten rock. He finished the attack with the sword, holding it in both hands, slashing down as hard as he could, lighting roaring off of it, hitting Subaru, the shockwave forcing everyone back a few inches. When the smoke cleared, Subaru was gone. Geo closed his eyes, the star returning to its place on his back. He flipped backwards as Subaru appeared just under his chin, thrusting his blade straight up. Subaru growled at him before taking flight. Geo watched him, jumping to the side as Subaru swung his blade, a blast of stardust-colored energy flying towards him, the impact leaving a small crater about the size of what a normal meteorite impact would have left. "Alright. You wanna fight high, let's fight high."

"He isn't," Taurus said, until Geo held his hand up, the hand sparking. Bud sighed.

"He is," Bud said. "I would suggest you all cover your ears now," he said as he took his own advice.

"Why?" Shoutmon asked, the only one there not doing it.

"Unmei no Michi(Road of Destiny)!" Geo declared as the sparks left his hand. He then twisted his hand, the EM Waves in the BattleZone warping as he continued to twist, Wave Road pathways forming. The EM beings grabbed their heads as this happened, Subaru feeling a slight headache as Geo continued to form more Wave Road pathways. He stopped after a few more seconds, hopping up onto each pathway until he was at Subaru's altitude, running along the road to reach him and drive his sword down at him, Subaru parrying, watching as Geo began to fall, when one of the roads bent towards him, giving him a landing pad. Geo flipped to land on both feet, jumping back up to Subaru. With the spectators, Shoutmon had collapsed, his left leg twitching while foam fell from his mouth.

"Oh my brother! You're hurt!" Starmon exclaimed in fright.

"First Aid!" the Pickmonz called as Cyber handed the carrier to Sonic X and took out a medical kit.

"Damn it, how many times have I told him to not do that?" Taurus said, still holding his head, just before Cyber slugged him into the tree.

"Taurus, quit playing under the tree and get back here," Max called out to him. "It's a lot safer behind a barrier than behind that tree. Though it did take a hit from Railion and it's still standing," he observed.

"Hmmm…almost time," Geo said, grinning.

"**Time for what?" **Subaru asked.

"For me to show you what I'm really capable of," Geo replied. He began to count backwards from ten before nodding. "Alright…I know you've still been holding back. So let's make this interesting. On the count of three, we'll both go to a final form. And from there…from there, we'll settle this…how 'bout it?" Subaru nodded.

"Bring…it…on!" Subaru's Omega-Xis replied.

"Alright…one…"

"**Two…"**

"**Three!" **they declared.

"**Ban…Kai!" **Subaru vanished before a portal of the cobalt Crimson appeared behind Geo, who ducked as a sonic boom was heard. From the portal, a blur resembling a spinning drill of stardust erupted from it. **"Be born, Shūtingu Sutā Doragon!" **The drill goes high into the air, covered in dark clouds. The clouds parted as the 'drill' went higher into them. The blur revealed itself to be Subaru in more armor resembling a bulky version of Stardust Dragon. His elbows had black, sleek spikes while his stardust-colored leg armor had green jewels on the knees and a green jewel just below the torso armor. His helmet was a sleeker version of Stardust Dragon's head and seemed smaller. His wings were more jet-like in appearance and his blade was longer and sleeker. Subaru's Omega-Xis wore the Malefic Mask while his green radiation was stardust-colored. Subaru spread out his wings and dispelled the thunderclouds.

"Sage Card King!" Geo declared. A large amount of Crimson suddenly made itself known to those gathered, some of it being drawn into Geo from the crater created by the Cero, some of it from the patches of swordfighting that they had done. His armor began to morph, the Deck Master armor combining with the Tribe Sage armor. The blade of the Deck Master had fused itself onto the helmet of Tribe Sage, a visor sliding down over his eyes, whose irises had become a transparent gold in color, the pupils disappearing completely, while the wings sprouted from his back, the Noise of the wings replaced by Crimson. The disks of Red Joker had also appeared, though there were now four, floating around him. The armor had become black and red, except for the OOParts and the helmet of Tribe Sage, which retained their normal coloring. When this was done, Geo gave his left index finger a twitch, sending the Crimson out.

"Here it comes," Max said. He turned to glance at DaiRyuuseiKnight and Ryuu. "Get those barriers up. Otherwise, we'll literally be swimming in Crimson."

"Hai. Barrier Ultima!" DaiRyuuseiKnight declared as his body glowed with a sandstone-colored aura that quickly expelled itself to form a barrier.

"Kage, shield," Ryuu ordered as the inky hands created a barrier once more.

**"Let's go!"** Omega-Xis roared, his voice darker and twisted like Subaru's when he wore the mask.

With that, the two fighters lunged at each other. The impact their blades made shook the entire area and caused a few trees to collapse. The two then vanished from sight.

"Where…Where did they go?" Sari pondered.

"They're still fighting, but your eyes are too slow to keep up with it," Sonic X replied.

"Hmm…Seems I'm going to have to train my Sharingan to keep up with that speed," Sasuke sighed, his eyes red with three tomes in each, "At best, I am able to see mere glances of their forms."

"I can see them just fine," Ryuu shrugged.

"Same here," Max nodded, "But Subaru's faster…much faster than Geo."

"Trust me, you haven't seen anything yet," Misora grinned, _'And neither have you seen his stamina. Growl…'_

_'You ever get the feeling your girlfriend is thinking of that last night you were in bed with her?'_ Subaru thought as he dodged a flurry of strikes from Geo.

_'Why can't I get anything but misses and parries?'_ Geo thought, _'He's fast…Fast like Sonic at the tournament…Maybe faster if you don't include his Final Smash…'_

The two appeared once more, landing in a stalemate. The disks floating around Geo took their change and managed to blast Subaru with a laser from each of them. Subaru grunted as he was sent into a tree and landed on a branch. Geo rushed at him and swung…only for Subaru to split into two-one red and the other blue. Misora's face lit up a bit at that in shades of red. Geo was startled and ended up receiving an Omega-Xis to the face by both of Subaru, sending him into the ground and making a small crater.

**"How do you like…"** the red Subaru began.

**"…My Bankai's first ability? I can split myself…"** the blue Subaru continued.

**"…Into five of me, each at 1/5 of my full power, but with all the speed,"** the red Subaru finished.

"You also get the annoying 'twins-finishing-each-others…'" Ryuu began.

"…'-sentences Syndrome,'" Hub finished.

"Aw crud…" the two slumped and sighed. Max looked at the two, left eyebrow raised.

"As long as you don't start talking at the same time, we'll all be okay," he said, a rock hitting his head. "Ow! What…?" He looked over at the fight to see Crimson warping around Geo. "Oh…oh, osik…"

"What?" Ryuu asked.

"Well…like I've observed, Subaru definitely has the speed advantage, but Geo…in this form, the environment becomes Geo's bi…" Max looked at Cyber, her arms crossed, left foot tapping as she waited for the rest of the statement. "Um…the environment becomes his personal play toy. It's because of this form's own natural abilities, one of which extends to controlling Crimson, even over great distances. And another ability is learning from an opponent. Since he saw that Cero blast and since he's probably figured out by now it was done with Crimson, he can recreate it to his liking. And judging by the size of that super condensed sphere, I'd hazard a guess that he is…"

"Oh…um, on the off chance this battle gets out of hand, what do we do?" Misora asked.

"Well, I suppose we could stop it," Max said. "Of course, that's supposing that neither of them goes into a trance-like state, no longer feeling pain and thereby transcending the need for rest. In which case, we're probably screwed."

"That Crimson coming off of you," Geo said. "It feels…weird…but strangely satisfying," he said, holding the ball of super condensed Crimson in his left hand, the sphere about the size of a baseball. He tossed it between his hands, unworried about the devastating power he held right now. "Yet I can only partially control it. When I'm back in my right mind, you'll have to share that with me, if you can."

"**In your right mind?" **the blue Subaru repeated, eyeing the sphere.

"Yes. Like my friend J, I have something of a Battle Lust, but only in this form. I'm not quite Geo, but I am. I'm a split personality he created in order to be able to handle this form's power, but at the same time, I'm only a guide for his subconscious. Tell me, do you like catch?"

"**Uh…well, I suppose," **the red Subaru said, caught off guard by the statement.

"Oh, good. Then catch," Geo grinned, tossing the ball to the red Subaru. He caught it, fumbling for a few seconds before catching it once more. "Now, be careful with that. That's pure Crimson, unprocessed and raw. You drop that and the three of us go boom. Well, at least I think we will…I don't get out often, so I've never actually tried my Crimson Ball Game with anyone before. Here," he said to the blue Subaru, whipping up another ball and tossing it to him. "Perhaps you'd like to play as well." The blue Subaru caught this one, having expected it, before splitting again, this time a yellow Subaru present.

"**Okay, you do that again and I'm gonna get really pissed," **the yellow Subaru growled.

"Oh, but I must at least show you what you're in for," Geo said, whipping up one more before tossing it over his shoulder, a few football fields worth of distance between them and the ball. When it exploded, everyone watched with wide eyes as it tore the area apart, the edge of the explosion stopping just short of Geo's back. "So, drop that, and we four are in big trouble, no? Though you might be able to outrun the blast for a few seconds, if you were to drop it now. But can you guarantee that you'll be able to make it?" '_And yet I have no doubt that I'll be the one walking away from this hurt…'_

"Oh, that can't be good," Bud said as he saw tendrils of Crimson creeping up on the three Subarus.

"He wouldn't…would he?" Sonic X asked.

"Out of the two, he'd survive because he can control Crimson, in any form, period," Max said. "Yeah, I think he would."

"Your time begins…now!" Geo yanked his right hand up, the tendrils of Crimson jerking up to knock the two spheres out of the hands of the blue and red Subarus, the three Subarus' eyes widening as they turned and ran, disappearing and reappearing at intervals, the blast starting to catch up to them. They gave one final leap, managing to just clear the blast zone, while Max, DaiRyuuseiKnight, and Ryuu's barriers took a beating, but managed to hold out against the assault of Crimson. Geo clapped from the epicenter of the blast, smiling. "Brilliant. As I thought, you were much faster than I actually expected. So, let's play another game, shall we…hmmm…what kind of game could we play now? Oh, I know. This is one that I've always wanted to try since Piccolo first began teaching Geo martial arts. He talked a little about chi. How did it go again…ah, right. I'll start by making a ball of Crimson, which I will pass to you. You will try to stabilize it and add a little bit of your own power before sending it back to me. This will continue until one of us is unable to stabilize, add, or control the ball of power. Normally, we would do this with chi, but seeing as we can both make some use of Crimson, why not try it? In fact, to make it more interesting, I'll do it with all five of you at once, if you'll get out the other two. And you can add any amount of power to it, so long as each of us can feel a difference in the power level."

The two teams sweatdropped. "Wow…I didn't realize Geo liked playing games so much," Max said.

"It may just be that split personality of his. Look at Tan'ya and Katta. Both inhabit the same body, but they're extreme opposites, no?" Sasuke pointed out.

"Katta? Oh, the guy who I gave a crate of Dragon Scale Rum to," Hub recalled as Blue Subaru made a purple Subaru and a green Subaru.

"That was _you_?" Roll and Megaman shouted, the former practically glaring daggers at the Dragon-Slayer.

"…Don't tell me. Did either of you…" Hub began when Roll thumbed herself, "Ah…I told him not to let females drink it. It makes them too uncomfortable in clothing and puts their hormones into overdrive and try to make out with the closest male to them that they hold really close to their heart."

**"Okay, let's do it,"** Yellow Subaru replied.

**"Oi! I say we don't,"** Red Subaru snapped, **"Come on! I just want to clobber them!"**

**"That would be ill advised,"** Blue Subaru noted, **"Perhaps we should play this game of his."**

**"Oh, come on!"** Red Subaru snapped at Blue Subaru.

**"Did you not just hear what Blue just said, maggot?"** Green Subaru demanded, making Red Subaru flinch and salute.

**"No, sir!"**

**"Then get out there and play ball!"** Green Subaru ordered.

**"Sir, yes, sir!"**

"Uh…" Lyra began.

"He splits a part of his personality in order to better control his other bodies," DaiRyuuseiKnight explained, "The green Subaru is the commanding part of his personality."

"Sounds more like a military general, if you ask me," Kassie said.

"That blue Subaru must be his wisdom and the red his anger, right?" Gray asked.

"Hai. The yellow one is his happiness and the purple one is what he was like when he had no BrotherBand and no lover," DaiRyuuseiKnight finished.

"Lover?" Sonia repeated before looking at a softly smiling Misora, "How long?"

"Ever since we fought Gemini Spark," Misora replied, "Though we kept it a secret in our world due to the media."

"Ah…" Sonia nodded, "Crazy media…"

"I remember this one time that my Zone's Sonia and Geo got a picture taken of them hiding in a bush from the media. Next day, the media reported that Geo was dating her," Rayne snickered, "At least until Meiru-sama, my Zone's Sonia's adopted mom, went down to each and every media outlet and…'talked' with the bosses."

"She threatened to beat them up?" Sonia asked.

"Yep. Even proved she was serious by punching down a wall with a single punch right in front of them."

"Wow…" Sonia awed.

**"…"** Purple Subaru simply glared at Geo before nodding at him.

"Perfect. Then let's begin," Geo smirked before throwing a sphere of Crimson roughly the size of a marble at Yellow Subaru.

For ten minutes, the six tossed the sphere to each other, making it grow little by little. Everyone noted that each time it was caught and thrown by Geo, it grew a quarter, while the size differed for each of the catches and tosses the five Subaru made. Eventually, it was as big as five houses.

"Oh boy…" Lan gulped.

"I'd hate to be in the area if that blows up…" Rockman paled.

"Maybe we should up the barriers?" Ryuu asked.

"Yeah…" Max gulped before the trio intensified the barriers.

**"Now!"** Blue Subaru shouted just as Geo caught the sphere.

**"Banzai!"** Red Subaru cried as he fired a laser from Omega-Xis's mouth, the shot stardust in color.

"Wh…!" Geo began when the beam collided with the sphere, "Oh, crud…" The sphere began to crack in places. "Now that wasn't a very smart move, Subaru. Hmmm…well, there's no helping it now." Geo tossed the sphere up, his wings suddenly growing in size as more Crimson appeared, his hands spinning and gesturing. Everyone looked up to see a silver colored Crimson surrounding the sphere, which continued to crack, now shaking violently. He managed to just finish covering it with the silver Crimson before a shockwave emanated from the ball, cracking the barriers Ryuu, DaiRyuuseiKnight, and Max had set up, ripping apart the silver Crimson surrounding it. Geo then glared at Blue Subaru and Red Subaru. "That wasn't very nice, you two." He squeezed both hands, the two engulfed within spheres of Crimson, which turned black. "You can go to sleep for breaking the rules." He then turned to the remaining three. "We shall continue from this point. You may choose the game."

**"Aw…Ko and Aka got caught…"** Yellow Subaru whined.

**"As expected of bonds…"** Purple Subaru whispered.

**"Ten Hut!"** Green Subaru ordered, making the other two quickly line up, **"Listen up, maggots! We are currently being outmaneuvered by an unknown opponent; ourself! We have but option…"**

With that, he pulled the two into a huddle, whispering. Yellow Subaru peeked out at times to look at Geo and waved with big grin before Purple Subaru would pull him back in. Nearby, Kage whimpered as he turned into what looked like a koala. It had a cut on each of its large, rabbit-like ears that moved up and down, a flat, round nose, two antennae on its head, and three blade-like spikes on its back. It also had four arms with three-fingered claws on the ends.

"Are you okay, Kage?" Meiru asked.

"It okay…I'm fluffy!" Kage grinned.

"Is that what he actually looks like?" Lan asked as he looked at Kage.

"Nope. He just likes using the form of Experiment 6-2-6," Ryuu replied, "His real self is much scarier."

"Well now we have no barrier," Kyuubi said, "What do we do?"

"I'll handle it this time," Ryuu replied as his eyes turned cobalt-blue.

"Just yourself?" Max asked.

"Trust him," DaiRyuuseiKnight said, "He's been wanting to do this technique for a bit."

Ryuu took in a small intake of breath before exhaling. He opened his eyes to reveal the slits were gone, but now his eyes looked like the top-view of a drill. He growled as his hands/arms turned into drill with a glowing core. He roared as he drilled them into the ground. Within seconds, a wall of massive drills erupted from the ground. Everyone cringed as the drills sprouted more drills that overlapped with each other, making the barrier even stronger. The drills then became a bit clear to let everyone see the fight. The trio broke the huddle.

**"Regroup!"** Green Subaru ordered. It was then the three turned into green, yellow, and purple stardust. From the spheres, red and blue stardust emerged from them. The stardust then fused together into the original Subaru. He turned to glare at Geo.

"Impressive. That's actually a good way to get out of traps," Geo smirked.

**"Yeah, but it hurts like a Hollow's bite when I do that. I've decided on the game…You heard of Russian Roulette? Well, this is going to be something like that,"** Subaru smirked.

"Oh? So it's a life-or-death game like the last?" Geo asked.

**"Yeah, but this time…We take everything into it. We will both summon every single ounce of our powers and pull it into our strongest attacks,"** Subaru explained, **"Strongest attack wins. The loser, though…You know what it means, correct?"**

Geo nodded. "Alright. But I hope you understand what you are fighting," Geo said, his hands now at his sides, the four disks slowly rotating around him, his wings flaring. "My strongest attack. The Crimson Destruction. I will not hold back." He began to twist his hands again, moving his hands through what reminded Max of a Bagua sequence. The fours disks began to pick up speed, while the area began to shake around Geo. Crimson began to build up, surrounding Geo and still, it continued to build, creating a wall of Crimson behind him, but soon it stopped growing, the Crimson now being compressed and condensed, more still building. Max looked at Ryuu.

"You know, I should probably mention that this is gonna give all of us a headache in the morning," he said. "Hmmm…can't believe J forgot to stock up on aspirin yesterday. "

"Like I said before," J said, "I had a little trouble at checkout. I still can't believe that Bubbleman's working there now." Will stiffened.

"Bubbleman is working at the pharmacy now?" he asked, his left eye twitching. J and Max nodded.

"Good. Just so you know…When I use my Bankai, I can't tap into Crimson," Subaru spoke.

Suddenly, nearly everyone nearly fell to the ground as an immense pressure erupted around the area. A star-colored energy began to seep off Subaru before flaring up and becoming powerful and vast, resembling the face of the mask Omega-Xis wore. He narrowed his eyes at Geo as he aimed Omega-Xis at him.

"So I tap into my Spiritual Pressure," Subaru continued.

"Oh boy…" Sonic X paled.

"What's wrong?" Sonia asked.

"Trust me, this is going to be big," Sonic X replied, "He's going to use something that Pesche told me could destroy half a continent."

"Which continent?" Max asked.

"…Which world?"

"How about the Earth from where those guy-Xros Heart, right?-are from," Max replied.

"…Australia…"

"Oh boy…" Max gulped.

"And Pesche knows this how?" Misora asked.

"Palkia-San owed him a favor one time, so he asked for a continent the size of Australia to be made in Hueco Mundo for Subaru to try out his strongest attack on," Sonic X replied.

"Never seen Geo use this attack yet, so I have no clue on its power," Max replied.

"Ryuu…you may want to up the barrier…" Zenjirou gulped.

"That depends. So far, only DaiRyuuseiKnight's strongest attacks could break it," Ryuu replied.  
Subaru aimed Omega-Xis at Geo. Suddenly, the area began to rumble as a small sphere of energy began to build up Omega-Xis's mouth. What was interesting were the various star-like glow in various places upon the sphere and the way it seemed that light was being absorbed into it.

"Cero…Oscuras!" Subaru roared as he fired a powerful beam the size of a train and as wide as a football stadium right at Geo.

"Crimson…Destruction!" Geo roared as he fired.

The two energies collided after a few moments. The resulting flash of light and darkness accompanied with an explosion rocked the entire BattleZone. The powerful shockwave from the impact ripped only a few trees while splintering others. The attacks died down and revealed the barrier had only two small cracks in it.

"…Was that it?" Ryuu asked before the barrier's cracks grew and then crumbled it, "Yep. That was it."

"Are they…?" Sonia and Misora whimpered.

The smoke of the attacks soon cleared to reveal the fighters. Nearly everyone looked at it in shock. Geo and Subaru were in craters in trees. The only two standing and slowly panting were the two Omega-Xis. Subaru's Omega-Xis rose a hand into the air, pointing his pointer finger right up.

"I told ya…Only one o' us gets the name…" Subaru's Omega-Xis panted.

Suddenly, the blood around the area floated and gathered to the pointing claw/arm, changing it into a drill with a glowing center. Ryuu just smirked with Simon, both knowing where Omega-Xis got that idea from, the former from a Dimensional Roar on Simon by accident and the latter from doing the same thing. The drill began to spin loudly.

"…And that guy…Will be me!" Subaru's Omega-Xis roared.

Both Omega-Xis roared as they charged at each other. The impact was made and nearly everyone cringed and looked away just seconds before. They slowly turned back to see that Geo's Omega-Xis had part of his torso armor and his left arm drilled right off and that Subaru's Omega-Xis had changed. He had gained more armor on his arms while his torso armor's shooting star symbol had grown into much tougher armor with a green shooting star symbol in the center made of emerald. His flames had also grown larger than before and extended from his back into fin-like wings with bits of gold, white, and blue armor. His head had gained three gold horns on it; a crescent-shaped horn on the front of his head with the longer half at the front and the shorter one at the back, and two crescent-shaped blade-like horns on the sides of his head that connected to the back of his eyes and the back of his jaw. His drill hand changed back into his claw, covered in the blood of the fight.

"Take that, wimp," Omega-Xis growled as Geo's Omega-Xis passed out.

"Shousa…Omega-Xis and Subaru," DaiRyuuseiKnight decreed as Sonia and Bud helped pull Geo out while Misora got Subaru out with one tug.

"But kaa-san…I don't wanna go to the bathtub…There's an evil monkey hiding in the bathroom closet again…" Subaru whined in a daze.

"What just happened to Omega-Xis?" Lan asked.

"That's what happens when an FM-Ian or an AM-Ian becomes stronger than before," Harp explained, "They evolve into a stronger form. Why else would some Wizards, AM-Ians, and FM-Ians resemble animals and humans. Though I do have to admit that I like Omega-Xis looking like this. They say that those who resemble dragons are one of the strongest beings made of Waves."

"Was that drill a sign of his evolution?" Taurus asked.

"Well, no. There's no signs of the evolution," Harp replied.

"He pulled off the same technique I used on the Anti-Spiral to defeat them," Simon explained, "I can't believe he learned it from just listening to me retell the fight."

"Uh…I think he's knocked out," Scar sweatdropped as Ed and Al poked the still-standing Omega-Xis with sticks they transmuted from one of the large blades of grass in the area that had remained from the explosion.

"Zzzz…" Omega-Xis snored as a snot bubble formed in his left nostril.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me!" Lyra exclaimed.

"Technically, he is the last of the four standing," Max sweatdropped.

"I believe we should haste them to the closest medical location," Sasuke advised, seeing the blood dripping off Geo and Subaru along with Geo's Omega-Xis's missing limb and part of his body.

"Nurse Ultima," DaiRyuuseiKnight spoke as he went to work.

"I have a few healing spells," Meiru said.

"Likewise," Mirajane added as the two girls went to help heal the four.

As the trio began to heal them, a few of them couldn't help but note just how well each of them were healing. Meiru and Mirjaane were both using two hands to mend the wounds on the bodies of Geo and Subaru while DaiRyuuseiKnight was easily remaking Geo's Omega-Xis's missing parts. DaiRyuuseiKnight, once he was done, picked up a clump of dirt and threw it at Subaru's Omega-Xis.

"Hey!" the more dragon-looking Omega-Xis snapped at the knight.

"You won, Omega-Xis," DaiRyuuseiKnight replied, "Change Card. Tensou!"

-Change. Railion!-

"Railion, Advent!" Railion declared.

"All aboard!" Dai called, "We are returning to the HQ."

"It is wise," Meiru noted as she looked at the setting sun, "It's getting late."

"I would prefer to not form a camp here," Sasuke nodded, adjusting his glasses, "The chances that there are unknown hostilities is particularly high. Even a simple member of the insect kingdom would be massive if the size of these trees is anything to compare them to."

"Reminds me of the Pikmin Planet," Sonic X recalled as he tapped his chin, "Ah! Toriko-san, your fridge is connected to the Pikmin Planet, too, right?"

"Yeah. Any place where the animals and plants can be used for food, I've got it," Toriko replied, drooling a bit, as everyone's stomachs growled.

"Seems we're all a bit hungry," Max chuckled, "Okay. We'll head back and get something to eat!"

"Good! I'm st…!" Omega-Xis began when he saw his reflection in Railion's engine, "What?"

"You kinda…evolved when you used that drill move," Yoko explained.

"Ha! Take that, you samurai chick!" Omega-Xis gloated.

"You may be a lizard now, but you're still a mutt," Harp smirked, a sleeve over her mouth.

"Uht! Why you…" Omega-Xis growled before another thought occurred to him and turned to the passed out. Omega-Xis, "Ha! As of now, you are WarRock!"

'Idiot…' everyone conscious thought with sweatdrops.

"I'll get LP o…" Ryuu began.

"No!" Max screamed, tackling Ryuu to the ground and into a fight cloud.

"Max-san, what is wrong with you?" Ryuu yelped.

"No Launchpad!"

"Fine! Fine! I won't call out LP!" Ryuu submitted as the fight cloud faded before grinning and striking the Forgotten Heart, "Let's go, Gus!"

"Gus?" Max repeated.

The Forgotten Heart and Oathkeeper became one once more, this time changing into a form the height of Lyra plus a foot. He wore what seemed to be a mix between a red pilot's outfit and a red mechanic's outfit. What really got them was the green skin and white mustache the guy had.

"Lan! So good to see you again!" the figure greeted, flying by spinning his feet so fast, they looked like upside-down mini-tornadoes.

"Gus, boy am I glad to see you," Ryuu grinned, "Oh, I go by Ryuu here because of Lan and Netto over there."

"Huh?" Gus tilted his head before turning to see everyone, "Oh…This is the Prime Zone that your friend, Will, talked about?"

"Actually, this is a BattleZone. I remember you told me that you once drove a train," Ryuu spoke.

"Say no more, Lan!" Gus replied with a salute.

"Ryuu," Ryuu corrected.

"Sorry, too used to calling you that. If it's a train, I can pilot it!"

"Why didn't you call him earlier?" Max complained after Gus flew into Railion.

"Easy; I had a Brain Fart," Ryuu replied.

"Why you…!" Max growled as he was about to tackle him once more.

"I still have Oblivion on me," Ryuu warned, "You want what happened to Blade-Baka happen to you?"

"No! He's good!" Will replied, covering Max's mouth and dragging him into Railion.

"Simon, mind helping me power up Railion?" Ryuu offered.

"No problem," Simon replied.

Railion soon went off. Railion drove through the portal and went off. No one was aware of a certain muscle car with a Transmetal crab on the hood emerging from it. It drove into a cave minutes before DaiRyuuseiKnight appeared before the portal. He held out a hand and the portal closed, the Battle Key returning to his hand. He then vanished in a swirl of a forest-green Ultima, leaving behind a patch of lovely roses and grass.

"He's gone," the muscle car said as a figure stepped out of the car, letting it transform into Lockdown as the crab turned into Rampage.

"So you know what you're doing, right, Demak?" Rampage asked.

"…"

The figure wore a black cloak with a gold trim. He removed his hood to reveal his dark-skinned, bald head. His face was covered in deep-violet markings resembling the symbol of Mu. His blue eyes were small and floated in darkness instead of pure snow. He held up a black, leather glove-covered arm to reveal a glowing violet outline resembling the Monkey Nazca lines.

"You deal with the Signer while we get Rampage his mods," Lockdown ordered, "Also, when's the other guy coming?"

"He is already here," Demak replied before vanishing into purple shadows.

* * *

**Another collab with Gammatron. Please Review.**


	108. Blademan vs Ryuu: Blademan's First Duel

**Sailing my sea! Yeah-Never say die Gotta go! Go!**

***Camera scrolls from a desert to the sky, the words Return to the Zones in large letters, a Zone Portal appearing in the O of the Zones***

**Asu e no chizu hirogete Issho ni ikou ze Go along along (Unfold the map to tomorrow, let's go together, Go along along)**

***The camera zooms in towards the Zone Portal, fading to white before fading back in to reveal Max and his original team standing in front of the HQ***

**Bouenkyou de nozokeba Michinaru minato e Go along along (If you peek through the telescope, head to the unknown harbor, Go along along)**

***Camera zooms in through the door, running along the hallways, passing Max's team in rooms, Tenshi Zero and Ultimate X sparring, while Eva and Luna Rena cook, Kassie setting the large table in the next room, the camera moving onto the other rooms to show the rest of the team doing their own activities***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Sono te de kaji o tore (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Take the helm with your hands)**

***Scene changes to Max and his team looking out at the sunset on top of the building before cutting to Ryuu and Team Ryuusei on the other side of the HQ, staring at a rising sun, and changes again to show both teams at once, facing opposite directions***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Yoake no umi e to fune o dase (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Sail out to the sea of dawn)**

***Max and Ryuu look at each other, smirking, before the scene changes to Beamer's restaurant, where Lan, Netto, and Ryuu are in a curry eating contest, Ryuu in the lead, while both teams cheer them on, Beamer laughing, Rayne and Komatsu in chef outfits, while J.T. can be seen through the kitchen window trying to put out a fire, Meda slapping at the flames with his apron***

**Seiipai Hareryuuya Ima da go o age Nakama to tomo ni (With all your might, hallelujah- Now raise the sails together with your friends)**

***Scene changes to Tan'ya watching Kent practicing his technique in Sync Merge, Moon staring in silence, while Sonic X is in the background, talking with Rockman and Megaman, Lyra and Harp bopping Omega-Xis and WarRock on the head as the two start fighting in the background just behind Sonic X, who gets caught up in the fight, separating the two***

**Kaisei no sora no shita Yume to iu na no daikoukai e (Underneath the fine weathered sky, head to the great voyage named 'dream')**

***Scene change to Will and Kassie walking through the mall, Cyber, Sonic X, Roll, and Megaman with them, Cyber and Sonic X pushing a stroller each, Volt in Cyber's, Jazz in Sonic X's, while Chaud, Protoman, and Greymon are in a sword store, browsing through. Geo and Subaru walk into the frame with the latter three, Geo holding up a Buster Blade, pointing at it, while the other four shake their heads***

**Koerarenai mono wa nai Kaze o ayatsuri Doko made demo jiyuu ni yukeru (Nothing is unsurpassable; control the wind and freely go anywhere)**

***Scene changes to DaiRyuuseiKnight, back to camera as Ashe and Grey sit beside him, Gregar sitting beside Grey, Falzar sitting on Ashe's shoulder, Model A floating over DaiRyuuseiKnight, while all six look at the stars. The camera pans out to reveal Ace, Ash, and Pandora to the left of the group, also watching the stars, while Yuck and Kevin slept on either side of a nearby tree, Ben sitting on a branch at the top of the tree, Gwen on a Mana platform***

**Leap on Leap on sora o miro umi o miro somatta isshoku no ao (Leap on Leap on, look at the sky, look at the sea, Dyed in one color of blue)**

***Camera pans away from the group, Katta coming on screen, laying down by a small pond, a fishing pole set up beside him, while Blaze, Tarn, and Tara sit around a campfire, fish rotating on a stake over the fire, Kent's mouth watering. Camera pans a little farther to the right to reveal Hub and Mirajane sitting on the other side of Tara, joining in the conversation the three councilors are having, all laughing as Katta was yanked into the pond as he grabbed the pole, Katta resurfacing, spitting out pond water, a four foot long fish on his pole, Katta's fingers in V for victory***

**Shirani mono to ka Motto shiritai kara Go! Go! Shukkou (Because you want to know more about unknown things and, Go! Go! Depart)**

***Scene changes to J, Sasuke, and Will in the lab, trying to explain certain parts to Hub, whose eyes are spinning, while Jen and Z stand nearby, giggling as the Tech Trio soon gave up, Shinobi running down the hall as a blue laser followed him, the camera going out the door and down the hall to reveal the holo-Palkia roaring, Kyuubi and Rockman revealed to be the ones at the panel, rolling on the floor, holding their sides and crying as they laughed, the camera panning to reveal Eggman and Tails on the other side of the room, looking in wonder through the circuitry that made up the holo-Palkia***

**Nenryou tnaku mantan Mawasu igunisshonKaji to konhineeshon Nami to sesson (Ruel tanke full, ignition spinning combination with the helm, session with the waves)**

***Scene change to Dai laughing at Ryuu, who's caught in a large pile of tape, Max trying to help him, while Blademan tapes it, laughing, when Ryuu's shadows extends its hands, Blademan yelping in fear and running, Max now laughing as his friend ran around the room, even on the walls and ceiling, as he tried to escape the hands, Dai now helping her uncle, but still laughing, Ryuu's shadow hands breaking Blademan's camera and then the camera the tape entangling Ryuu came from***

**Agero tensshon Kaizu hirogete adobenchaa Denjaa kugurinukete Ooshan rainaa (Raise the tension, unfold the map, it's an adventure Escape through the danger, ocean liner)**

***Scene change to Sonic X and Viral looking at a diagram, then looking at a small sculpture, turning the diagram every which way as they tried to figure out what it was supposed to look like, when Cyber appears, turning the diagram the correct way and the two looked from it to the sculpture, nodding, while Sonic X kissed Cyber before turning behind him to see an angry Terios Shadow with a shotgun, flames in his eyes as he gave chase to the blue netnavi. Scene change to Misora and Sonia with Lyra and Harp, all four enjoying milkshakes, when Sonic X came into the shot, jumping the table, Terios Shadow not far behind, the four females watching the scene with faces of amazement***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Atarashii ashita e (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Head to a new tomorrow)**

***Scene change to Kenjirou and Marcus with the Xros Heart Army, Nene, Knightmon, Taiki, and Agumon X beside them, watching with interest as Beamer and Bass fought each other in the Blanket Zone, craters everywhere, while the rest of the Hunter Eradication Army stood nearby, cheering on Bass, while Omega-Xis/WarRock, Tenshi Zero, Tomari Axl, and Megaman cheered on Beamer, Shinobi wearing a booky hat as he took bets from those gathered, Gent and Addy there as well, Addy holding Gent's ear, pulling him away from the betting booth, Blaze watching with a sweatdrop before placing his own bet***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Suiheisen no mukougawa e (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Head to the other side of the horizon)**

***Scene change to Max laying in a field looking up at the stars, Geo, Subaru, and Ben with him, all four in a circle with their heads on the inside of the circle, their eyes widening as Zaxlew appeared above them, Zaxlew shooting Max the finger before disappearing in a Negative Zone Portal, an image of Kalar fading into view, switching places with the four stargazers, the camera panning around to reveal Kalar was watching the creation of Rampage's new body, while Lockdown stands nearby, Rampage's Spark held in his hand in a container, Lockdown smirking as he saw the weapons being added to Rampage's new body***

**Yeah – Never say die Gotta go! Go! Go! Go! (Yeah - Never say die Gotta go! Go! Go! Go!)**

***Scene change to the Ground City Arcade, Bud, Taurus, Scar, and Jing all sitting in the seats of a car game, Wily watching nearby, while on the screen, it shows Taurus in the lead, Scar a close second, Bud in third, and Jing in fourth, Kir watching with idle interest from behind Jing, his eyes going to the shooting game right beside the car arcade game***

**Kaisei no sora no shita Ima da ho o age Nakama to tomo ni (Underneath the fine weathered sky, now raise the sails together with your friends)**

***Scene change to Rockman and Megaman running alongside Sonic X, still running from Terios Shadow, who's now taking potshots at the trio with his gun, Will and Komatsu getting bowled over by the four, while Toriko watches, eating a mountain of ramen with Naruto, who stops just long enough to point and laugh at the two, while Maylu and Meiru came out in time to see Terios Shadow run by them, shaking his fist as his gun ran out of ammunition***

**Seiipai Hareruuya Yume to iu na no daikoukai e (With all your might, hallelujah – head to the great voyage named 'dream')**

***Scene change to Ruka watching with Gregar and Falzar as Ashe and Grey fought Ash and Gray in a sparring match, Ash and Gray with the upper hand, until Gregar and Falzar ran towards Ashe and Grey, disappearing in a ball of light as the two entered Beast Drive, Wulf, Akari, and Sari watching as Bumblebee and Cheetor snuck up on Inuyasha and Turbo, holding water balloons, before Inuyasha and Turbo turned towards the two, both armed with fire hoses attached to two hydrants apiece, Bumblebee and Cheetor dropping their balloons as Inuyasha and Turbo opened fire***

**Koerarenai mono wa nai Kaze o ayatsuri Doko made demo jiyuu ni yukeru (Nothing is unsurpassable: control the wind And freely go anywhere)**

***Scene change to the teams standing outside of the HQ, making goofy faces at the camera, before changing to the teams resting in the living room, all beat from the day's activities, Max and Ryuu gripping wrists in the doorway before turning to the room, walking in, the camera capturing a still shot of the two's backs***

* * *

**Blademan vs Ryuu: Blademan's First Duel**

"So, this is Beamer's?" a man in his twenties asked. He wore a red vest with his torso revealed to show a sun-shaped scar on it. His brown hair, that ends at his neck when he lets it down, in done in a small tail on the upper part of the back of his head. He also wore black jeans and black running shoes. He also wore black armbands with gold sun designs on the backs. Ryuu had introduced him as Marcus.

"Yep," Max said, looking at the large glass window at the front of Beamer's. "His pride and joy." He went to the door, a small bell ringing as he opened it. "Yo, Beamer!"

Beamer came out of the kitchen, his apron smoking. "Yo," he replied. The teams stopped, looking at Beamer's apron and the smoke coming from the kitchen.

"Um…what…happened?" Toriko asked. Beamer sighed.

"We, uh…let J.T. try a recipe he's been practicing…"

"Uh…what was it?" Rayne asked.

"…Mac an' cheese…Yeah, we don't let him near the stoves _ever_ again…Rayne, Turbo, Komatsu, if I ever let him near one again, I want you to beat the crap outta me, got it?" The three in question nodded, still dumbfounded that anyone could be so bad at cooking. "So, what can I set you up with?"

"Enough Flamers for everyone to try a slice and then whatever they want," Max said. He suddenly cringed, everyone looking at him questioningly. "Uh, sorry. Make that enough for one more…um, yeah, I kinda got someone to introduce you guys to." He pulled out his crystal, tossing it into the air. The crystal glowed before surrounding itself with Ultima Energy. Max reached his hand into the ball, wincing. "Stings every time," he grumbled. He pulled his hand out, bringing with it a sword of pure Ultima Energy, even the hilt. "Everyone…this is Ultima."

"Yeah, we know what the energy is," Ryuu replied.

"Uh, no…I mean, this is _Ultima_," Max said.

"Yo, kid, let go for second," a voice said, startling everyone. They looked at the sword as Max let go. The sword glowed before changing shape to become a human. His eyes were multi-colored, just like Pure Ultima Energy, his hair a fluorescent glow. He looked like Max, except for his right arm wrapped in bandage from his elbow to the tips of his finger, the bandage hanging off the end at the elbow. He didn't wear a jacket, but instead a tee that was ripped at the shoulders, his left hand stuck into the pocket of his blue jeans. He grinned, casually saluting with his right hand. "Yo. Name's Ultima. And I am Ultima Energy." Everyone's jaws dropped, save for Max and Beamer, Beamer because he had gone back into the kitchen before Max had pulled out the crystal. "Heh. Guess that could have been better, eh?" He looked around the group, noticing the weapons with eyes. "Oi, is that Cali I see?" he pondered, walking over to Sonic X, pointing at Caliburn.

"Excuse me, but my name is Caliburn," he replied.

"Oh, my bad. Different Cali. Hey, does that mean Wave-hime's here?"

"Who?"

"Your sis…you know, Caliwav," Ultima said. "Hmmm…I suppose Congo and Can are somewhere close by as well…"

"Who are those people?" Ryuu asked, Ultima looking at him.

"Isn't it obvious, Ru-ru?" Ultima asked, Ryuu stiffening. "The legendary weapons. Congo's real name is Rhongo and Can's real name is Carn. I knew them about….hmmm, nine centuries back? Though I suppose it is possible for them to have Zone Doubles, though that's kind of rare when it comes to weapons."

"Ru-ru…" Eggman snorted in a laugh.

"Shut it, Baldy McNosehair," Ryuu smirked, causing Cyber to start giggling before laughing as Sonic X and Tails collapsed on the verge of tears in laughing.

"Ack! Why…? Curse you, Wisps!" Eggman declared.

"Lisps?" Lan repeated.

"It's 'Wisps,' with a 'W,'" Taiki replied, "They're aliens from Planet Wisp."

"I'll just stick with 'aliens' if that's okay with everyone," Lan shrugged before a red jellyfish like being appeared from Sonic X's boosters and zapped Lan on the rear, "Yikes! What was that?"

"This is Laser, a Wisp," Sonic X introduced before his other Wisps appeared, "These guys have been with me for quite some time. I'll take two of those Flamers, Beamer! With a Chili Dog Pizza if you've got it with Root Beer."

"Don't know how to make that one!" Beamer called in the kitchen.

"What kind of meat?" Komatsu asked.

"Galara Gator, if you'd please," Sonic X replied.

"You got it," Rayne grinned before the two hired chefs and the Wizard went into the kitchen.

"What's a Galara Gator?" Ultima asked.

"You don't want to know," Ryuu replied, shuddering, Ultima tilting his head.

"Please?" Maylu and Meiru asked.

"Ack! N-Not two of the Look…" Ryuu blushed heavily before passing out with a nosebleed, followed by Lan and Netto.

"The Look?" Maylu asked.

"A certain glint in my eyes that always causes him to cave," Meiru giggled, "Seems you did it too."

"I feel sorry for them," Bumblebee said, "With two of you, it must be heaven to them. Ow!"

Sari whistled innocently while looking away from him. She had kicked him in the leg for that comment and she wasn't going to admit it. After the trio had recovered and sat back down, Beamer, Rayne, and Komatsu walked out with plates.

"Here you go. The Flamer!" Beamer grinned as they handed each a red pizza.

"Yum…" Toriko grinned as he drooled.

"T-Toriko, matte!" Komatsu advised, "It has the Naga Viper in it!"

"Naga Viper? That weak thing?" Toriko asked.

"Oh, you'd be surprised, Toriko," Beamer chuckled.

With that, Toriko put his hands together and took a deep breath and exhaled. He took a slice and are the thing whole. He chewed it for a bit before swallowing it.

"This isn't too bad," Toriko chuckled, "The various spices and peppers in this single slice is pure concentrated with each bite. You used cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Swiss Cheese, making each one equal so that each could add their own mix into each bite. Also, stuffed crust with chili peppers with cheddar? Impressive."

"I don't believe it…He's not turning red, screaming, or anything," Beamer gawked.

"Let me try," Ryuu said as he took a slice.

He bit into it and his hair went wild with his face frozen in a crazed look. Slowly, his entire body-even his clothing-turned bright red with steam whistling right out of his ears. He let out a scream as he jumped five feet into the air, his head turning into a cartoon whistle and blowing like a foghorn, before changing back while breathing fire. The next thing everyone knew, a wall had been broken with the water pipe sticking out, with Ryuu drinking as much as he could. Everyone blinked, trying to think how he did that, before noting a sword in his left hand. It was pitch black with green, glowing markings. The hilt guard was comprised of two bat-like wings extending downward, the outside of them the glowing green. The 'teeth' of the blade-which resembled the teeth of a key-were in the shape of the Kanji for 'darkness' (闇). In the area that connected the guard to the blade was a glowing, lime-green diamond resembling a kite shape. A chain-like design ran up the length of the blade while it had a long, black chain on the bottom of the hilt, ending with a glowing green charm resembling the head of Lan's Charizard Form.

"I'm guessing that's what he used on Blademan?" Beamer asked as he pointed at the sword.

"Yep. That's the Thinner Brush, Oblivion," Will replied before Ryuu had finally extinguished the fire in him and used Oathkeeper on the wall.

"Oi!" Beamer snapped, "What did y…"

It was then he noted the ocean-blue slash in the pipe and the wall. Cracks emerged from the slash marks before the wall and pipe were instantly repaired. Ryuu walked back over before slumping into his chair, glaring at what remained of his slice.

"Not much of a spicy guy unless it's in Curry, huh? Well, Beamer, trust me when I say that I've had hotter," Toriko replied before pulling out a rainbow-colored pepper, "This is a Vulpine Magma Pepper. It's got ten of those Naga Vipers in one drop."

"Ten? Where did you get a pepper like this?" Beamer gawked as he accepted the pepper.

"I think Will can make you a Fridge," Toriko replied.

"Maybe, Toriko," Will replied.

"But I already have a few fridges in here," Beamer replied.

"Not that Fridge," Toriko replied, "One that is connected to the Gourmet World and the Pikmin Planet. It creates mini-Zone Portals that take anything-except people and beings with human intelligence and then some-and pulls it into this amazing landscape that grows to suit the amount of creatures and plants in it. Do you know the Capture Level of a Vulpine Magma Pepper? It's immeasurable, just like everything in the Gourmet World outside the Human World of mine and Komatsu's world."

"…Can you make me two of these, Will? One for just the creature and the other for…"

"Sorry. I can't," Will replied, "It needs to be both or else the Fridge blows up."

"Dang," Beamer scowled.

"However, I can make it in about…two days," Will replied, _'Good thing I helped Onii-San with it the first time.'_

"Perfect," Beamer grinned.

"Okay…From what I've seen from Ryuu's reaction, I think I may need Upchuck for this," Ben said as he activated his Ultimatrix. He was a teenager wearing black and white sneakers, a green jacket with the same symbol as the one on DaiRyuuseiKnight's helmet on the right side of his jacket, blue jeans, and the watch-like device known as the Ultimatrix.

"What's th…?" Ultima asked before Ben slammed down on the Ultimatrix.

Ben was replaced by a small pudgy green alien in a flash of green light. He looked hamster-like with some reptilian traits and had beady white eyes. Small ridges ran down his back and a stubby tail came from the back. His arms and legs were black. He had a plump tummy which seemed to be kind of cute in the opinion of the girls. His torso had the Ultimatrix Symbol.

"Upchuck!" Ben's new form declared.

"Ack! Not a Gourmand!" Beamer exclaimed, _'This is bad! He'll eat me out of food!'_

"What's a Gourmand?" Lan whispered.

"They're eaters," Kevin replied, "Watch."

With that, Upchuck opened his mouth and let out four, long, green tongues. The tongues grabbed onto Ryuu's slice and his own Flamer and took them into his mouth, plates and all. Beamer groaned, recalling just _why_ he banned Gourmands from his restaurant. Upchuck chewed for a bit before swallowing.

"Ah…Not too bad…" Upchuck grinned before changing back into Ben.

_'I hate those Gourmands…I fuckin' hate them!'_ Beamer thought as he glared at the Ultimatrix before looking at Ryuu, "So what's with the Keyblade?"

"For the last time, I don't own a Keyblade," Ryuu growled.

"Ryuu-kun, iie," Meiru said before taking a sip from her straw.

"Hai, Meiru-Koishii," Ryuu sighed.

_'Whipped…'_ Lan and Netto thought.

"So you two think," Ryuu said, glaring at them, "I have Oblivion and I ain't afraid of working with him."

"Oh boy…" Lan paled.

"I'm not afraid of that," Netto rolled his eyes.

"Did you not see what he did to the wall and pipe?" Ryuu asked.

"Nope. What if you did it with Oathkeeper?"

"Oathkeeper can't cut, it only Paints. Oblivion is the only one with Thinner," Ryuu replied.

"Wait…Oblivion? Oathkeeper? Those are definitely Keyblades," Beamer said.

"They're _not_ Keyblades," Ryuu groaned, "They are my _Brushes_."

"Brushes? Look, I know a Keyblade when I see a K…" Beamer began when Oblivion turned into a lime-green paintbrush with a hilt and guard.

"You see? A brush, not a Keyblade," Ryuu spoke, "Now can we please drop the subject on Oblivion and Oathkeeper?"

"Fine, fine," Beamer sighed before the bell rang, "Hello! Welcome to Beamer's!"

"Thank you," a figure said as he walked into the place, taking a seat in a secluded corner.

The figure wore a brown cloak that hid his face. He took it off and Ruka, Ryuu, Ace, and Sonic X gawked. The figure had long, black hair that ended at his back, brown eyes, and dark-skin. He also had a violet mark the left side of his face.

"Bommer?" Sonic X gawked.

"Well, well, it's Sonic, Lan, Ace, and little Ruka," the man smiled softly as the four quickly ran over.

"How the…When did…I though…" Sonic X tried to get out.

"I'm not entirely sure, Sonic. One minute, I'm in a cab heading for The Satellite. The next, this portal opens up and drops me here," Bommer replied.

"You know this guy?" Max asked as he walked over.

"Yeah! This is Bommer. He's nakama," Sonic X replied.

"What's the Satellite?" Bud asked.

"Trust us, you don't want to know," Ryuu and Ace replied.

"I'll bet you five want to catch up, so I'll just take your order right now, Mr. Bommer," Beamer said.

"Very well. I would like a plate of chicken rice with a cup of gray tea," Bommer replied, "I'm not that hungry."

"Okay then," Beamer nodded before dragging Rayne, Turbo, and Komatsu into the kitchen with him.

"I'm impressed. You actually cloned yourself twice, Lan," Bommer chuckled as he saw Lan and Netto.

"Zone Doubles, Bommer," Ryuu replied, "It's a long story."

"Trust me, I can wait," Bommer replied.

* * *

"I'm scared…" Rampage, in Beast Mode, whimpered as he followed Lockdown.

"Come on. Don't you want to beat that muscleman?" Lockdown asked, knowing the sore subject between him and Toriko. Kalar appeared, startling the two, Rampage jumping into Lockdown's arms, who in turn rolled his eyes, dumping his companion to the ground.

"Ah, Lockdown. A pleasure to see you," Kalar said. "How is your new body?"

"Fairly well, except for that Dark Ultima weakness you mentioned," Lockdown said, arms crossed.

"Ah. I take it you ran into a little trouble, then…tell me, was it that DaiRyuuseiKnight character?" Kalar asked, Lockdown's jaw dropping. "I assume so. I should have realized you'd be dumb enough to fight someone such as him. A being who can use Pure Ultima is bound to be able to split that Ultima apart." Lockdown's forehead now had a tickmark on it, his eye twitching. "Now, what do you need today?"

"Some Zeta upgrades for Rampage here," Lockdown said, pointing at the crab, who was hiding behind Lockdown.

"Ah. The crab," Kalar said, looking at said Transformer. He walked around him, arms crossed. "Hmmm…perhaps some Zeta claws…maybe some matter expanders, like we did for you…well, you've brought a challenge for my subordinates."

"I also want to know if you have anything to counteract Dark Ultima," Lockdown added.

"Basically, you want to become fully invincible," Kalar said, Lockdown nodding. "Sorry, but no. We don't have anything at the moment." He turned back to Rampage. "Now, unlike Lockdown, you have a choice, as your body is still intact. I can take your Spark the hard way or you go offline, allowing us to surgically remove it, quick and painless."

"C-Can I h-have offline?" Rampage gulped, "It won't really hurt me, since I have an immortal spark…"

"He's also got only half a spark. The other half's with the other boss, Akainu," Lockdown replied.

"Ah…Hold on, I think I have something for that. I knew I thought you were familiar, crab boy," Kalar said.

"C-Crab Boy…?" Rampage repeated.

"You're codename is actually 'Protoform X,' yes?"

"Y-Yes…That's right…" Rampage paled.

"Then _this_…" Kalar smirked as he withdrew half a Spark, "…Will be yours, yes?"

"M…My Spark? How…?" Rampage gasped.

"SpacialClockman appeared before me a few days ago with the remains of two bodies. One resembled a white raptor while the other…was your own," Kalar explained, "He gave me this incomplete Spark and told me that you needed it."

* * *

"So, what's it like being a half-dragon?" Max was asking Hub, sitting with him and Mirajane at a table, eating a slice of Flamer. The teams were intermingling all around the restaurant, conversations comparing fights, powers, and events of their lives.

"Not too bad. But I can't swim, to tell ya the truth," Hub replied as he chomped into five slices of the Flamer at once, "Lucky for me that Dragon Scale Rum is a good way to make this stuff not burning hot, yet retain the taste."

"But it gets you drunk," Max noted, seeing the blush forming on Hub.

"No me monk, you silly kitty puppy," Hub laughed before his head hit the table, out cold and purring.

"…He purrs in his sleep?" Max asked.

"I think it's cute," Mirajane giggled.

"You know, you four could be walking around, too," Ultima said, talking with the legendary weapons.

"And…how are we supposed to do that?" Caliwav asked. She was a sword similar to Caliburn, but her eyes were an ocean blue. Ultima grinned.

"Like this, Wave-hime," he said, placing his hand on an area just to her right, her body surrounded by a flash of light. This time, a human woman was standing in her place, Ultima's hand resting on her right shoulder. Her silver/ocean-blue hair went to the middle of her back, wearing silver and blue jeans, shirt, and jacket that ended at the elbows. She opened her eyes, revealing her natural ocean-blue eyes to still be there. She swayed, nearly collapsing, if Ultima hadn't hooked his hands under her arms, setting her down into the seat. "Easy, Wave-hime. You're new to legs, so it's gonna take a bit before you're used to the feeling. Same goes for the arms as well." He then stepped back, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm…beautiful no matter what Zone you're from…crap, I've gotta pay Congo now…"

"Um…huh?" Rhongo asked, the spear, a large V connecting the blade to the spear, violet eyes on the V. Ultima did the same thing, a six foot man standing in Rhongo's place. Wearing a black and white suit, with a red tie, his eyes were still the same violet, his black hair cut short, but long bangs fell over his left eye. "Whoa," Rhongo said, swaying like Caliwav, but managed to steady himself against the table, finding a seat without Ultima's help.

"Oh, me next, me next!" Carn said. Ultima smiled, nodding.

"Alright, alright, just settle down, Can," Ultima said, his hand going to the area to the right of Carn, but a lot closer than it had been to Caliwav and Rhongo. In Carn's place was a five-year-old with messy brown hair, a black eye and a white eye, a white shirt, and a black pair of shorts. Ultima turned to Caliburn as Carn settled into a seat. "And now for Cali."

"For the last time, please quit referring to me as Cali," Caliburn said.

"Hmmm…well then, how about Kal?"

"What does it mean?"

"It's Mando'a for blade, which, when you think about it, is quite appropriate for one such as yourself." Caliburn mused before agreeing. "Great. So you wanna try on a new form?"

"Perhaps. But allow me to show you something. Excuse me, Sir Taiki," Caliburn called.

"Hai, Caliburn-san?" Taiki asked, looking up from his ham pizza. He wore a red open vest over a blue shirt, big, white gloves, green and white shoes, and baggy brown jean shorts. In his left hand was a red device, making one think of a microphone and on his neck with an 'X'-shaped scar.

"May you show him the DigiXros?" Caliburn asked.

"DigiXros? You mean what Pro-Pro and Grey-Grey do?" Ultima asked.

"Don't call us that!" Greymon and Protoman barked before Greymon went back to eating his pretzel log calzone.

"Hai. Caliburn! Starmonz! Shoutmon! DigiXros!" Taiki called.

"DigiXros!"

Caliburn's blade vanished along with his hilt. Starmon attached to the back of Caliburn as five silver Pickmonz jumped on each other and then onto the two. Shoutmon grabbed the sword as a gold, crown-like attachment came over Caliburn and Starmon.

"Shoutmon + Starcalibur!" Shoutmon declared as the blade ignited and was surrounded by a gold, intricate outline of energy.

"Impressive. Anything else?" Ultima grinned as the Digimon and legendary sword separated.

"Caliburn! Shoutmon! DigiXros!"

"DigiXros!"

In place of Shoutmon and Caliburn stood a Shoutmon with Caliburn's face. He was also recolored the resemble Caliburn. His mic had changed to resemble a fusion of his mic and Caliburn.

"Calishoutmon!"

"I hate this form…" Calishoutmon muttered in Caliburn's voice, making Ultima start to snicker.

"Are you doing your routine again?" Sonic X snickered.

"Routine?"

"Our home, Shinobi Zone, has a Karatenmon that has the Code Crown. To get it, one needs to make him laugh," a Monitamon explained, popping out of Sonic X's helmet, holding it over its head, "They do the strangest DigiXroses as practice for when we have to get it."

"Oi!" Sonic X snapped as he reached for his helmet when the Monitamon jumped off, letting it hit him in the face.

"Is there one with Kamikaze-kun?"

"You'd kill Taiki-kun if you saw it, Cyber-chan," Sonic X replied.

"Why?"

"It involves him and Bastemon over there," Zenjirou, a boy around sixteen with short brown hair going up and wore a green vest over a white, long-sleeved shirt, brown jeans, and a black, ornate katana on his back, replied, pointing at the humanoid, Persian princess, black feline Digimon, currently curled up and sleeping on a table, with Knightmon and the PawnChessmonz guarding her from an upset Beamer.

"Can I see it?" Ultima grinned.

"No!" Sonic X snapped as Bommer laughed.

"Aw, I was hopin' for a show," Ultima pouted. "I haven't seen a good one in a while. Well, perhaps another time?" He then turned to Caliburn. "So, let's see how different you are from the Caliburn I know." Caliburn and Shoutmon released their fusion, Ultima placing his hand in the same area he had done with Carn, Rhongo, and Caliwav. Standing in Caliburn's place was now a man with brown hair that was cut just below his ears, his eyes still the same color. He was wearing a golden-colored tee, chain mail on his arms extending past the sleeves. He moved his arms, the chainmail clinking with each movement, before testing out his legs, which also clinked. The pants were loose fitting cargo pants, tan in color, while his shoes were actually boots. "Hmm…not too shabby, though I wonder if you have the same ability as Cali."

"Ability?" Caliburn repeated.

"Er, clench your fist. Give it a flex," Ultima said. Caliburn did so, a gauntlet forming from the chainmail, small spikes on the knuckles. "Don't remember him ever having spikes on it…" Caliburn unclenched his fist.

Everyone looked up as the bell for the door rang again, Blademan walking in. They all noted the crutch he was leaning on. "Oi, Blademan, Cossak get you fixed up?" Beamer asked. Blademan nodded.

"Yep, I'm doing just…" He stopped upon seeing Ryuu, who also returned the look.

"YOU!" they both exclaimed, though Blademan yelped more than shouted. Blademan jumped behind the nearest being there, who happened to be Ultima, while Ryuu pulled out Oblivion. Ultima looked at Blademan, then Ryuu, then at Max.

"What's the deal here, kid?" he asked.

"Uh, Blademan's been filming both teams and sending it into Zone's Funniest Home Videos and Ryuu apparently found out," Max said, scratching his cheek with his finger. "He, uh, didn't take it too well. Still don't know how Blademan was able to plant those cameras on them."

"Ah…okay, okay," Ultima said, nodding. "Ru-ru, why don't we just put the brush down and you and Blade-baka here-"

"I resent that!" Blademan snapped. Ultima rolled his eyes.

"As I was saying, you and Blade-baka can have a fresh start. What do you say?"

"I say move so I can get at him," Ryuu said, while Blademan whimpered. Ultima shook his head, his eyes closed, sighing.

"You know, there's an easy way and hard way at this point," Ultima said. "Easy way. You put the brush away, shake hands with Blade-baka, and we can avoid dirtying up this fine restaurant here. Or the hard way. Which involves me and you." Ultima held up his right hand. "And just so you know what you'd have to deal with, remember that Dai over there can work with Ultima Energy, which I _am_. And, I can do this." He stuck his hand into the nearby table, his hand passing completely through, but left no damage to the table. "Now, as unimpressive as this seems, just wait. And Beany, I apologize in advance for this." The table began to glow before it turned into a pile of dust, Beamer looking at the table before holding his breath and counting backwards from twenty. After he reached one, he turned around and walked into the kitchen before screaming at the top of his lungs. He came back out, acting like nothing had happened. "Better?"

"Yes," Beamer replied. "Much."

"So, it's up to you, Ru-ru," Ultima finished. He put his hand on the tip of the brush, pushing it to point at the ground. "By the way, kid, next lesson will be learning the basics of the Kuzureru, that little dust thing I did. I'm assuming you know it as well, DaiRyuuseiKnight?"

"Er, no, actually," DaiRyuuseiKnight replied. "In fact, I don't think I've ever heard of that before."

"Ah. Well, it's fairly easy to learn. As long as you hold the capacity to work with Ultima Energy, that is," Ultima said. "Oh, wait…you guys probably aren't going to live past ten thousand…well, that kinda puts a damper on that plan…er, what was I saying again?" Ultima asked, grinning sheepishly, while everyone sweatdropped.

"Razza-frazzen…" Ryuu growled before glaring at the whimpering Blademan.

"I believe I've seen enough," Bommer said as he stood up and walked between the two, "I have a solution to this; a Surprise Duel."

"What now?" Beamer asked before Beamer opened a backpack he had, taking out a standard Duel Disk, and gave it to Blademan.

"Do any of you have any card packs?" Bommer asked.

"Yeah. I normally keep some expansion packs on hand," Ace replied before pulling out a suitcase and opened it, revealing card packs.

"What are you planning, Mr. Bommer?" Roll asked.

"It's just 'Bommer' and this is the way I was taught how to settle things when they're small like this."

"_Small_? He videotaped us in our sleep or when we were in bed!" Ryuu snapped.

"They had to censor that one, mainly because of those two," Blademan chuckled as he pointed at Sonic X and Cyber.

"…You didn't…" Sonic X gawked.

"Still can't believe you wore that," Blademan snickered.

"Why you no-good…" Sonic X began before looking at the twins, who had been asleep since they had come back from the BattleZone, saw they were sleeping, and turned back to Blademan, "Son of a bitch."

"Why you…" Cyber growled as she reached into her Hammerspace.

"No Darkspine!" Meiru barked, stopping Cyber from pulling her arm out.

"Okay, okay…" Cyber sighed, letting Meiru release her and pull out her empty hand.

"Lan…"

"It's 'Ryuu' here, Bommer-san."

"Right. Ryuu and Blademan, both of you will make a deck of forty to sixty cards and then duel with them," Bommer explained, "Ryuu, you win and you can do whatever you want with Blademan. Blademan, if you win then everyone here you videotape will be required to forgive you and make a vow to not try to get revenge on you for your recordings."

"What?" Ryuu, Cyber, and Sonic X exclaimed.

"Um…C-Can I pick something else if I lose? Preferably not one that involves me being scarred for life…for the sixth time. Number five was you and Oblivion, half-breed!" Blademan barked.

"Heh. I like," Ryuu chuckled as Kage cackled maniacally before he was stopped from eating a coconut cake and coffee pizza, "No! You know what that stuff does when you're in this form."

"Aw…" Kage whined, "Ikka bobba to chika?"

"Fine. But change into a form you haven't used yet," Ryuu replied.

"Ih!" Kage nodded before changing into a fat, large teen with a black shirt with a lime-green maple leaf on the back, lime-green pants, and black hair. He lifted up the table and the top of his head flipped open like a lid. Within seconds, he had eaten everything on the table, including silverware. He put it down and changed back into his smaller, fluffy form and belched.

"Ooh…Owen from TDI, TDA, and TDWT. Nice pick, Kage," Ryuu grinned.

"Ahem. Instead of you guys beating the crap out of me, I'll burn every tape, camera, and disc with the videos, deactivate the mini cameras, and give Team Ryuusei two of the four accounts I have the winnings in."

"I'm not too sure ab…" Ryuu began.

"They're also hardwired to stocks, companies, and the like, and each is earning about 500,000 a day."

"Deal!" Cyber exclaimed, "With the money made in those accounts, College and school supplies for my babies is set!"

"Personally, at least one account could pay for a wedding," Sonic X chuckled, _'And supply us with a dojo to teach the kids…'_

"What about a tie?" Ruka asked.

"A Tie? Hmm…"

"Funky Gloknard!" Kage exclaimed.

"Not that one!" Ryuu barked.

"What's the Funky Gloknard?" Meiru and Maylu asked.

"Disco dancing for 1000 hours nonstop," Ryuu replied, "Trust me, I know this because I lost a bet due to a tie and had to do it. Stupid Beagle Boys…Heh. It was funny seeing them Disco Dance, though…Especially their Ma…"

"Uh, Bommer? These are Turbo Duel expansion packs. The spell cards in here are only Speed Spells," Ace noted as Ryuu began to hold back his snickers, "Hold on, I think I bought a spare D-Wheel for something like this."

"D-Wheel?" Max repeated.

"Cool. So you're going to have a Riding Duel?" Zenjirou asked.

"Seems like it," Bommer replied.

"Riding Duel? Okay, what are you talking about, guys?" Kassie asked.

"A D-Wheel is a vehicle designed for Riding Duels. Riding Duels are Duels that take place on the D-Wheel and have the permanent Field Spell-Speed World-active during the whole Duel," Will explained.

"Actually, the system was upgraded to Speed World 2 recently," Bommer explained.

"Speed World 2?" Ryuu repeated before grinning, "Now that's interesting."

"Hold on. How am I suppose to do this 'Riding Duel' thing with _this_?" Blademan demanded as he pointed at his bum leg.

"Hold on," Ace replied.

With that, he pulled out a vehicle from his Hammerspace. It was a red and blue D-Wheel with a spar car. The spare car had the Duel Disk System in it along with the main part of the D-Wheel. Ace took his hat off, put it into his Hammerspace, and then pulled out a fire-themed helmet with a fire-theme-tinted visor and put it on, snapping it on.

"I'll drive it while you duel with Ryuu," Ace replied.

"Oi! Not in here, you're not!" Beamer snapped.

"So let me get this straight; you Duel on a high-speed vehicle?" Max asked, "That's insane."

"Trust me, we've seen things a lot more insane," Omega-Xis chuckled.

"Is it even safe?" Sasuke asked.

"The D-Wheel has an Autopilot System for Riding Duels," Misora replied as Ace took the D-Wheel outside, "Plus, this could attract customers to this place…"

"Deal!" Beamer exclaimed before whistling, "JT, get me the banner!"

"Which one?" JT's voice called from the kitchen.

"The one that has the address for this place and fits on a motorcycle!" Beamer replied.

"Sweet! Told ya that was a good idea!"

"Yeah, yeah you did."

"Why can't I use my Blue Eyes Smackdown Deck?" Ryuu asked.

"Because that would be overkill," Bommer replied, "Now get to deck making."

Ryuu sighed before picking a booster pack and opened it, taking out the nine cards in it. The two went to work on making their decks. Soon, the decks were completed and Ace helped Beamer into the sidecar. Everyone stood outside of the restaurant as Rayne and Turbo fastened the banners onto the sides of Ace and Blademan's D-Wheel. Will quickly set up his screen to have an aerial view of the Riding Duel when it begins.

"Ryuu, where's your D-Wheel?" Max asked.

"Here," Ryuu replied.

Blue, wire-themed marks appeared on his pants before the Nanites in him went to work. Metal emerged from his legs before expanding and reshaping his lower body. It took on the form of a fusion of a blue Eyes Shining Dragon and a motorcycle. His hair went over his head and turned into the ink-like substance like Kage before changing into a white racing helmet with a blue-tinted visor.

"Okay…Now I'm jealous!" Lan barked.

"Here. These are the codes for the new Speed World 2 Field Spell," Bommer said as he gave Ryuu and Ace a disk each, which they quickly uploaded into their D-Wheels.

"I'll activate it," Ryuu said as he pushed a button on his vehicle, "Field Spell, Speed World 2, set on!"

-Duel Mode, Auto-Pilot. Standing by- an electronic voice emerged from the two D-Wheels before the Duel Disks on them emerged and activated while a glow emanated from the two vehicles.

"Is this even allowed?" Cyber whispered.

"Maybe. Stranger things have happened here," Kassie replied.

"Riding Duel…" Ryuu began.

"Acceleration!" Blademan and Ryuu called out before Ace and Ryuu drove off.

**Blademan: 4000 Speed Counters: 0**

**Ryuu: 4000 Speed Counters: 0**

"Ore no turn. Draw!" Ryuu declared.

**Blademan Speed Counters: 1**

**Ryuu Speed Counters: 1**

"I'll set a monster and end my turn with two facedowns. Turn end," Ryuu spoke as three cards appeared, one before him while two appeared at his sides and vanished.

"O-Okay…I draw!" Beamer declared.

**Blademan Speed Counters: 2**

**Ryuu Speed Counters: 2**

Blademan looked at his hand, his finger resting on the top of one. "Alright. I summon Scrap Recycler in attack position and use his effect to look through my deck to move one monster from my deck to my graveyard," he said, a pile of junk appearing beside the Duel Runner, "I choose Machina Fortress to go to the Graveyard. I now special summon Machina Fortress by discarding Machina Soldier and Machina Sniper from my hand."  
**Scrap Recycler: 900/1200**

Sitting beside Scrap Recycler, a pile of rusted metals emerged. Suddenly, the metal regained its former shine. Suddenly, it began to coalesce together and Ryuu gulped. The machine driving beside Blademan and Ace was a giant, tank-themed mecha roughly the size of Gurren Lagann. It had three tank treads with two giant, blue and white arms emerging from the upper back of the two treads on the sides. Its left 'shoulder' had a giant, red machine gun while its 'head' resembled a blue military helmet with a white scanner on the left optic.

**Machina Fortress: 2500/1600**

"Wait, how…?" Ryuu asked, Ace looking over his shoulder at Blademan.  
"Machina Fortress's effect lets me special summon it by discarding monsters from my hand equal to or more than level eight. Machina Soldier and Machina Sniper are eight levels combined. I use Scrap Recycler's secondary effect and return two level four earth machines to my deck to draw one card," Blademan explained as he drew a card, his eyes scanning it, nodding, "I place two cards facedown and end my turn."

"Tch. Ore no turn! Draw!"

**Ryuu Speed Counters: 3**

**Blademan Speed Counters: 3**

"Oi, Blade-Baka!"

"Don't call me that!"

"You should've attacked last turn," Ryuu grinned.

"Why?"

"Because I flip summon Aussa the Earth Charmer!" Ryuu declared as a brown-haired girl in glasses and an earth-themed outdoors outfit mixed with a wizard's outfit appeared, a small, brown, winged-creature on her shoulder appeared from the card, waving a wooden staff with violet jewels on it.

**Aussa the Earth Charmer: 500/1500**

"And just _why_ am I afraid of her?" Blademan asked.

"Take a look at Machina Fortress," Ryuu grinned.

"Huh?" Blademan tilted his head before seeing his monster had adopted hearts for optics before driving over to Aussa and placed her on his shoulder, "What?"

"This is why EARTH Monsters love her; she places a 'Charm' on them and one will do her bidding," Ryuu grinned, "But now I summon the Tuner Monster, Attack Gainer!"

A circle of light-blue energy appeared on Machina Fortress's free shoulder. From it, a figure in black emerged from it. He wore a white and light-blue jumpsuit with long, flowing, scarlet hair emerging from the back of his blue-visor, yellow marked, black helmet.

**Attack Gainer: 0/0**

"0 ATK Points?" Max pondered as he watched the screen at Beamer's restaurant, "What good is that?"

"Because he's going to perform a Synchro Summon! Attack Gainer's a Tuner Monster!" Meiru replied.

"Synchro Summon?" Maylu repeated.

"Just watch," Cyber giggled.

"Tuning Level 7 Machina Fortress with Level 1 Attack Gainer!" Ryuu declared, _"Transforming Metal to Muscle! Unite your hearts and make your bonds go beyond the possibilities! Synchro Summon!"_

Aussa jumped off Machina Fortress's shoulder and sat on the back of Ryuu's D-Wheel, making Meiru let out a bit of KI at the screen and made everyone step away from her nice and slowly. Attack Gainer transformed into a green outline of speedometer. Machina Fortress went through it, turning into an orange outline of itself with eight stars in it. The stars lined up and release a flash of green light.

"Seems he got a good Synchro Monster in there," Ace smirked.

The light faded and revealed a massive warrior the size of Gurren. He was covered in pure white armor with a green pair of pointed sunglasses on his face. His arms, shoulders, back of his hands, torso, and waist had blue jewels on them.

_"Strike for the bonds of the heart, Colossal Fighter!"_ Ryuu finished reciting, "For each Warrior-Type in my Graveyard, he gains 100 ATK Points!"

**Colossal Fighter: 2800-2900/1000**

"Heh. Not too bad. But now you've gotta show me your hand and let me pick a card you have to discard because of Machina Fortress's effect!" Blademan grinned.

"I should've guessed your monster had an effect like that with its sorta abilities," Ryuu chuckled before showing him his hand, consisting of Speed Spell – Monster Reborn, Speed Spell – Speed Fusion, and the Dark Magician.

"Hmm…I think I'll go with that Magician," Blademan chose.

"Colossal Fighter, attack with Warrior's Right Hook!" Ryuu ordered as his monster charged at Scrap Recycler.

"Trap Card, open! Drainage Sh…" Blademan began when a sleazy business man appeared beside him, picked up the facedown card that was starting to move up, and then drew a card from Blademan's deck and gave it to him.

"Counter Trap, Dark Bribe," Ryuu grinned as Colossal Fighter slugged Scrap Recycler in the form, destroying it.

**Blademan: 2000**

"That hurt…" Blademan muttered.

"Turn end!" Ryuu declared.

"Yikes. One more attack like that and he's a goner," Tomari Axl noted.

"Duel's not over 'till the last card's drawn," Rayne replied.

"Let's just hope those packs didn't have the Assault Mode series," Geiger noted.

"Assault Mode?" Ashe repeated.

"It's a series of monsters that are 500 ATK Points stronger than their original forms with stronger effects," Ruka explained, "Yusei-niisan and Jack-san dueled against each other with them once."

"I remember that," Sonic X noted, "Stardust Dragon/Assault Mode kinda reminded me of Subaru in his Shikai armor."

"Really?" Subaru asked.

"Yep. But replace the sword with two blasters on the hips," Sonic X replied.

"I draw!" Blademan declared.

**Blademan Speed Counters: 4**

**Ryuu Speed Counters: 4**

"Alright, let's see what we've got," Blademan said, drawing his next card before his eyes scanned it, Blademan nodding to himself, "Alright...two turns, Ryuu..."

"What?" Ryuu asked.

"Two turns...and this'll be over," Blademan replied solemnly, "I'll set one card facedown and then end my turn."

"Is he insane?" Ruka exclaimed from the restaurant.

"Hmmm...his first facedown…" Max said, his eyes closed, "It was something called...er, Threatening Roar, I think..."

"How do you know?" Toriko asked.

"Er, I'll explain at a different time," Max replied uneasily, opening his eyes.

"But...that'll give him one more turn, right? To keep what's left of his life points?" Roll asked.

"Well, technically, yes," Cyber replied, "But right now, the question is whether or not he can live that long."

"Ore no turn! Draw!"

**Blademan Speed Counters: 5**

**Ryuu Speed Counters: 5**

"I reveal my facedown; Threatening Roar!" Blademan declared, "For this turn only, you cannot attack me!"

Out of nowhere, a powerful roar rumbled at Colossal Fighter. The warrior type stepped back a bit. Aussa hopped onto Colossal Fighter's shoulder, gently patting his shoulder. The flying creature on her shoulder chattered happily at Colossal Fighter while the warrior nodded.

"Don't worry, big guy, we'll get him next time," Ryuu spoke, "I activate Speed Spell – Angel Baton! This will let me draw two cards and discard one!"

He drew the two cards. He looked at them and gave a small smirk. He picked one of his hand cards and put it into the graveyard.

"I activate another Speed Spell – Angel Baton!" Ryuu declared as he drew and discarded once more, "Trap Card, open; Assault Mode Activate! Colossal Fighter, engage Assault Mode configuration!"

Suddenly, a blue jet-like machine flew out of the revealed face down. Aussa jumped away from Colossal Fighter and on Ryuu's Duel Runner. Colossal Fighter jumped into the air and the machine split apart, fusing with Colossal Fighter. He now wore jet-themed gauntlets, torso armor, and boots, while his head was covered in blue armor with a pointed, green visor.

"Colossal Fighter/Assault Mode configuration complete!"

**Colossal Fighter/Assault Mode: 3300/1500**

"With his transformation, I can discard two Warriors in my Deck to the graveyard. Now for each one in my graveyard, your monsters lose ATK Points by 100 for each instead of my warrior gaining 100 for each," Ryuu explained as he discarded two monsters, "Now I activate Speed Spell – Double Summon! When I have 2 or more Speed Counters, I can summon an additional monster from my hand! With this, I call forth Level 4 Road Synchron and Level 1 A/D Changer!"

Beside Aussa, two portals appeared. From them, two monsters appeared. The first monster was short and fat/muscular with blue skin. He wore a black jacket that ended past the knees with black pants, white bandages on his stomach area, and white shoes. His wild, purple hair was held up by a gold headpiece. His arms held either a red flag with a red 'A' on it with gold trimming or a blue flag with a blue 'D' on it with gold trimming. The other monster was a machine with gold and black armor. His legs were actually two steamroller rollers with a single wheel at the back that had two engine pipes emerging from the sides. It was primarily gold with white and silver highlights on the torso, waist, and arms. His head had green optics with a gold and green crown-like shape to it.

**Road Synchron: 1600/800**

**A/D Changer: 100/100**

"He's got four monsters now!" Lan exclaimed.

"Not bad," Sasuke acknowledged, "Tell me, is Road Synchron a Tuner Monster?"

"Yeah," Subaru replied as he held it up, "I have a copy in my deck in case I need a Synchro Summon. However, I think Ryuu-san has the perfect monster to summon with the total Levels."

"What do you mean?" Maylu asked.

"Aussa the Earth Charmer is Level 3, A/D Changer is Level 1, and Road Synchron is Level 4. Add them together…" Subaru began.

"And you get a Level 8 ass-kicker!" WarRock finished, earning a punt from Cyber as Sari and Bumblebee had the twins' ears covered.

"Tuning Level 1 A/D Changer, Level 3 Aussa the Earth Charmer, and Level 4 Road Synchron!_ Now, 8 Stars and 3 hearts become one. Subjugating all evil. The ultimate king arrives al dente! Bravo! Synchro Summon!_" Ryuu recited.

Road Synchro revved its engines before transforming into four speedometer outlines. Aussa, her pet, and A/D Changer jumped into the speedometers. The two transformed into four stars. The eight energies transformed into a flash of green light. The light faded and revealed a new figure, easily the size of Colossal Fighter/Assault Mode. He resembled a regal king in gold, black, and silver vehicle-based armor. Highlighting the arm, torso, and leg armor was gold while the main black parts resembled more of a jumpsuit with the silver and gold armor over it. Its cape was actually a pair of jet wings fused together with multiple engine pipes on the back. Its head resembled a fearsome king's helmet with glowing red optics. Its hands were sharp with claws on the end that were laced with multitudes of diamonds within diamonds while the back of its arms ended with three diamond-studded claws that went a bit farther than the clawed hands.

_"Road Warrior, Tune Up!"_ Ryuu finished reciting.

**Road Warrior: 3000/1500**

"Setting a facedown. Turn end," Ryuu finished.

"Holy…" Geo began, "That's amazing!"

"You said it," Naruto agreed, "That guy's a butt-kicker, and a pretty awesome-looking one at that."

-Nice use on revising the Engine-O G12 recitation for the Synchro Summon…- Dai whispered from the EnergyCellular.

"Huh? Who said that?" Beamer asked as he looked around.

"Oh! That was me," Max replied, laughing nervously, "Think I'm having a small reaction to the Galara Gator Pizza. 'Scuse me."

Blademan gulped as he drew his next card. "Okay, okay…calm down…" Blademan said to himself, "Just look at the field and the hand..."

**Blademan Speed Counters: 6**

**Ryuu Speed Counters: 6**

"Come on, haven't got all day," Ryuu called.

"He's thinking, Ryuu!" Ace replied.

"Okay...I think I have something," Blademan said. "I activate Speed Spell – Ancient Rules. This lets me normal summon a level 5 or higher monster...and I choose the Big Saturn!"

A large silver robot appeared above the two speed-cycles, the robot reminding Lan, Maylu, Megaman, Roll, Protoman, and Chaud of a NetNavi they had known called 'Duo.' For the others, it looked like a giant black and silver sphere with a silver head. Surrounding it was a ring of energy and two giant fists made of black and silver metal. On its 'back' were two rockets and it had a red, glowing jewel on its 'torso.'

**The Big Saturn: 2800/2200**

"And to take a page from your book, I activate Speed Spell – Double Summon. I summon Heavy Mech Support Platform," Nlademan continued as a small ship appeared next to The Big Saturn, its nose split in two, red stripes overlaying the dark green color before it attached to the Big Saturn's back, "Heavy Mech is a union, so I equip it to The Big Saturn! Big Saturn now gains 500 attack and defense. And now, I activate Metalmorph, and equip it to The Big Saturn, raising his attack another 300 points. And now, The Big Saturn attacks your Colossal Fighter, gaining 1650 attack, thanks to Metalmorph!"

**The Big Saturn: 2800-2400-3200-4850/2200-2700**

Colossal Fighter looked up, whimpering as The Big Saturn drew its fist back. Ryuu smirked when the fist was stopped by his facedown card blocking it. It flipped to reveal it was a trap card.

"Trap Card, Open; Waboku!" Ryuu declared as the fist fell.

Three women appeared from the trap card. Each one had somewhat healthy skin while wearing sky-blue, Egyptian priest robes. The middle woman held a gold and ocean-blue sea-themed ankh with a cobalt in the center. Each one muttered prayers before The Big Saturn's fist moved back to its body.

"I take no battle damage this turn and my monsters cannot be destroyed by battle," Ryuu explained.

"Damn!" Blademan growled, "Almost had you there, huh?"

"Wow," Beamer said. "Blademan almost did something competent."

"But one thing is bothering me about this," Max spoke up.

"What?" Rayne asked.

"Blademan said in two turns, it would be over," he replied. "But...why would he say that? He still needs at least one more heavy hitting monster to actually do something."

"Well, this is Blade we're talking about," Beamer replied. "He could mean something else."

"Like what?"

"I guess we'll have to wait and see," Beamer replied.

"Alright, since I'm outta cards, I end my turn," Blademan said.

"Ore no turn. Draw!" Ryuu declared.

**Ryuu Speed Counters: 7**

**Blademan Speed Counters: 7**

"I activate the Speed Spell – Overboost! With this, I gain 4 more Speed Coutners, but then they're dropped to 1 at me End Phase," Ryuu explained.

**Ryuu Speed Counters: 11**

"And now I activate the Speed Spell Angel Baton! You know what it does, so I won't explain. Then I use the Speed Spell I just drew, Speed Spell – Draw Seize! This takes half of your monster's ATK away and gives it to me in Life Points!"

**Ryuu: 5600**

**The Big Saturn: 1600**

"Uht!" Blademan and Ace gawked.

"And now…I sacrifice 10 Speed Counters to activate Speed Spell – Monster Reborn! So come forth, Dark Magician!" Ryuu continued.

A sea-blue ankh appeared between his two monsters. Quickly, it changed into a sarcophagus. It slowly opened and a figure emerged from it. The figure was a mage in deep purple and dark-blue robes, resembling that of an Egyptian high-mage. In his left hand was a long staff made of various shades of blue and green with an emerald orb at the pointed end. His skin was fairly tan with deep, black eyes that glared at Blademan.

"And before I forget…The card I discarded was a Warrior-Type Monster," Ryuu added.

**Dark Magician: 2500/2100**

**The Big Saturn: 1500**

"Now then…Road Warrior, attack with King's Path!" Ryuu declared as Road Warrior charged at the Big Saturn.

"You're crazy! Metalmorph will just…" Blademan began.

**The Big Saturn: 3000**

"Exactly…" Ryuu grinned before giving a small smile at Road Warrior, "I am sorry for this, my friend."

Road Warrior looked down at Lan and gave a small nod. He then turned and glared at the gulping The Big Saturn. The engines on his back ignited and he charged at The Big Saturn. His arm's armor was engulfed in gold flames as The Big Saturn reeled back a fist and swung. The two collided and created a giant explosion. The smoke cleared to reveal just The Big Saturn stood, his Union Monster destroyed along with Roar Warrior.

**The Big Saturn: 900**

"Now with Road Warrior in the graveyard, your monster loses another 100 ATK along with the 500 it gained from that Union Monster of his," Ryuu grinned.

"He…He planned that far ahead?" Blademan gawked.

"No. He just came up with that strategy as he was doing it," Ace replied, frowning, "Plus, you're in trouble now."

"Why?" Blademan asked.

"For one, your monster is at 900 ATK," Ace replied, "And second of all, he has the Dark Magician and his Colossal Fighter/Assault Mode out."

"Oh…Fuck me," Blademan paled.

"Let's go, you guys!" Ryuu declared before looking up at his Assault Mode monster, who shook his head, "…You want to give him a chance? Fine. Then let's go, Dark Magician! Dark Magician, Black Magic!"

Dark Magician nodded as he turned to face The Big Saturn. The Big Saturn prepared itself, though one could tell it was shaking a bit. Its armor glowed as Metalmorph activated.

**The Big Saturn: 2150**

The Dark Magician smirked playfully before bowing to The Big Saturn. He snapped his free hand and both were encased in a strange box. Suddenly, thousands of knives impaled the Dark Magician's box. The Big Saturn's box slowly opened and…the Dark Magician flew out of it and onto Colossal Fighter/Assault Mode's shoulder. His original box opened and Blademan shuddered as seeing a hand of The Big Saturn, dripping in black blood, emerged from the bottom before shattering into parts.

**Blademan: 1650**

"B…But how…?" Blademan gawked.

"A magician never reveals his secrets," Ryuu replied as the Dark Magician teasingly shook a finger at Blademan, playfully scolding him.

"Why you…!" Blademan growled at the Dark Magician, _'I have _got_ to figure out how to he did that and turn it into a Jutsu!'_

"Colossal Fighter/Assault Mode…stand down. I'll listen to you for now and let him have a final draw," Ryuu said, receiving a small smile and nod from his Assault Mode-summoned monster, "End turn!"

"He's got him on the ropes!" Shoutmon exclaimed.

"But why didn't he attack?" Ruka pondered.

"Colossal Fighter didn't want to fight," Hub replied, looking at the screen, "He wants to give Blademan a chance."

"How do you know that?" Naruto asked.

"Bro/Ryuu told me/him," Hub, Megaman, Rockman, Lan, and Netto replied in unison.

"This is why I hate Twin Links…" Beamer muttered.

"Damn it," Blademan growled, gritting his teeth. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

He drew his next card, looking at it and his empty field. He then grinned, silently chuckling to himself. Ace rose a brow at the chuckling.

"I can't believe it," were his words. "Looks like I'm gonna owe Colossal Fighter an apology and a thank you after this."

**Blademan Speed Counters: 8**

**Ryuu Speed Counters: 2**

Ace looked over his shoulder at Blademan before asking, "...Come again?"

"I activate Speed Spell-Wheelie Breaker!" Blademan declared. "I remove six counters to destroy all of your face up monsters." Blademan saluted Colossal Fighter/Assault Mode. "I thank you for that chance. Let's hope I can make good on it."

**Blademan Speed Counter: 2**

"Wow," Bommer whistled, "That guy sure is lucky, drawing almost exactly what he's needed for the past two turns."

"It almost rivals the Uzumaki Luck," Max smirked, "_Almost_."

"Yeah right," Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Trust me. My late wife could've drawn a victory in just the first turn," Kyuubi chuckled.

"But he's still got an empty field," Beamer pointed out. "Now, I may not know a lot about this game, but I'm fairly sure that an empty field is a bad thing."

"Depends on the deck you use," Hub replied, "Yusei, Jack, and Crow told me about this one duel they had with this Arthur guy and-whammo!-OTK for each of them!"

"I'll end my turn," Blademan said before muttering to himself, "And hope I live one more."

"Actually, before you end your turn," Ryuu said, Blademan looking at him quizzically, before his eyes widened as Colossal Fighter appeared on the field, emerging from the smoke and furious.

"Let me guess," Blademan said. "When Colossal fighter/Assault Mode is destroyed, special summon Colossal Fighter from your graveyard."

"Yeah."

"Shit," Blademan said, his shoulders slumping.

**Colossal Fighter: 3400**

Ryuu grinned, "Ore no turn. Draw!"

**Ryuu Speed Counters: 3**

**Blademan Speed Counters: 3**

"Colossal Fighter, end this with Giga Fist Strike!" Ryuu declared.

Colossal Fighter roared before charging at Blademan. Ace and Blademan gulped before Colossal Fighter rammed his fist at them. Ace looked at Blademan before slowing down a bit, letting the fist scratch the front of the two-seater.

**Blademan: 0**

Parts of Ace's vehicle opened up and released steam. The D-Wheel skidded to a halt right in front of Beamer's restaurant. Ryuu turned around and stopped beside the vehicle, changing his D-Wheel back into his lower body. Ryuu stretched a bit before walking over to Blademan.

"Not bad," Ryuu said as he took Blademan's hand and shook it, "Sorry 'bout the leg."

"You're not…mad?" Blademan asked.

"Mad? Why should I be mad? That was a great duel," Ryuu replied as he looked at Blademan's bum leg, "Hold on."

He took out Oathkeeper and tapped Blademan's leg, leaving a dot of Paint on it. It made various swirl markings around the dot and the cast fell off. Blademan put a bit of pressure on the leg and blinked.

"Wha…?"

"I don't have any issues with fellow duelists," Ryuu replied before looking over Blademan's shoulder to see the others approach, "However, I should advise you to keep your end of the deal and give the happy couple those accounts. Except for one of the promised accounts. That one I'd like to use for when the Absolute Hunters are defeated."

"Any reason why you're not killing the guy?" Beamer asked.

"When I have a good duel, I can't help but being glad," Ryuu replied.

"But he didn't get you even once!" Beamer exclaimed.

"A good duel's a good duel in my book," Ryuu replied with a grin.

"…I will _never_ understand the Hikari Family…" Beamer muttered.

"Sure ya do!" Naruto grinned, "Well, not you, but our Bass-niisan does."

"Another me?" Bass growled, "First this guy, then the one Rayne here knows, and now a Hikari version of me?"

"We'll leave that for another time," Terios Shadow spoke.

* * *

**Again, collab with Gammatron. Please Review.**


	109. To the Forest Zone

**Sailing my sea! Yeah-Never say die Gotta go! Go!**

***Camera scrolls from a desert to the sky, the words Return to the Zones in large letters, a Zone Portal appearing in the O of the Zones***

**Asu e no chizu hirogete Issho ni ikou ze Go along along (Unfold the map to tomorrow, let's go together, Go along along)**

***The camera zooms in towards the Zone Portal, fading to white before fading back in to reveal Max and his original team standing in front of the HQ***

**Bouenkyou de nozokeba Michinaru minato e Go along along (If you peek through the telescope, head to the unknown harbor, Go along along)**

***Camera zooms in through the door, running along the hallways, passing Max's team in rooms, Tenshi Zero and Ultimate X sparring, while Eva and Luna Rena cook, Kassie setting the large table in the next room, the camera moving onto the other rooms to show the rest of the team doing their own activities***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Sono te de kaji o tore (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Take the helm with your hands)**

***Scene changes to Max and his team looking out at the sunset on top of the building before cutting to Ryuu and Team Ryuusei on the other side of the HQ, staring at a rising sun, and changes again to show both teams at once, facing opposite directions***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Yoake no umi e to fune o dase (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Sail out to the sea of dawn)**

***Max and Ryuu look at each other, smirking, before the scene changes to Beamer's restaurant, where Lan, Netto, and Ryuu are in a curry eating contest, Ryuu in the lead, while both teams cheer them on, Beamer laughing, Rayne and Komatsu in chef outfits, while J.T. can be seen through the kitchen window trying to put out a fire, Meda slapping at the flames with his apron***

**Seiipai Hareryuuya Ima da go o age Nakama to tomo ni (With all your might, hallelujah- Now raise the sails together with your friends)**

***Scene changes to Tan'ya watching Kent practicing his technique in Sync Merge, Moon staring in silence, while Sonic X is in the background, talking with Rockman and Megaman, Lyra and Harp bopping Omega-Xis and WarRock on the head as the two start fighting in the background just behind Sonic X, who gets caught up in the fight, separating the two***

**Kaisei no sora no shita Yume to iu na no daikoukai e (Underneath the fine weathered sky, head to the great voyage named 'dream')**

***Scene change to Will and Kassie walking through the mall, Cyber, Sonic X, Roll, and Megaman with them, Cyber and Sonic X pushing a stroller each, Volt in Cyber's, Jazz in Sonic X's, while Chaud, Protoman, and Greymon are in a sword store, browsing through. Geo and Subaru walk into the frame with the latter three, Geo holding up a Buster Blade, pointing at it, while the other four shake their heads***

**Koerarenai mono wa nai Kaze o ayatsuri Doko made demo jiyuu ni yukeru (Nothing is unsurpassable; control the wind and freely go anywhere)**

***Scene changes to DaiRyuuseiKnight, back to camera as Ashe and Grey sit beside him, Gregar sitting beside Grey, Falzar sitting on Ashe's shoulder, Model A floating over DaiRyuuseiKnight, while all six look at the stars. The camera pans out to reveal Ace, Ash, and Pandora to the left of the group, also watching the stars, while Yuck and Kevin slept on either side of a nearby tree, Ben sitting on a branch at the top of the tree, Gwen on a Mana platform***

**Leap on Leap on sora o miro umi o miro somatta isshoku no ao (Leap on Leap on, look at the sky, look at the sea, Dyed in one color of blue)**

***Camera pans away from the group, Katta coming on screen, laying down by a small pond, a fishing pole set up beside him, while Blaze, Tarn, and Tara sit around a campfire, fish rotating on a stake over the fire, Kent's mouth watering. Camera pans a little farther to the right to reveal Hub and Mirajane sitting on the other side of Tara, joining in the conversation the three councilors are having, all laughing as Katta was yanked into the pond as he grabbed the pole, Katta resurfacing, spitting out pond water, a four foot long fish on his pole, Katta's fingers in V for victory***

**Shirani mono to ka Motto shiritai kara Go! Go! Shukkou (Because you want to know more about unknown things and, Go! Go! Depart)**

***Scene changes to J, Sasuke, and Will in the lab, trying to explain certain parts to Hub, whose eyes are spinning, while Jen and Z stand nearby, giggling as the Tech Trio soon gave up, Shinobi running down the hall as a blue laser followed him, the camera going out the door and down the hall to reveal the holo-Palkia roaring, Kyuubi and Rockman revealed to be the ones at the panel, rolling on the floor, holding their sides and crying as they laughed, the camera panning to reveal Eggman and Tails on the other side of the room, looking in wonder through the circuitry that made up the holo-Palkia***

**Nenryou tnaku mantan Mawasu igunisshonKaji to konhineeshon Nami to sesson (Ruel tanke full, ignition spinning combination with the helm, session with the waves)**

***Scene change to Dai laughing at Ryuu, who's caught in a large pile of tape, Max trying to help him, while Blademan tapes it, laughing, when Ryuu's shadows extends its hands, Blademan yelping in fear and running, Max now laughing as his friend ran around the room, even on the walls and ceiling, as he tried to escape the hands, Dai now helping her uncle, but still laughing, Ryuu's shadow hands breaking Blademan's camera and then the camera the tape entangling Ryuu came from***

**Agero tensshon Kaizu hirogete adobenchaa Denjaa kugurinukete Ooshan rainaa (Raise the tension, unfold the map, it's an adventure Escape through the danger, ocean liner)**

***Scene change to Sonic X and Viral looking at a diagram, then looking at a small sculpture, turning the diagram every which way as they tried to figure out what it was supposed to look like, when Cyber appears, turning the diagram the correct way and the two looked from it to the sculpture, nodding, while Sonic X kissed Cyber before turning behind him to see an angry Terios Shadow with a shotgun, flames in his eyes as he gave chase to the blue netnavi. Scene change to Misora and Sonia with Lyra and Harp, all four enjoying milkshakes, when Sonic X came into the shot, jumping the table, Terios Shadow not far behind, the four females watching the scene with faces of amazement***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Atarashii ashita e (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Head to a new tomorrow)**

***Scene change to Kenjirou and Marcus with the Xros Heart Army, Nene, Knightmon, Taiki, and Agumon X beside them, watching with interest as Beamer and Bass fought each other in the Blanket Zone, craters everywhere, while the rest of the Hunter Eradication Army stood nearby, cheering on Bass, while Omega-Xis/WarRock, Tenshi Zero, Tomari Axl, and Megaman cheered on Beamer, Shinobi wearing a booky hat as he took bets from those gathered, Gent and Addy there as well, Addy holding Gent's ear, pulling him away from the betting booth, Blaze watching with a sweatdrop before placing his own bet***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Suiheisen no mukougawa e (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Head to the other side of the horizon)**

***Scene change to Max laying in a field looking up at the stars, Geo, Subaru, and Ben with him, all four in a circle with their heads on the inside of the circle, their eyes widening as Zaxlew appeared above them, Zaxlew shooting Max the finger before disappearing in a Negative Zone Portal, an image of Kalar fading into view, switching places with the four stargazers, the camera panning around to reveal Kalar was watching the creation of Rampage's new body, while Lockdown stands nearby, Rampage's Spark held in his hand in a container, Lockdown smirking as he saw the weapons being added to Rampage's new body***

**Yeah – Never say die Gotta go! Go! Go! Go! (Yeah - Never say die Gotta go! Go! Go! Go!)**

***Scene change to the Ground City Arcade, Bud, Taurus, Scar, and Jing all sitting in the seats of a car game, Wily watching nearby, while on the screen, it shows Taurus in the lead, Scar a close second, Bud in third, and Jing in fourth, Kir watching with idle interest from behind Jing, his eyes going to the shooting game right beside the car arcade game***

**Kaisei no sora no shita Ima da ho o age Nakama to tomo ni (Underneath the fine weathered sky, now raise the sails together with your friends)**

***Scene change to Rockman and Megaman running alongside Sonic X, still running from Terios Shadow, who's now taking potshots at the trio with his gun, Will and Komatsu getting bowled over by the four, while Toriko watches, eating a mountain of ramen with Naruto, who stops just long enough to point and laugh at the two, while Maylu and Meiru came out in time to see Terios Shadow run by them, shaking his fist as his gun ran out of ammunition***

**Seiipai Hareruuya Yume to iu na no daikoukai e (With all your might, hallelujah – head to the great voyage named 'dream')**

***Scene change to Ruka watching with Gregar and Falzar as Ashe and Grey fought Ash and Gray in a sparring match, Ash and Gray with the upper hand, until Gregar and Falzar ran towards Ashe and Grey, disappearing in a ball of light as the two entered Beast Drive, Wulf, Akari, and Sari watching as Bumblebee and Cheetor snuck up on Inuyasha and Turbo, holding water balloons, before Inuyasha and Turbo turned towards the two, both armed with fire hoses attached to two hydrants apiece, Bumblebee and Cheetor dropping their balloons as Inuyasha and Turbo opened fire***

**Koerarenai mono wa nai Kaze o ayatsuri Doko made demo jiyuu ni yukeru (Nothing is unsurpassable: control the wind And freely go anywhere)**

***Scene change to the teams standing outside of the HQ, making goofy faces at the camera, before changing to the teams resting in the living room, all beat from the day's activities, Max and Ryuu gripping wrists in the doorway before turning to the room, walking in, the camera capturing a still shot of the two's backs***

**To the Forest Zone**

"Maxwell, it is time to teach you the defensive branches of Ultima," DaiRyuuseiKnight spoke as they stood in the training area, Giratina standing beside DaiRyuuseiKnight, "We will start with the basic one; Barrier Ultima."

"Can I ask a question?" Max asked.

-Fire away- Dai replied.

"Why is Giratina-san here?"

_"I'm the guy who gets to blow ya up!"_ Giratina cheered.

"Oh, crud…" Max paled.

"Now then, _before_ we blow him up, Giratina-dono, I wish to tell him how to activate it," DaiRyuuseiKnight instructed.

_"Aw…"_ Giratina whined.

"Now Max, Barrier Ultima is fueled by the desire," DaiRyuuseiKnight instructed.

"What desire?" Max pondered.

"It is a desire only you know of. Our desire is the desire to protect Existence and Nonexistence," DaiRyuuseiKnight replied.

-You have to learn your own desire, Max-kun- Dai spoke –Fire away, Gira-Kun!-

_"With pleasure! Shadow Ball!"_ Giratina roared as he fired a black sphere of energy at Max, blowing him through a wall, _"Whoops…"_Ryuu, Kevin, and Kyuubi all grumbled. Naruto and Shinobi had managed to get them into a triple prank. As of now, they were all tied up in chains while hanging upside down and in chairs covered in itching powder. Kyuubi was thankful he had so many tails and that they were all free then.

"So…what do we do now?" Kevin asked, ignoring the itching sensation he was feeling.

"I have only one thing, and one thing to say…But first; Kage!" Ryuu called.

Instantly, Kage emerged from the shadow and engulfed him. Within seconds, Kage had reshaped himself to resemble a black-feathered Donald Duck in a black sailor suit. Kevin and Kyuubi blinked before the entire head of the Kage-Donald turned red with steam roaring out of where his ears were suppose to be. Instantly, Kage-Donald snapped and ripped apart the chains, entering the infamous/famous Donald Duck position with hoping up and down with a fist held out ahead of him with the other waving back and forth below his body, shouting wildly in Donald-Talk. After a few minutes, he calmed down and Kage changed back and receded into the shadow, letting Ryuu have his normal form back.

"I'm good!" Ryuu grinned, "Now if you need me, I'll be finding Fishcake and Shinobi."

"Mind if we join?" Kevin and Kyuubi asked before gulping at the sinister look Ryuu had…especially with Oblivion out.

"Hey, wait! No Oblivion!" Kyuubi yelped.

"What? I'm just going to bop Fishcake on the back of the head with it while taking Shinobi's arms," Ryuu replied.

"I'm with you on that, Hiakri," Kevin replied, taking out a metal marble and instantly coating himself with it, turning his hands into mallets.

"Yikes! M-Matte!" Kyuubi yelped as he ran after the mad half-dragon and lined up her cue stick and hit the white ball at the set triangle of pool balls just as Ryuu, still mad, walked in. Within seconds, all the balls with a colored stripe went into a socket. WarRock simply gawked, dropping his cue stick, along with Omega-Xis and Lyra before Ryuu began to applaud.

"What are you? A psychic or something?" WarRock complained.

"Something," Harp smirked playfully, earning a laugh from Lyra.

"Maxwell, get back here! We still need to train you on unleashing Barrier Ultima!" DaiRyuuseiKnight shout was heard as Max walked in, smoking a bit from parts of his body from the lasers.

"In the words of a man doing a dine n' dash; bill me!" Max replied.

"Uh, Max-san, it's a bad idea to refuse DaiRyuuseiKnight's training on barrier techniques…" Ryuu advised, paling a bit.

Max ignored him while going to the fridge. He opened it up and bent down. Suddenly, a cocking sound was heard and Max stepped away as Giratina's head and upper part of his neck emerged from the fridge, knocking out soda cans and a few cartons of milk that Kage caught.

"You've got to be kidding…" Max said as his left eye twitched uncontrollably as DaiRyuuseiKnight appeared beside the pool table.

"Shall we begin?" DaiRyuuseiKnight asked, everyone swearing they heard his smile, as Max was blasted and sent into a wall via Shadow Ball.

"See? That's what they do, Max; they somehow make lasers appear from anyw…" Ryuu began when Kage engulfed him in a barrier as a laser appeared from Lan's left ear and blasted at him, not making a scratch on the barrier before going back into Lan's ear and Kage dropping himself, "See?"

"Okay…What the heck?" Lan asked as he messed with his left ear.

"Mirajane-chan, what are you making?" Naruto, sporting a black eye and a cast from the mauling he got from Kevin, asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"A smoothie," Mirajane replied as she took out a little umbrella for her cup of chocolate, strawberry, banana, coconut, and vanilla smoothie, "Rayne-chan showed me how to make them and, well, I'm addicted to them. There. It's finished!"

Mirajane giggled as she placed a straw into the smoothie, complete with little umbrella. She was about to take a sip of it when a siren went off. Mirajane scowled as she looked at how Naruto suddenly jumped up, knowing that this meant something interfered with her Smoothie followed Naruto into a large computer room that had the others in it.

"Seems you're gonna see what we do in the Prime Zone, Team DaiRyuusei," Max grinned before looking at one of the dozens of monitors in the room, "Uh…Sasuke? Will? J? Anyone of you three mind telling me what I'm reading?"

"That's a grocery list for our next shopping trip for food," Sasuke replied.

"Oh…" Max sweatdropped, "I feel foolish."

"It seems that a Zone has sent an SOS," Nene noted on one of the screens, "It's a Digital World Zone."  
"A Digital World?"

"Yes. It's the one we're from," Nene replied, "It seems to be coming from…Forest Zone. Ah! The Legendary Digimon lives there!" Nene wore a dark-pink, knee-length dress, green boots, and a lab coat. Her hair was let down into a twin ponytail with her lab coat a pitch black color.

"Legendary Digimon?" Protoman repeated.

"Hai. The Legendary Digimon known as Deckerdramon. My informants in the Digital World have all gathered as much information on the Legendary Digimon as they could," Nene replied.

"And what did they have to say?" Will asked.

"…He was able to repel the Anti-Spirals from attacking the Digital World with just one attack," Nene replied.

"What?" Simon, Viral, and Yoko nearly screamed.

"Hmm…If we had that kind of Digimon in the team, we could probably have an advantage over the Absolute Hunters besides our knight over there," Viral noted as he looked at DaiRyuuseiKnight.  
"Does it say who's attacking?" Kassie asked.

"Hai. A group of BlackWarGreymon, BlackMetalGarurumon, some strange humanoid figures in strange armor, and someone by the name of…Zaxlew?" Nene tilted her head.

"Him again?" Max groaned, "I really hate evil Zone Doubles."

"Talk to me, buddy," Sonic X rolled his eyes, recalling a green version of him in a black leather jacket trying to take over his Zone back in his days of being a hedgehog.

"I wanna go!" Greymon declared.

"It would be interesting to see," Chaud noted.

"Where Master Chaud and Greymon go, I'll go," Protoman said.

"Heh-heh-heh…The Invincible Digimon, eh? Sounds more like the Ultimate Digital Monster to me! I'm in!" Bass declared.

"We'll go as well," Taiki said, motioning to the Digimon, Akari, Zenjirou, and Nene, "We know the Digital World better than anyone here…I think. We'll try and ask Sonic X-san to come as well, just to be safe."

"Most likely that would be a wise plan," Sasuke replied, "I'll come as well to learn a bit more about the Digimon and their Digital World. It may invoke more creations to better the Zone my brothers, NetNavis, and I come from to learn a bit more about other forms of electronic data coming to life like NetNavis."

"Don't leave me out," Max said.

"Or us," Will and J added.

"Okay. I think we have enough," Max said, "We'll leave in ten minutes. So get everything ready."

"Hai!" the ones going saluted.

"Oi, minna," Ryuu whispered, stopping the three Monitamon, "I want you to keep a close eye on Chaud, Protoman, and Greymon. I'm still not really trusting them, even if they are not form our Zone. Okay?"

"We'll do it!" the Monitamon saluted.

"So, how does this normally work?" Taiki asked Max as those chosen for the mission stood on the teleporter's pad.

"Well…normally, this thing would have sent us," Max answered. He stepped off, J, Will, and Sasuke following suite to walk over to the screens.

"Shit," J said. "This thing hasn't run in so long, it's not responding anymore. Piece of junk!" J added as he kicked the panels, the panels shocking him with electricity as his foot made contact.

"J, let's not make this thing angry," Max said with a sweatdrop as J continued to be electrocuted. "Um, perhaps I'd better use my sword instead."

"Sword? You mean Ultima, right?" Ryuu asked, Max shaking his head.

"No," Max replied as he pulled out his hilt. The Portal Sword appeared as it always did. Max swung it vertically, cutting a Zone Portal into existence. "This should one should take us to the closest point that's safe."

"Nice," Ryuu whistled, following the others through the portal. He looked around, bumping into Max. "What's wrong?"

"That," Max replied, pointing forward at a group of five humanoid figures, all in various armor and weaponry.

"Um…what are they?" Taiki asked. Will, J, Sasuke, and Max gulped.

"G-galleon mavericks," J stuttered in his reply, slowly backing up with the other three. "This is bad."

"Why? There's only five of them," Sonic X said. He fired his buster at them, destroying two. "See, nothing to it."

"Oh, fuck," Will said. "You guys know the rules to virus busting, right?" Sonic X and Ryuu nodded.

"Remember rule number one?"

"Where there's one, there's…oh," Ryuu said, paling as Galleons of different kinds began to appear.

"RUN!" They all turned and began to run, dodging around trees as the group of Galleons quickly swelled into a large crowd.

"Light Palm Strike!" Max declared, sparing a quick backwards glance to fire off the ball of Light Zone Energy. But it glanced off of a tree, the explosion doing nothing more than slow the Galleons down. One Galleon holding what looked like a rocket launcher fired off a large missile. "Shit! You guys got anything?"

"Oh," J gasped. "Actually, I do!" He pulled out his Copy Converters. "Let's just hope these things can handle the recoil!"

"What are you going to do?" Will asked.

"Railgun, Mk. 5," J replied. "I've been training with these things in projectile form during my two year/day training period in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. I figured out how to make them into a railgun. I've gotten up to Mk. 8 in terms of version, but anything past 5 is asking for trouble. They might be able to take the recoil a little better now."

"What happened last time?" Ryuu asked.

"Um…" J thought back to the experience, closing his eyes as the Copy Converters began to shift in shape, combining into what looked like a sniper rifle of some kind. "I almost killed myself and Z."

"What?" Max exclaimed.

"Run now, hit later, okay?" J shot back. He turned around, his eye to the scope.

"Better bring out my own heavy hitters," Max said. "And I've got the perfect one for this. Meda Fusion!" He turned into the armor, quickly unsheathing the sword, combining it with the pistol.

"Target locked," J said. "Range, 600 yards….575…525…"

"Get ready for some backlash, guys," Max said, his thumb flicking the sight up.

"FIRE!" J squeezed the trigger, the recoil launching him backwards into a tree trunk, while a bullet surrounded by electricity shot out of the barrel, heading straight for the crowd, Galleons short circuiting and self-destructing as it carved a path through them.

"Blood World!" Max's eyes widened as the beam shot out, a much darker red than normal. "What the hell?" he exclaimed as it tore through a section of the crowd. He released Meda Fusion, helping J up, the two running to catch up with the group, while Max looked at his right hand, now coated in an energy the same color as the Blood World had been.

"Well?" Nene asked.

"We slowed them down," Max said, still looking at his hand. He then looked up, nodding. "Alright, up we go!" He grabbed Taiki and a coupled of the Digimon, while Ryuu, Sasuke, and Sonic X grabbed the others who wouldn't be able to make the jump and leaped into the trees, hopping from branch to branch.

"Okay, we should be okay here. Lucky for us, those things can't fly."

"Yeah, but if there are Galleon Flyers here, we're in trouble," Will said, leaning against the trunk of the tree he had landed on.

"Max, what was up with the Blood World?" J asked. "It seemed…a lot stronger than I remember."

"I don't, J," Max replied, holding up his right hand. "But…I feel something new in me…"

"New?" Ryuu asked.

"At this point, I'm not surprised," J said. "Not with everything that's happened in the past year or so. And then just a few months ago, you learning about Ultima Energy. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you discovered a new energy altogether."

Suddenly, a powerful blast of wind blew through the forest. Everyone yelped before Taiki, Shoutmon, Ballistamon, Dorulumon, the Starmonz, Max, Ryuu, and Sonic X were sent flying by the wind. The wind died down and the remaining looked around.

"What the hell just happened?" Will exclaimed before a black feather went by his face.

"That was not a normal wind," Beelzebumon noted as he stood beside Will, startling him.

"Will you stop doing that, Beelzebumon?" Will demanded as he tried to calm his heart down.

"I finally make an appearance in this story," a figure said. The figure was a large Digimon made of multiple diamonds in smooth patches and spikes. He had black skin under his armor along with a blue cape. His crimson eyes swam in pools of dark abyss while his fangs poked out of his frowning mouth. On the back of his fists were various jewels in the shape and color of the Chaos Emeralds. He even had a clubbed tail made of diamonds and an emerald orb at the end of his tail.

"Glad I could convince your Lord Baguramon to let me borrow you, Blastmon," a blond-version of Maxwell noted.

"You're very cool, evil, Zaxlew-sama!" an imp-like Digimon with orange hair, black skin, and red eyes while barely making it up to the end of the larger Digimon's silver boots declared, standing beside two others looking like him.

"Unlike the scary Blastmon-sama, he's very intellectual, Evilmon, evil," another imp whispered to the other two.

"He's incredible, evil!" the third Evilmon declared.

"Blastmon, get some of the Mavericks, BlackWarGreymon, and BlackMetalGarurumon on the assault. I have a Legendary Digimon to find," Zaxlew smirked."Zenjirou! Akari! Nene! Can you hear me?" Taiki called out into a red device on his left wrist, "It's no use. The Wrister isn't connecting to them."

"So this is the infamous Forest Zone…" Dorulumon noted, "A jungle world inhabited by very powerful Digimon. Not even the Baguramon Army has been able to invade this place for a long time now."

"I'm worried about the others," Ballistamon spoke.

"Yeah," Max nodded with his eyes closed, "These trees seem to be blocking my sight from finding the guys."

"They've got Beelzebumon with them along with Nene, but still…" Taiki frowned.

"We can't guarantee that the Bagura Army isn't around either. Cutemon might be crying for us too, so I'll go look for them," Dorulumon offered.

"Thanks, Dorulumon!" Max grinned.

"Let me call up someone to help you! The professional hunter," Taiki said.

"But Rouge isn't here," Sonic X frowned.

"Reload, Revolmon!" Taiki declared.

From the Xros Loader, a silver light emerged. The light took on the shape of a figure twice Shoutmon's size. His main body was a large revolver's muzzle and barrel while he wore a long red scarf and a ten-gallon hat, revealing only his glowing, yellow eyes. He wore blue jeans and brown cowboy boots and gloves. He spun around in his hands a pair of revolvers.

"You rang, Taiki?" Revolmon asked.

"Hai. Please, go with Dorulumon and try and find the others," Taiki spoke before describing to him what the others looked like.

"Okay! None of you move from that spot!" Revolmon ordered as he left, riding on Dorulumon's back.

"Let's fly, gun man!" Dorulumon howled.

"Okay!" Revolmon cheered as the others waved bye to them…until a giant praying mantis-like Digimon began to walk behind the ones staying behind.

Something's behind us, isn't there?" Taiki gulped.

"Yup," Shoutmon deadpanned, "This really isn't the best place to be standing frozen in, isn't it."

"Yup," Max replied as the mantis-like Digimon walked over them.

"Shall we run for our lives?" Max asked.

"No. Let us," Sonic X replied with a grin as he and Ryuu took a step ahead of the others.

"Oh boy…Here we go with the knockout glare," Shoutmon gulped before running behind the tree with the others, dragging Max along, just seconds before Sonic X and Ryuu unleashed their Haōshoku Haki around the area.

"And that's a swarm of AlturKabuterimon (Red)," Nene spoke as she pointed at ten giant beetle-like Digimon with a red exoskeleton flying by the group.

"Fascinating, Nene-sama," Sasuke noted.

"What is this place?" J asked, annoyed and a bit frightened.

"Are your wounds okay?" Akari asked.

"Don't worry about it. Protecting the weak is the warrior's job," Beelzebumon replied before grabbing Akari and moving back from a shockwave that made a deep gash in the ground, "Who the hell are you?"

"That's what I should be asking you!" a voice replied.

Everyone looked up in the trees. In them, a figure Beelzebumon's size stood. He resembled a muscular human in armor resembling a green hornet. He was primarily black while having green armor. He had black gauntlets on his arms with four blade-like fingers on each. He had fly-like wings on his back and his shoulder guards were pitch black with spikes. His helmet had red hair sticking out of the bottom of it, orange compound 'eyes,' and two green and red striped antennae.

"I am the defender of this Battle Cry Forest, Stingmon! None shall pass through me at this point!" the figure declared.

"Wait, my good Digital Monster," Sasuke called, "We are here on a distress call from Deckerdramon!"  
"Deckerdramon?" Stingmon repeated before grabbing Sasuke and forcing him to jump onto the river, letting Sasuke stand on it like it was solid ground, "Liar! Those who dare disturb the holy ground and then lie will be eliminated!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he activated the Sharingan. The two then jumped off into the trees, becoming blurs to the others. Sasuke threw various kunai and shuriken, calculating the distances, velocities, and angles of the area of their fight. Stingmon dodged all the attacks before he heard a hissing sound. He saw an incoming kunai with a tag on it that was lit. The following explosion knocked him through a tree. Sasuke barely dodged a swipe as Stingmon appeared behind him, a silver stinger-like spike on his left gauntlet.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu," Sasuke said as he exhaled a barrage of fireballs at Stingmon while Beelzebumon appeared beside him, firing his laser.

The Digimon swiftly dodged the attacks. Akari and Zenjirou screamed as they hugged each other in fear as the tree that the attack hit began to fall on them. Sasuke's eyes widened before appearing beside Nene via Chaos Control.

"Oh no!" Beelzebumon gasped.

Beelzebumon fired a barrage of laser shots at the falling tree. It nearly fell on the four if a blur didn't get them. The tree splintered just an inch before hitting the ground.

"An opening!" Stingmon declared as he appeared above Beelzebumon, ready to slice the warrior in two.

"Stop, Stingmon-kun!" a voice called.

Stingmon stopped before appearing near where Sasuke, Nene, Zenjirou, and Akari were. Bending over them was a female Digimon. She wore a yellow and green, flower-themed bathing suit with small pink petals on the sides where it opens on the legs. She had pink skin and her hands were actually four white petals. On her back was a large, pink flower with four petal in full bloom. She had almond-colored eyes, a pink petal-shaped hat on her head, and shoulder-length green hair. On the front of her bathing suit outfit was a red flower in full bloom.

"Lilamon, why are you coming to the aid of these intruders?" Stingmon demanded.

"We're okay, thanks for asking!" J snapped as Beelzebumon helped him, Chaud, and Protoman out of the hole he dug to avoid the falling tree, "Beelzebumon, remind me to thank Simon for making me have his hand drill on hand."

"No problem," Beelzebumon replied.

"Oh, can't you see?" Lilamon asked as she turned to look at Stingmon, "These four are, without a doubt, a lovey-dovey couple!"

"W-W-W-W-W-Whaaaaat?" Akari and Zenjirou screamed is disbelief, making Lilamon turn and giggle at them while Sasuke and Nene blushed.

"Right?" Lilamon asked, smiling.

"I like someone else," both spoke.

"It's true. He's got a girlfriend back in his Zone," J said, "Though they haven't dated once."

"Oh…I'm sorry," Lilamon bowed to Sasuke and Nene.

"It is all right, but I can see why you think that, Ms. Lilamon," Sasuke replied.

"Thank you then. But I know for a fact these two are a lovey-dovey couple!" Lilamon declared, pointing at Zenjirou and Akari.

"No, no, no!" Zenjirou and Akari screamed, making J laugh.

"You got that right, I saw them kiss last night!" J cackled in amusement, banging a fist with Beelzebumon, who was smirking at the joke.

"We are Battle Cry Forest's warriors of love," Lilamon scolded Stingmon, "We musn't harm those who are bonded by mutual love. After all, the two of us are the number one lovey-dovey couple in this Zone!"

Stingmon flinched, blushing madly. Beelzebumon's three eyes blinked in unison at this. Nene just giggled at this while Chaud chuckled with Greymon as he emerged from the PeT.

"T-That's…not true," Stingmon somewhat whispered, embarrassed at the declaration Lilamon gave, making her fall to her knees and began to cry.

"Stingmon, you baka!" Lilamon sobbed.

"Don't cry, Lilamon!" Stingmon yelped as he went over to her, flustered over this, "Why are you always like this?"

"Great…Now you made her cry!" Greymon shouted.

"You're so mean to me!" Lilamon cried.

"What do we do, kyu?" Cutemon asked as she floated on a bubble, going past Greymon's face before it popped and let her land on his head.

"Give Stingmon a box of chocolates and red roses to give to Lilamon to make her stop crying?" Chaud offered.

"I…guess we call a truce for now," Beelzebumon replied before a rumbling was heard.

"Oh no! It's them!" Stingmon gasped, a pink handkerchief in his left hand before a tree was covered in black ice and then shattered.

"Why did the team that stayed behind get all the luck?" Shoutmon groaned as Blastmon surrounded them with less-armored version of WarGreymon X, with the armor being silver, black, and yellow with their hair yellow and their skin black and black wolfs in black and silver armor over their heads, torsos, bottom, legs, and tail with bladed wings on the back and a blade for a tail and Mavericks with various lasers and blades.

"Dorulumon is gone. We can't become X4," Ballistamon noted.

"Lucky me, I found…The boy with the Blue Xros Loader!" Blastmon declared."…Blue Xros Loader?" Max repeated, sweatdropping.

"Um…I have a red Xros Loader," Taiki corrected.

"…A red Xros Loader?" Blastmon repeated.

"Dude…You're dumber than a house of bricks," Sonic X snickered.

"Why you… Why you… Why you! Unforgiveable!" Blastmon roared, "Get them!"

"Taiki!" Shoutmon, Ballistamon, and Sonic X called.

"Hai! We'll make it X2 +, and bring out more members to fight back!" Taiki replied, "Shoutmon!"

"Okay!" Shoutmon called as he was covered in a red aura.

"Ballistamon!"

"Right!" Ballistamon roared as a blue aura erupted off him.

"Starmonz!"

"Hai!" Starmon called as he and the white Pickmonz were covered in a gold aura.

"Caliburn!"

"Verily!" Caliburn declared as the gold aura emanated from him as well.

"Dai Ryuusei Megaman X!"

"Let's go!" Sonic X declared as an emerald aura emanated from him.

"DigiXros!"

"DigiXros!" the Digimon and NetNavi declared.

The Digimon and NetNavi were engulfed in a flash of light. The light faded to reveal Sonic X, now wearing bulky armor resembling Ballistamon with Ballistamon's head on the front, his NaviMark on the forehead of Ballistamon. His helmet had become a black-shape and attached to his bulky torso armor, an orange-tinted visor over his eyes while the top was covered by Shoutmon's 'V' horns. In his right hand was a gold axe with the hilt/guard being Starmon and Caliburn.

"Dai Ryuusei Megaman X: SX2+ (Shoutmon Cross Two Plus)!" the DigiXros NetNavi declared.

"Reload, Knightmon! PawnChessmonz!" Taiki declared as Knightmon and his five PawnChessmon appeared while he took out Rhongo from his back, "I'm counting on you all!"

"Taiki-dono, we may need to go up a step," Knightmon advised.

"Hai. Knightmon! PawnChessmonz! DigiXros!"

"DigiXros!"

Another flash of light filled the area. The light faded and standing where Knightmon and the PawnChessmonz were was an exalted knight. He had near-white blue skin with bulky white and gold armor. The various gold parts were made to resemble spikes on the torso, shoulder guards, waist, arms, legs, and feet. The gold rings on the top of the leg armor had red crystals in them, making them resemble eyes. He had two purple, somewhat torn wings on his back. His head was covered in a white and gold helmet that showed his gold eyes with two white horns emerging from the sides of the head. In the palms of his hands were two rubies in the shape of spheres.

"Dynasmon!"

"Whoa…A Royal Knight? Now that is impressive, Taiki," Max noted.

"Royal Knight?" Taiki repeated.

"I'll tell you later. Let's deal with these guys," Max grinned as white armor covered him.

"Hai!" Taiki nodded as he took out Rhongo and assumed a stance.

"We will get the Code Crown and all the jewels that make up the Legendary Digimon!" Blastmon declared.

'This Deckerdramon is made of jewels?' Max thought.

With that, they charged at Blastmon and his army. The Mavericks open fired at them, but Dai Ryuusei Megaman X: SX2+ was quicker, easily getting through their defenses and slicing them open like cans. Dynasmon roared before he unleashed a giant wyvern made of white flames at the BlackWarGreymon, deleting many of them.

"Soul Surge: Sweeping Twilight!" Taiki shouted.

Rhongo's blade glowed a black and white energy. Taiki swung Rhongo around in a spin over his head as the glow increased. The blade extended and easily decapitated or sliced parts off the various Mavericks and Digimon around him.

"Dragon Knight Master Armor!" Ryuu roared as he engaged his armor before taking out his energy blades and began to swiftly slice through and decapitate the Digimon and Mavericks that had rushed at him while he charged.

"Diamond Machine Gun!" Blastmon roared as he unleashed a flurry of punches and diamonds at Max, who swiftly dodged the various attacks sent at him.

"Nice try, but no way!" Max barked as he delivered an uppercut to Blastmon's chin, the fist covered in a white energy, knocking Blastmon over, "Light Uppercut!"

"How dare you hit the most beautiful, sublime creature you have ever seen?" Blastmon demanded as he got up, seemingly fine from the uppercut.

"Dude, are you gay?" Max asked.

" Why you…!" Blastmon growled.

He began to roar as a gold light erupted off him. The data of the deleted Digimon and even various Digimon Taiki and Sonic X had cut apart were absorbed into him. He growled as his fists grew to twice the size of his body. Above them, the three Evilmon freaked.

"Oh no, evil!"

"If we get caught in this, we'll die, evil!"

"Final Subagōn Punch!" Blastmon roared.

"Oh fu…!" Max began before the area exploded.

Lockdown sat on the bench, uncomfortable in his position. He was having to bend his torso because the room wasn't near tall enough for him to sit straight up in, much less actually stand. "So, how goes Rampage's upgrades?" he asked, looking at Kalar, who was sitting behind his desk.

"Surprisingly well," Kalar replied. "We were even able to finish integrating the Spark pieces, though I can't believe your advice worked. I never would have guessed that glue would be the answer to fixing something so…complex." Lockdown shrugged. "And his hydraulic lines were a complete mess. We had to flush them three times before we could begin adding the new fluids in."

"Strange," Lockdown said. "Just had 'em flushed a year and a half ago, too."

"Yes, well," Kalar said, looking up from his computer. "I would like to discuss something with you."

L

"What was that?" Zenjirou asked as the group looked at the mushroom cloud in the distance, their attention temporarily removed from the black ice shards on the ground.

"Twenty says it's the others," J and Will said.

"Thirty Max is pissed right about now," Will added in. The four then returned their attention to the matter at hand.

L

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Max yelled as he chased Blastmon through the forest.

"Wow," Taiki said with a sweatdrop. "I wonder what that's about."

"Hmmm…come to think of it, didn't Will say something about Max always falling for explosion traps?" Sonic X pondered.

"Oh, right," Ryuu said, bopping his left fight into his right. "Some guy named Cameo always setting up traps involving arrows, darts, explosions, and holes."

"Oi, oi, oi, what the fuck is your problem?" Blastmon shouted at Max.

"Zone Obliteration!" Max yelled, slicing his sword down, the blade disappearing, while miniature Zone Portals appeared around Blastmon. Blastmon yelped as small shockwaves appeared from the portals.

"Ah, Max, don't you think you might be getting a bit too into this?" Knightmon asked. Max calmed down, exhaling sharply.

"Finally," Blastmon breathed. "You're worse than that Julie brat. Damn kid near bit my…hand…off…" Blastmon stopped as Max's eyes narrowed.

"Julie…brown hair….purple highlights in it?" Max asked, Blastmon nodding meekly, Max gritting his teeth. "Last name…Escal?"

"Methinks thou dost spoken too much, Blastmon," Sonic X said with a smirk.

"Oh no, evil," one of the Evilmon said. "Blastmon-sama, we had better be going now, evil!" The same Evilmon gulped as Max turned his eyes to look at it.

"You don't get off that easily," Max growled.

"Bring it on!" Blastmon declared."Guh," Lockdown gasped, his hook over his chest. Kalar had his right hand up, squeezing.

"Alright…(hack) I give!" Kalar undid his hand, nodding.

"Good," Kalar said, smiling. "I had a feeling you'd see it my way." Lockdown glared at Kalar.

"Just realize that when I get the chance, I will kill you after this," Lockdown said. Kalar waved his hand dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah, I understand," Kalar said. "And I welcome you to take that chance, if it should present itself. Now, let us discuss some form of payment for services.""Hm," Zaxlew said as he watched both halves of the team. "Seems that things are about to get interesting." He turned to look at his prisoner, who was glaring at him, murder in her eyes. He smiled.

"Ah, poor, sweet Julie. If only you hadn't decided to come visit your old man. This could have been avoided."

_'Bastard,'_ Julie thought, Zaxlew smiling.

"Now, that isn't very nice, Julie," he said, Julie once more glaring. "After all, since I'm your father's Zone Double, wouldn't that make me your uncle?"

_'Hmph. I feel sorry for you. Once dad finds out I'm here, you're in a lot of trouble.'_

"And what about that makes you think you can be smug?" Julie's eyes helped to relay the smirk under her gag.

_'Because I know what his current abilities are at this point in life. And you know squat.'_

Zaxlew stood up, looking down at her. "You really do need to learn your place, girl," Zaxlew said, bringing his hand up to brush her cheek. "The last time someone acted like this, I ended up killing them. It would be a shame if the same thing happened to you."

"We'll be safe here," Lilamon smiled softly at everyone as they stood in front of a large structure that seemed to be one with a massive tree.

"Are you sure it's okay, though?" Zenjirou asked, "I thought you said no one is allowed to go near this place."

"I'm sorry. The Bagura Army has gotten quite savage with their attacks lately, so Stingmon is all tense," Lilamon explained as she turned to watch Stingmon ordering a Digimon resembling a tree trunk with blue eyes, arms, and four legs, and two yellow and purple larva-like Digimon with pincers, "You were able to arrive at this sacred temple, despite it being protected by the guardian deity's barrier."

"You mean Deckerdramon, yes?" Chaud asked.

"Why, yes," Lilamon replied before looking at Zenjirou and Akari, "That means you must have pure hearts that are just bursting with love. So it's all right."

"Does that include us?" everyone but Zenjirou and Akari asked.

"We're warriors of love, kyu!" Cutemon declared in Akari's arms.

"Make sure you never let go of your boyfriend!" Lilamon spoke as she held Akari's hand, Cutemon barely holding onto one of Akari's arms, as Will and J laughed.

"I told you, we're nothing like that!"

"Oh, you're so cute when you're embarrassed! So innocent!" Lilamon giggled.

"It's no use, is it, Stingmon?" Sasuke asked.

"Indeed. Once she gets the idea of someone in a relationship with someone else, she won't stop it until it is confirmed they have another lover," Stingmon sighed, "You and Nene were lucky since she was a bit tipsy at the time. Most likely, she was eating some DigiNoir before she saved you. My apologies for the attack. It is my mission to guard the holy Digimon who sleeps deep within this sacred temple. Please stay put here for the time being."

"He doesn't seem like a bad Digimon to me," Akari whispered to J.

"Yeah. He's a noble one, he is," J nodded, "He's more of a victim of this…Bagura Army he's talking about."

"Eh? You mean the Legendary Digimon, who scared off the Anti-Spiral is in here?" Greymon gasped,

"Aw…I wanna go in! I wanna go in! I wanna go in!"

"Not until we get permission to have a spar with him," Protoman sighed before turning to a direction to see Dorulumon and Revolmon coming up, "That Digimon…He's a gun."

"Oi, minna!" Dorulumon called.

"Ah! Dorulumon!" Cutemon called happily before everyone looked in the direction the explosion had taken to see a circle in the sky with Shoutmon's 'V' and eyes in it.

"Is that…Ballistamon's Signal Fire?" Zenjirou pondered.

"Taiki and the others are in trouble!" Revolmon explained.

"We should hurry back," Dorulumon advised.

"If you have nakama, you can bring them here," Stingmon ordered.

"T-That's right," Zenjirou nodded.

"Apparently, this area has a special multi-layered technique in which none with malicious intent may approach or locate it," Sasuke advised.

"And since the Bagura Army seems to be trying to get here, we should help protect this place, too!" Akari added.

-Indeed. Nene, call all of us out- DarkKnightmon said from the Xros Loader.

"Hai. DarkKnightmon, SkullGreymon, SkullSatamon, Sparrowmon: Reload!" Nene declared as she held out her lavender Xros Loader.

From the Xros Loader, DarkKnightmon and Sparrowmon were the first to appear. The next one to appear was a Digimon as big as Greymon, but made entirely out of bones with only a few organs visible in its chest cavity and an organic missile on its back. It had a horn on its head, blue dots for eyes in its skull, and five claws on each hand. The last of them to appear was a Digimon resembling a devil in skeleton form. Its torso had a black sphere in it while it wore black pants with black and silver combat boots and a black bat mask on its head. It had tattered wings on its back, metal armor on its elbow bones and hands and carried a black staff with two red claws on the ends, each holding a gold sphere in each.

"What is your order, Nene-sama?" SkullGreymon, the white skeleton Digimon, asked.

"Yeah, yeah! I wanna make things go boom, uhn!" SkullSatamon declared.

"We are to protect this place from the Bagura Army and the Mavericks at all costs except for destroying this place," Nene ordered, "Sparrowmon, go with Dorulumon and Beelzebumon to help the others."

"Right!" Sparrowmon saluted as she took out her lasers.

"Thank you," Lilamon nodded as she held her hands together and looked at Nene and Zenjirou, "You two really are warriors of love!"

"Don't push us together!" Akari and Zenjirou screamed as Lilamon hugged them both.

"All right. Zenjirou, Akari, J, Sasuke, Will, Nene, Chaud, stay here and look after Cutemon for me."

"I don't take orders from…" Chaud began.

"Chaud-san, it will be better to have two Generals here than just one," Nene advised.

"But I'm not a General," Chaud growled.

"Actually, Master Chaud, there's something I need to tell you…" Protoman began.

"Let's go!" Dorulumon declared as Beelzebumon picked him up and flew off while Sparrowmon followed with Revolmon on her back, "I promise I will bring the others back here!"

"Don't leave without letting us clear up this misunderstanding first!" Zenjirou cried.

"I want to go back to the HQ or even my world…" Akari sniffled as tears flowed doesn her eyes in fear and embarassment.

"Come, let's go bring down the Bagura Army, too!" Stingmon declared before a tree fell over near them.

"**Relax…The Bagura Army and their Mavericks won't be coming…"** a voice growled sinisterly.

Everyone slowly turned to where the giant tree had collapsed to see it dissipated into data and eaten by a massive Digimon, easily twice the size of DarkKnightmon. It had an orange version of Greymon's body with a white dragon tail and furry white and blue-striped legs with magenta claws on the three toes of each foot. It had an insect-like, horned mask over its face with red hair emerging out of the back. It's four arms consisted of two black, leather-wearing, demon hands with one bound in brown bandages and the other in silver straps, a SkullGreymon arm for the lower right arm, and a red, three-fingered, insect-like claw for the lower left arm. Its upper two wings were angel wings while its lower two wings were orange dragon wings with holes in them.

"**You have an even greater threat to deal with now, though**," The Digimon snarled.

"Ch…Chimairamon…" Stingmon and Lilamon shook, pure fear on their faces.

"Diamond Hedgehog!" Blastmon roared as he charged at them all, curling up like a bowling ball.

"Hey! That's my Spin Dash!" Dai Ryuusei Megaman X: X2+ snapped as they barely dodged the attack that flattened ten trees in his path before he stopped.

"Minna!" a voice cried before Dorulumon, Revolmon, Sparrowmon, and Beelzebumon flew in and let Revolmon go back into the Xros Loader after taking care of the remaining Mavericks and Digimon in the area with the others.

"Dorulumon, you betrayer!" Blastmon growled as he got up before looking at Beelzebumon, "…You look like Baal-chan."

"That's because I was Baalmon before reincarnating into a Warrior of the Sandoria Goddess, Beelzebumon," the winged warrior replied, "We will defeat you, Blastmon."

"Don't be stupid! Be it power or beauty, there's no Digimon who could match me in anything!" Blastmon declared.

**Cue – We Are Xros Heart**

"Taiki, let's show him how powerful we are now!" Dorulumon declared.

"Let's go to the big one!" Sparrowmon added.

"Yeah! Dai Ryuusei Megaman X: X2+! Pickmonz! Dorulumon! Beelzebumon! Sparrowmon! DigiXros!" Taiki declared.

"DigiXros!"

"Shoutmon: X5MB (Shoutmon: Cross Five Mega-Beelzebub)!" the new DigiXros Digimon declared, wearing his Sparrowmon jetpack, crescent-spiked helmet, Sparrowmon blaster, and Beelebumon legs.

**tachiagare tomo yo tomaranai BAANINGU SOORU(Stand up, my friend. It's unstoppable, this burning soul)**

"Fools!" Blastmon declared as he jumped into the air, reflecting the sun off his jewels as they flew off him as shot them at Shoutmon: X5MB, who easily shot them out of the sky with his side Gatling guns and then with his laser and sliced the rest of them with a single slash of his blade.

**dokomademo yuku sa kimi wa hitori ja nai(No boundaries can stop us, you're not alone)**

"Nani? You blocked all those crystal bullets?" Blastmon gasped, "Just what are you?"

**nakama no kizuna ga kirifuda sa inochi wo moyashite ho-e-ro!  
(My bond with my friends is my trump card. I'll burn up this life of mine and R-O-A-R!)**

"Burst Death Stream!" Shoutmon: X5BM roared.

He swung his blade and sent a scarlet energy 'V' at Blastmon, who was hit full blast by it. The DigiXros NetNavi charged at Blastmon with his right fist-his sword now in his left-glowed with a gold aura while he reeled it back. He then unleashed a flurry of punches too quick for everyone to count. The last punch created an explosion that sent Blastmon spinning higher into the air, screaming in pain. Shoutmon: X5BM's waist blaster began to glow before firing a pure blast of crimson energy, striking Blastmon.

"This…" Blastmon gasped.

**ima hitotsu ni GREAT XROS tokeau tobitate tatakae WE ARE KUROSU HAATO! (Now let's fuse as one into a Great Xros. Take flight and fight, We are Xros Heart!)**

"…Can't…be…!" Blastmon continued before be blew up in a fiery, purple explosion.

"That was amazing!" Ryuu exclaimed as Shoutmon: X5BM landed with 22 golden diamonds with a memory card in each one fell into Taiki's hand, "That's gotta be the strongest combo ever!"

"This makes 28 Code Crowns!" Taiki exclaimed as the DigiXros NetNavi split back into his base components.

"He'll be back, though," Dorulumon noted, barely seeing a portal taking in Blastmon's grumbling head through.

"Tch. Seems the show's over…" Zaxlew smirked before grabbing Julie by the hair and jumped through the trees, pulling her by her hair, "I wonder if that Digimon I released from this place's jail has done his job yet. …Ah…Seems he has."

"Lilamon!" Akari gasped as Lilamon collapsed, bleeding badly and burnt on various areas of her body, "Stop this!"

"Yeah! What you're doing makes you no different from the Bagura Army!" Will growled as he charged at Chimairamon, clutching a barely breathing Stingmon in its upper left claw, in purple and cream, monkey-themed armor and firing a pair of blasters at the Digimon, who simply swatted him through a tree and shattering his armor.

"This…This is bad…" DarkKnightmon, now shorter and resembling a black and silver Digimon with a silver, red-eyed skull on its bulky torso armor and silver round helmet, grunted as a black and gold, four-legged Digimon resembling the black and gold armor DarkKnightmon was suppose to have growled,

"Indeed, DeadlyAxemon."

'This is bad…! SkullKnightmon and DeadlyAxemon have lost DigiXros…SkullGreymon and SkullSatamon are out cold…' Nene thought in worry, 'And the Monitamon are too weak to handle them. Even if I put them into their HiVisionMonitamon DigiXros.'

"You're horrible, kyu! Neither of them are bad Digimon, kyu!" Cutemon scolded, earning a dark cackle from Chimairamon.

"**Of course they aren't. Them and their leader sealed me up! But thanks to that kid, Zaxlew and that girl he used to speed up the time of my cage…I am free once more!**" Chimairamon roared before kicking Stingmon into the structure, "**Now tell me how to get in there! I will devour Deckerdramon and take over the Digital World!**"

"D-Damn…" Protoman grunted, having lost KaiserGreymon DigiXros with Greymon, "Seems I…have no…choice. Protoman: Kaiser Mode, Shinka! MailBirdramon!"

Protoman glowed before transforming. He was now the size of Greymon, with a primarily metallic-red body, tail end with three black claws, a white horn on his back, metallic red armor on the silver legs of its body, and its wings. His wings resembled jet-like wings while his metallic-red head rested on a silver long neck and bottom half of a jaw. His eyes were covered by Protoman's sunglasses.

"P…Protoman?" Chaud gasped.

"I am MailBirdramon in this form, Chaud-kun," MailBirdramon replied as Greymon slowly got up.

"I didn't…expect you to…change places with Protoman…MailBirdramon…" Greymon growled.

"We need to go beyond," MailBirdramon replied, "MailBirdramon!"

"Greymon!"

"DigiXros!" both roared.

"MetalGreymon!" the DigiXros Greymon roared before aiming all his blasters at Chimairamon, "Giga Destroyer!"

"**Heat Viper!**" Chimairamon roared as he emitted a deadly heat ray from its hands and his jaws.  
The two attack collided and struggled. The Heat Viper overpowered the Giga Destroyer and struck MetalGreymon. The DigiXros Greymon cried in pain as he collapsed near Chaud.

"MetalGreymon!" Chaud gasped.

"**You had best listen to me, ningen and wastes of data; don't interfere**," Chimairamon growled as he rose a hand, "**Or this will be your punishment!**"

"No! MetalGreymon!" Chaud screamed before Shoutmon: X5MB parried the attack with his sword.

"What do you think you're doing?" Taiki demanded as he and the others ran up. Chimairamon chuckled sinisterly at that. Suddenly, a light caught everyone's attention. They turned to see the tree over the structure began to glow with a gold light. It shined down upon Stingmon.

"Lilamon…The others…" Stingmon gasped out as his body began to glow and float, "I must…protect them…"

"Stingmon!" Zenjirou gasped.

"Is he going to evolve like Protoman?" Sasuke pondered.

"_For your deep love, warrior, I shall save your life!_" a kind, deep, powerful voice declared.

"The guardian deity has called upon Stingmon!" Lilamon gasped as Stingmon's body went into the light.

"_Stingmon, Shinka! Paildramon!_" Stingmon cried out. His body glowed before transforming, gaining three additional feet of height. He had muscular blue skin with a white belly that went up to his lower jaw, which was hidden along with his face in a red and black, sleek mask that showed his autumn-red eyes. He had two white and blue dragon wings on his back, each one poking out of his spiked, green and black vest. He wore green shorts with the short-legs being covered in black metal and a pair of green and white blasters on his hips. He had three claws for toes on each foot while his ten, blade-like claws were on his two black armored hands/lower part of his arms. On the back of his arm armor were two spikes that could extend.

"Now this is a perfect opportunity, Chimairamon!" Zaxlew grinned as he jumped onto the Digimon's head.

"Julie!" Max called out, seeing the girl being held by her hair.  
Julie and Max looked at each other, one in shock and the other in a mix of hope and fear. Chimairamon quickly jumped into the light, following Paildramon into the portal within it. The portal closed just seconds after.

"_I'm taking that Anti-Spiral weapon for myself, Maxy!_" Zaxlew's voice cackled.

"Julie!" Max screamed as he collapsed to his knees, his left hand extended out to where the girl had last been.

"Don't worry, Max. We shall retrieve her with all our might," Sasuke spoke.

'So that was the Julie-Oneechan Dai-chan was talking about…She made it as well…' Ryuu thought before looking at Max, "Yo, Max! That girl, Julie, ya know her?"

"She's my daughter, that's what!" Max replied as he took out his Portal Sword…only for it to dissipate, "What?"

"It won't work…" Lilamon grunted as she tried to stand up before being caught by Shoutmon: X5BM.

"Easy there, miss," the DigiXros NetNavi advised as he gently put her beside the shrine as MetalGreymon split back into Greymon and Protoman.

"That poor girl was taken by a scary person…Taiki, what do we do?" Zenjirou whimpered.

"…Zaxlew…" Taiki whispered before Shoutmon growled, losing the DigiXros once more.

Within the structure, Paildramon was taken along a path of white energy. On the ground, Chimairamon roared as he gave chase. Zaxlew grinned sinisterly as Julie whimpered.

"That weapon Digimon is ahead of that light," Zaxlew ordered, "Oi, ugly, don't lose sight of it!"

**"Buzz off, human,"** Chimairamon growled before an AlturKabuterimon (Red) emerged from the ground with two more, **"Heat Viper!"**

"Sweet…" Zaxlew whistled.

**"I don't need you to keep ordering me around,"** Chimairamon growled, **"I'm the one who makes the orders here. This a fuckin' boring welcome party, you know that right?"**"That mixed up Digimon is a villain, no question, Taiki," Shoutmon scowled as he sat cross legged with a hand on his chin.

"Yeah. That girl, Julie, is in trouble too. I can't turn my back on her," Taiki nodded as Max closed his eyes, his fists shaking in anger as he stood up.

"Lilamon…where have they gone?" he asked.

"To Deckerdramon's sanctuary," she replied as Knightmon and his PawnChessmon addressed her wounds, "Through that door," she continued, pointing towards a golden door, framed on each side by tree roots.

"Then that's where we go," Max said, walking forwards, putting his hand out towards the door.

"That's not a good…" Lilamon began when Max was sent flying into a tree trunk.

WHAM

"…idea…" she finished, sweatdropping at seeing the dent he made in the tree.

"Ow. What the hell was that?" Max asked, standing up, using the tree trunk he had hit to support himself.

"You can't get in by force," Lilamon said. "There's only one way you can prove yourselves to have love and gain passage to see Deckerdramon-sama…That's…the legendary dance, Love-Love Dance!"

"Love…Love…Dance?" everyone repeated.

"I'm getting an awfully bad feeling about this…" Akari whispered as she and Zenjirou paled the most.

"Watch. It goes like this," Lilamon said as she began to perform the dance, "Love, love, love! Love, love, love! Love you, love you, love you! Kiss, kiss, kiss! Love, love, love!"

As they looked on, Max, J, Will, Sasuke, and Taiki paled, Akari and Zenjirou had collapsed to the ground, and Ballistamon began to smoke and soon passed out. Chaud, Protoman, and Greymon managed to get away and went to a nearby pond yet far enough to not hear Lilamon. After her demonstration, everyone had some expression of horror.

"And that's it. And as a couple," she said, looking pointedly at Zenjirou and Akari, "you must perform this dance from start to finish."

Both Akari and Zenjirou looked at each other, horror in their eyes. They had to do that dance…that horrifying, unbelievable…dance. They gave each other a look and nodded.

"Absolutely not!" both screamed.

"There's no way I'm gonna dance like that!" Zenjirou screamed before running off.

"Right! We're not a couple, anyway!" Akari added as she dashed off.

"Beauty Slap!" Lilamon called as her arms extended, grabbed the two, and brought them close to her in a hug, "Oh, look at how shy you are! But there's no time to waste being embarrassed."

"Ya got that right!" Max agreed, "You two are doing that dance no matter what!"

"Besides…" Sonic X snorted in a laugh, "This is the dance that will prove you have love for each other…"

"That and this might be our only option," Shoutmon added.

"But I don't wanna…" Akari sniffled.

"Help us, Kudou Taiki!" Zenjirou pleaded, freaking out.

"Huh?" Taiki pondered as he turned back to the two, walking up a set of roots, "Y-You do your best, Zenjirou."

"Wait-!" Zenjirou cried as Taiki dashed off, "These sort of moments are exactly the kind when…"

"You shouldn't turn your back on us!" Zenjirou and Akari screamed with tears.

Greymon growled as he drank some of the pond water. He still didn't understand how those bubbles just formed in them water and flew about, but he didn't care. It tasted like pretzel logs to him. Nearby, Chaud just frowned in thought as Protoman was bowing on his left knee.

"So…That's how you're able to turn into MailBirdramon and preform those DigiXroses with Greymon," Chaud scowled, "The Absolute Hunters…they're monsters…"

"How do you think we feel?" Protoman asked, "We never asked for us to lose something important to us nor did we ask to become…"

"Like this," MailBirdramon said after he changed places with Protoman.

"Master, what do we do now?" Greymon asked as he looked at Chaud.

"I'm not sure, Greymon. Right now, I'm at a loss," Chaud admitted.

"If you're lost, you'll feel better about making some kind of move," a voice said before they turned to see Taiki walk up with a Monitamon as a second Monitamon jumped out of a nearby tree.  
"Taiki?" Chaud pondered.

"Never expected you to be Kiriha's Greymon, Greymon," Taiki chuckled, "You were a lot colder with him around."

"How…?" Greymon gawked before glaring at the Monitamonz, "Why you little spies!"

"Greymon, stand down," Chaud ordered, "What do you mean by making some kind of move, Taiki? If those two don't comply and preform the act, then it's useless."

"I see. But…Getting owned by someone isn't you, is it?" Taiki asked, grinning.

"What?" Chaud gasped as he glared at Taiki, who began to walk off with his hands behind his head, "That guy…"

"Can I get him, Master?" Greymon asked.

"No," Chaud replied, "Right now, we'll wait."

"I can't watch this," Max said, turning away as three spotlights shone on

Akari and Zenjirou on a stage, while a crowd of Digimon had appeared, cheering as the dance was about to start. The two were hidden under violet robes, so as to not let anyone see them fully. Windom just looked away, feeling sorrow for her mistress. Akari threw off her robe first, revealing her to be wearing a pink heart over her chest, a white strapless shirt under it, a grass skirt that went to her knees, and flowers on her head, wrists, and ankles. Zenjirou went next, revealing he wore a bee outfit consisting of a pink heart on his torso, a bee bottom-like shorts with stinger, a bee head-shaped hat, and bee-like items on his wrists and ankles.

"We won't let you two do this alone! We'll dance too!" Shoutmon declared, "Throw that embarrassment and throw it sky high!"

"Charge it up!" Donchakkamon cheered as he drummed himself.

_'Why do I have to do this stupid…'_ Zenjirou thought, _'No! That girl is waiting for us to save her!'_

_'Why do I have to do this with Zenjirou of all people…But Lilamon-sama and the others did help us…I'll just have to do it!'_ Akari thought.

"Let's…Love…Love…Dance!" both declared, earning a massive cheer from all the Forest Zone Digimon.

"Akari-kun, there's no other way for it," Zenjirou whispered, "Let's just get this over with."

"Yeah…" Akari nodded.

"Let's go!" both cried out as they brought their outer hands together to make a heart with their thumbs and pointer fingers, "Love, love, love!" they hugged each other and began to spin on one foot each, "Love, love, love!" They separated and began to push against each other 'lovingly,' "Love you, love you, love you!" They moved apart, hugged themselves, and began to kiss the air, "Kiss, kiss, kiss!"

"Love, love, love! Love, love, love! Love you, love you, love you! Kiss, kiss, kiss!" the Digimon all began to chant and preform.

"You two are so wonderful!" Lilamon swooned.

Nearby, Dorulumon, Beelzebumon, the humans, half-dragon, NetNavi, a PawnChessmon, Cutemon, and Revolmon looked at the sight. Cutemon's jaw was dropping in shock while PawnChessmon and Revolmon sweatdropped and cried a little. Sasuke was simply taking notes, smirking, while Ryuu was taping it for future blackmail. Beelzebumon, Max, Will, and J all had a hand to their aching heads. Dorulumon, though…

"It's utterly mortifying…" Dorulumon shivered.

"Just watching this makes me feel embarrassed," a Monitamon in the trees stated, earning a nod from Sparrowmon and the two other Monitamon.

"Yeah, but at least the door's opening," Max said, noticing the sudden increase of light from behind him, before he turned around to see the dance was nearing its end…with all the Digimon watching it actually loving it, "That's just not right…"

_"Hm? That's…"_ Deckerdramon's voice was heard, just barely, over the singing and dancing, _"I feel it…I feel it! This passion…"_

"Love, love, love!" Akari and Zenjirou cried out, finishing their dance.

_"It's the very love they have for their friends!"_ Deckerdramon cried out before the door began to glow and reveal a pathway of light, _"Those with love in your hearts, come to me!"_

"We did it!" Akari and Zenjirou cried as they hugged each other, crying.

"Deckerdramon-sama has approved of your love!" Lilamon cheered.

"We don't love each other!" both snapped at the Digimon, their eyes blank and their teeth replaced with shark fangs.

"Alright, let's get…" Max stopped, everyone turning around as they heard explosions, "Son of a bitch. Really?"

"Hold on," Sasuke advised, jumping from branch to branch.

He looked into the distance to see a large swarm of massive, black and silver, beetle-insect Digimon, led by a dark yellow colored scarab-like Digimon with eight arms. Beelzebumon flew up to him and saw the Digimon. They nodded at each other. Beelzebumon held up his Wrister to Sasuke, who nodded.

-Hmmm…it seems that we have a slight problem- Sasuke spoke through the Wrister.

"What is it?" Will called up.

-A large group of insectile Digimon- Sasuke replied -There is a dark yellow one in the very front-

"That would be Kongoumon," Lilamon explained, "And the Bagura Army's GranKuwagamon Squad!"

-The Bagura Army's advancing. There's quite a lot of them- Beelzebumon added.

"Great," J said, throwing his hands up. "So, either we stay here and stop that army or go and stop Zaxlew and bring Julie back."

"Or we can compromise," Ryuu said, "I volunteer to stay here and help defend against them."

"Same here," Will said, stepping beside Ryuu before engaging his Gurren Lagann KAISER Armor.

"Well, I'm not exactly looking forward to this, but I suppose I can stay as well," J said, pulling out his Copy Converters. "I'll take a treetop position and see what I can hit with the railgun."

"Then the rest of us are going in there," Taiki said.

"Alright. Good luck," Max said, nodding to J, Will, and Ryuu, "But before we go in, I want to make one thing clear. Zaxlew is mine," Max said, looking around the group, "And I don't want anyone getting caught in between what's going to happen."

The rest going in nodded in understanding. Sonic X probably knew more about what Max was going through with an evil double, considering the fact he once had Metal Sonic as an enemy…that, and his evil Zone Double, Scourge the Hedgehog. With that, they all walked into the door, disappearing into the light. A blur went by them and into the light as well. Though it was only for an instance, Beelzebumon noted that it was Chaud on MailBirdramon's back.

"Was that…?" Revolmon began.

"What Max-san said turned out to be right," Knightmon spoke, putting a hand on his chin in thought.

"He's a strange guy, that Max, along with that Taiki," Beelzebumon smirked as he cocked his spare gun.

"You'd better prepare yourselves!" Kongoumon declared, "I am Kongoumon!"

"Don't let them take a single step past us!" Ryuu roared as he engaged his armor once more, taking flight and ripping one of the GranKuwagamon in two.

"Yeah!" Everyone cried out as they charged into battle.

The group that went into the door walked into a massive forest with a giant shrine. The shrine was glowing a golden color along with a large Digimon that reminded Max of a crocodile, making both seem to be actual gold. Floating above the shrine and into a pathway were multiple cone-shaped bowls that spewed blue and white flames. All around were insect Digimon, flying around the area before they were shot down by Chimairamon and absorbed into his body via Heat Viper. Standing in front of the shrine was Zaxlew, Julie on the ground beside him, curled up, but still conscious.

"Come now," Zaxlew said, "Surely we can discuss this."

_"No,"_ the large Digimon replied sternly, _"I sense no love from you. Begone now."_

Zaxlew shook his head, sighing, "Deckerdramon, I would rather not have to get rough here. Please reconsider your options."

_"No,"_ Deckerdramon replied.

"Well, if you won't get rough, then I will!"

Max had appeared behind Zaxlew, no one actually seeing when it happened. Max wrapped his hand around Zaxlew's neck, throwing him backwards. He then knelt beside Julie, untying the gag and bindings as the others appeared before the shrine.

"It's you!" Paildramon gasped, recognizing the others.

"Stingmon!" Akari called, "I mean, Paildramon! Thank goodness, you're all right!"

"A croc?" Zenjirou screamed, seeing Deckerdramon.

"Personally, I would have to argue and say he resembled an alligator," Sasuke argued.

"We're here to save you, Paildramon!" Taiki spoke.

"Julie, are you okay?" Max asked as he undid the last binding and removed the gag.

"Fine, dad, just- LOOK OUT!" Julie screamed before Max went flying as Zaxlew shoulder-charged him, sneering.

"You're getting to be a handful, Max," Zaxlew said.

"Free-"

"No, Julie!" Max snapped, Julie stopping her command, her right arm still raised, "This guy is mine alone. You help the others."

"Oh? Don't tell me you've suddenly gone noble on me," Zaxlew said.

"What makes you think I never was?" Max asked.

And with that, he tackled Zaxlew, carrying him as far away from the others as he could. He grunted as Zaxlew slammed both of his fists onto Max's back, forcing him to back off. He quickly jumped back and both regained themselves.

"So, you wanna keep everyone else unharmed?" Zaxlew asked, smirking. "How…interesting."

"Yeah, yeah, interesting," Max said as his irises changed to silver, his Zone Energy now being slowly released.

"You know, Max, there is one thing I should probably warn you about," Zaxlew said, his pupils turning red, "You won't be able to beat me."

"Oh? And why not?"

"Because," Zaxlew snarled, his own Zone Energy appearing, a blood red color, "I'm a Weaponizer! And you're just a lowly Guardian!"

"A what?" Max asked.

"The proof is in the eyes, Max," Zaxlew said, laughing maniacally, "Weaponizers...Guardians…a cycle of hate for generations. You have no hope of winning, Maxwell. The Weaponizers have slowly killed off the Guardians over millennia. And you are the last of them!"

"Do you honestly think I care?" Max asked, his voice cold, his eyes downcast as Zaxlew stopped laughing, confused.

"What's up? You seem a little different."

"Weaponizer…Guardian…what kinda bullshit is that? I don't give a damn what you call yourself. All I know is that you've threatened my family three times now. And this third time…you messed with my daughter." Max looked up at Zaxlew, his irises glowing.

Zaxlew looked stunned, but began to grin. "Alright. Finally, a fight that's worth the time," he said, "I should have figured it'd take a Guardian to get my blood stirred up like this."

"Then get ready to taste that blood," Max whispered."We won't let you hurt anyone ever again, Chimairamon!" Taiki declared.

**Cue – The Hero Who Dance in the Sky! X5**

**Burning on! Burner on! Buddy on! Tomo yo tobidase (Fly out friend!)**

"Shoutmon! Ballistamon! Dorulumon! Starmonz! Sparrowmon! Dai Ryuusei Megaman X! DigiXros!" Taiki shouted.**  
Sora wo mau yuusha, ima koko ni! (The hero of the skies is now here!)  
**"DigiXros!"

"Shoutmon X5M (Cross Five Mega)!"**  
Ryuusei no BOOSTER, sono mi ni kuwaete (With the addition of meteor booster to this body…)  
**_"Oh…What generous love that boy has!"_ Deckerdramon awed.

**"Don't make me puke at this weakling,"** Chimairamon cackled as he charged.

**Mada minu sora no hate, gungun tsukkirou (Let's steadily cut across the ends of a sky yet unseen)**

Shoutmon X5M used his shield/laser and his sword to block the claws. They jumped back from each other. Chimairamon roared before firing his Heat Viper.

"Impact Laser!" Shoutmon X5M roared as he fired a green spiral beam from his blaster/shield, creating an explosion.

**"You think that's enough to defeat **_**me**_**?"** Chimairamon roared.**  
Kirameku YELLOW WING ore no, minna no tsubasa (The glittering yellow wings lift up both me and everyone else)**

He charged at Shoutmon X5M and swung his claws. The DigiXros Warrior could barely defend himself, realizing Chimairamon wasn't holding back now. Greymon appeared from the skies and landed before Shoutmon X5M. He tackled the surprised Chimairamon as Chaud flew in on MailBirdramon.

"Greymon! Chaud!" Taiki gasped.**  
Kumo koete, kaze koete, oto koete, yagate hikari to hitotsu ni (Faster than clouds, faster than wind, faster than sound, until becoming one with the light)**

"Blaster Tail!" Greymon roared as he slammed his tail, the end now glowing with a violet sphere on the end, sending Chimairamon back a few meters.**  
Burning on! Burner on! Buddy on! Subete oikose (Overtake everything)**

"Greymon!"

"MailBirdramon!"

"DigiXros!"

"MetalGreymon!"**  
Moeru ikari komete, aku wo kirisake (With passionate fury, cut the evil to shreds)  
**"You were right, Taiki," Chaud smirked as MetalGreymon charged at Chimairamon, "Getting owned by others that aren't my friends just isn't my style."

**Tsuyoku tsuyoku tsuyoku, negai kasanete (Strongly, strongly, strongly pile on your wishes)  
**"Heh-heh. I thought you'd day that!" Taiki grinned as Shoutmon X5M flew at Chimairamon.

**Sora wo mau yuusha, kagayake X5! (Hero of the skies, shine bright, X5!)  
**Shoutmon X5M roared as he swung his burning blade at Chimairamon, who barely blocked it with his red claw. MetalGreymon got Chimairamon in the eye with his normal claw as his metal one was blocked by the two demon arms it had. A shadow overtook Chimairamon before DarkKnightmon slashed him in the back. However, DarkKnightmon had been altered with another DigiXros. His cape had transformed into demonic wings while his Shoulder Blade had grown larger and adorned with SkullSatamon's ribs as accents. His twin lance was now fused into a jousting lance featuring SkullGreymon's skull and bones.

"That was a good idea, Sasuke-san," Nene said, "Combining DarkKnightmon with SkullGreymon and SkullSatamon to form SuperDarkKnightmon."**  
Burning on! Burner on! Buddy on! Subete oikose (Overtake everything)  
**_"Such strong hearts…!"_ Deckerdramon awed, _"Each of the three Generals I see before me had such a powerful heart!"_

**Tsuyoku tsuyoku tsuyoku, negai kasanete Heiwa michita asu wo, tsukamu oretachi (Strongly, strongly, strongly pile on your wishes. We will grab a tomorrow overflowing with peace)  
**"Giga Destroyer!"

"Burning Star Crusher!" Shoutmon X5M roared as he unleashed a beam slash from his sword, letting the two attacks combine into one spiraling blast.

"Freeze!" Julie shouted as a blue energy washed over Chimairamon, freezing his body except for his head.

**"Nani?"** Chimairamon gasped before the attack struck him, creating a massive explosion.

**Sora wo mau yuusha, kagayake X5! (Hero of the skies, shine bright, X5!)**

"Yatta!" Taiki cheered before the smoke cleared, "Nani?"

Standing before them, cackling maniacally, was Chimairamon, but had doubled in size. His entire body had become abyss-black in color. His arms all resembled his two upper arms while they each had a spike emerging from the back of the elbows. The claws on his arms and feet had turned venom-red while his hair turned midnight-blue. His jaw seemed unhinged on both sides due to its massive size in his dark, twisted laughter. Furthermore, his wings were gone, replaced by the yellow aura of a demonic dragon that was faintly above his horn and his upper arms. It also seemed to be making a pair of blaster the size of his original body on his back.

"Nani? Millenniumon!" Paildramon gasped.

"Who?" Taiki asked.

_"I've heard of Millenniumon,"_ Deckerdramon spoke, _"He was once a Digimon that even Baguramon feared of. It was the Digimon of the Anti-Spiral, designed to halt all forms of Evolution. However, not even they could control it. I had expected you, who had no sense of love, to be that very being."_

_**"Aw…I'm touched, Deckerdramon. Seems my reputation precedes me,"**_ Millenniumon chuckled before looking at the others, _**"This is my true form, you weaklings! Now Deckerdramon, fight for me or you shall die!"**_

_"I am the Guardian Deity of Love. I can see how much love a warrior holds in his heart,"_ Deckerdramon replied, _"I will not aid you, Millenniumon."_

_**"Then prepare for the end! Dimension Destroyer!"**_ Millenniumon roared as it fired powerful beams from its lasers, striking the DigiXros Warriors and their allies, creating a massive explosion.

The smoke engulfing the area slowly dissipated. Shoutmon X4M (Cross Four Mega) and MetalGreymon moved their arms away from their faces and gasped. Before them, SkullKnightmon and DeadlyAxemon were starting to dissipate while SkullGreymon and SkullSatamon were absorbed into Millenniumon. Nene held up her Xros Loader and returned the two critically injured Digimon to it in order to regenerate.

"Now do you see how futile your attempts to stop me from getting what I want are?" Millenniumon chuckled darkly, "I will get Deckerdramon to fuse with me and destroy everyone who gets in my way! I will be stronger than God!"

"Sorry but I won't let that happen!" Chaud declared, "Sonic X-san, even though the Protoman and I of your Zone has caused you grief, I don't want that to happen with us. You and Ryuu are great allies and even friends, no matter the Zone I have been to."

"Oh…Oh…These feelings…" Deckerdramon awed as Millenniumon jumped back from the Giga Destroyer MetalGreymon launched.

"We are Neo Blue Flare! We will show you the blaze of the blue flames we create from our bonds!" Chaud declared, motioning to himself and MetalGreymon, before jumping into MetalGreymon's non-metal claw and let him ram into Millenniumon, knocking him back even further, "We won't give in! Bonds can do things nothing else can do…They give way to the path to one's ultimate potential!"

**Cue – Blazing Blue Flare**

"Julie-sama, are you okay?" Sparrowmon asked as she flew a slightly-bleeding and injured Julie-who had slowed time down enough to barely dodge the attack-with Nene holding her over to the base of the shrine, a Monitamon at their sides.

Suddenly, Deckerdramon's eyes lit up with a red light as steam roared out of six pipes in his jaws. Nearly everyone looked up in shock and awe. Zenjirou, though…

"What's the matter, Mr. Crocodile?" Zenjirou gasped.

"Alligator!" Sasuke argued.

"_Paildramon. I leave you to protect this land_," Deckerdramon said to the fully recovered Paildramon within the fog, the sphere dissipating.

"What? But what about you, my lord?" Paildramon asked.

"_The one I am meant to protect has shown up!_" Deckerdramon replied. With that, he roared out of the smoke he had created, revealing his actual body. He was just as massive as he was in his golden image and still resembled a crocodile. Everything except his legs, tail laser, and launchers were pure bronze with silver decal and designs. The upper parts of the legs were blue skin with the lower part of the legs being tank treads seemingly fused with the blue skin. He had three silver toes on each foot and his tail blaster was pitch black. He had red optics for eyes with glowing green markings on his face. He also had six engine pipes on his jaws. While his back had two giant missile launchers, yet were only the size of its upper body.

**Aoku moeru honoo ni (Within the blazing blue flare)**

MetalGreymon batted away Kimeramon. Deckerdramon opened his jaws and shot out a gold sphere. The sphere went to Chaud and entered his PeT, causing it to change, taking on the fusion of its original form and a Xros Loader. On the screen, a gold diamond was shown.

"A Code Crown?" Taiki gasped.

**Yurameku sanretsu no yuushi (Is the striking flickering form of the brave)**

"Deckerdramon, why are you giving this to me?" Chaud asked as he hopped off MetalGreymon's claw.

"_You have the strongest love of all_," Deckerdramon replied.

**Tekijin koete todoroku tsume to kiba no SHINFONII (It roars through enemy camp in a symphony of nails and fangs)**

"Me?"

"_I shall aid you in your fight of love from now on,"_ Deckerdramon declared, blowing steam from his pipes.

**Daremo yatsu wo tometari dekinai (Absolutely no one can stop him)**

"Thank you, Deckerdramon. Please, lend us your power," Chaud spoke, 'Now what does that Taiki kid do…? Oh yes.' "MetalGreymon! Deckerdramon! DigiXros!"

MetalGreymon erupted with a red aura as a gold aura roared off Deckerdramon. The two shot into the air and collided, creating a flash of light. A large figure landed before Millenniumon. It was MetalGreymon but now two feet taller than its opponent. The lower half of his legs were now the main body of Deckerdramon, the tank tread legs now fused below it to form the treads for MetalGreymon's new legs with the launchers on the sides. MetalGreymon's right arm now had Deckerdramon's head on it, facing backwards, while the laser tail was attached to Deckerdramon's\ head, forming a new blaster for MetalGreymon.

"DeckerGreymon!" the new Digimon roared.

**Susume michi naru sekai wo unmei no JENERARU (Move forward into that unknown world, fated General)**

"Hey, Mr. Crocodile joined Chaud!" Zenjirou exclaimed as Paildramon carried Taiki, Sasuke, and him with Akari, Julie, and Nene following them on Sparrowmon, "That insane-agator!"

"It's alright," Taiki grinned happily.

**Tachi hadakaru mono subete kami kudake (Rip to shreds all who block your way)**

"X4M, your Vulcans!" Taiki ordered.

"Got it!" the DigiXros NetNavi declared as he open fired the Vulcans in his helmet.

"Finish him, Neo Blue Flare!" Chaud ordered.

"Spiral Plasma Deckerdrauncher!" DeckerGreymon roared as he fired a giant beam made out of raw Spiral Energy.

The two attacks fused into a massive beam. The beam collided with Millenniumon, creating a massive explosion. Everyone rushed up to Dai Ryuusei Megaman X: X4B and DeckerGreymon as the smoke began to settle.

**Minutes Earlier...**

"What's wrong, Max?" Zaxlew asked as he drove his fist into Max's stomach, knocking him further into the tree trunk. "Don't tell me you're all talk!"

"Nope," Max said, grinning at Zaxlew, his eyes down. "Just wanted to let you feel like you're accomplishing something."

"What?" Zaxlew asked, his eye twitching. It was then that he noticed Max's right hand coated in a sand colored energy. "Barrier Ultima?" Zaxlew exclaimed, jumping back as Max's left hand, coated with Darkness Zone Energy, rose.

"You know, I owe you a bit of gratitude. You just helped me learn Barrier Ultima," Max said. "But that doesn't mean a thing in a fight, I suppose." Max jumped at Zaxlew, his left hand crashing down on the evil Zone Double, knocking him face first into the ground. Zaxlew rebounded, blood spurting from his mouth, Zaxlew coughing.

"Not bad," he said, slowly standing up, wiping his lip. "But we both know that this means war."

"Bring…it…on…" Max said, his stance one of defiance.

"Don't regret your choice, Max!" Zaxlew said as the blood colored Zone Energy around him began to form into a very large, very intimidating gun. Max's eyes widened at this, Zaxlew smirking. "You really shouldn't have interrupted me when I was talking about Weaponizers and Guardians, Max. Then you wouldn't be so surprised!" Zaxlew lowered his hand, the gun firing off a small meteor sized sphere of energy at Max, who jumped out of the way. He turned around to see the projectile hit the tree he had been standing in front of and then watched in horror as it continued on its way, tearing through anything in its path. "Get it now, Max? Why the Guardians were so easily wiped out? And that was just a Level Eight Panzer. Just wait 'til I pull out my Level One."

"No…" Max whispered as he looked at the path of the projectile. He turned around to look at Zaxlew, his expression one of anger. "Why? Why would you do that?"

"Aw, don't tell me that actually upset," Zaxlew smirked. "After all, you killed a Zone, no?" Max's heart almost stopped, his expression giving Zaxlew a hint to his current emotions. "Oh? Hit a sore spot, did I? Although I'm rather impressed. Normally, only a Weaponizer can create a Negative Zone Portal. Never heard of a Guardian doing so." Zaxlew shrugged. "But, things happen. Now then, perhaps you'd like to see a Level Five? In fact, that should be enough to get rid of this area. I wonder what this forest would look like if it were on fire." Zaxlew stopped as he saw Zone Energy begin to gather around Max. "Hm?" Zaxlew's eyes widened as Max disappeared.

"Behind you," came Max's voice seconds before he hit Zaxlew in the back, knocking him forward. Max held up his right hand, now coated in Earth Zone Energy, before making a gesture, his index and middle finger sticking forward before angling towards the ground. The ground around Zaxlew seemed to react as it spiked up and over Zaxlew, closing around him, as if to crush him, but Zaxlew managed to get out of the way.

"No way," Zaxlew breathed, his eyes full of confusion. "No fucking way in hell could you have already learned bending!"

"Hmm? Bending, you say?" Max asked, his voice even. "I guess you didn't know this, but I used to know a Southern Air Temple monk in one Zone. Fun guy. Interesting how the people he knew just happened to be able to use elemental Zone Energy."

"Gah! Fuck you, asshole! Panzer, Level Six!" Zaxlew declared, his energy once more forming the gun.

"Fire!"

Max could only watch as another shot fired from the gun, this one bigger than the first, the results more devastating. Max charged Zaxlew, swinging his right fist, coated in a yellow energy, connecting with Zaxlew's jaw, electricity discharging from his hand.

"Lightning Ultima, too?" Zaxlew gasped as he was thrown back from the hit.

"Damn straight," Max said as Zaxlew flew away from him. He used his own Zone Energy to push himself off from the tree, following Zaxlew's path right over the others, noting Millenniumon out of the corner of his eye. Max debated firing a quick shot of Light Zone Energy at the Digimon, but before he could decide, he was away, nearly flying right into Zaxlew's fist. He managed to dodge by using his Zone Energy to redirect his trajectory to the right of Zaxlew, whose expression was now one of glee.

"I won't lie, I'm having fun," Zaxlew said. "For once, I'm not having to waste effort in a fight. So, perhaps I should go straight for a Level One Panzer!"

"No, you won't," Max said. He raised his right hand, once more covered in Barrier Ultima. "Because if you do," he said as a barrier surrounded Zaxlew, "you'll end up killing yourself."

"Heh," Zaxlew laughed. "Alright, you got me. But you can't stop me. Later, Max," Zaxlew saluted, a Negative Zone Portal appearing behind him, Max's eyes widening as the area began to go gray. Zaxlew stepped through as Max looked around.

"No…this won't happen again!" Max yelled, his Zone Energy suddenly exploding outwards, covering the entire area of the current Zone, seeping into the plants and ground, the area slowly returning to its original color. He then collapsed, breathing heavily. "D-damn you, Zaxlew," he grunted. He tried to pick himself up, but another wave of pain hit him. "Crap. Looks like…I'll have to wait for the others to…(cough) find me," he said, blood spattering the ground beside his mouth. He closed his eyes as his irises stopped glowing, soon returning to normal. "Julie…had better be okay…or I'm kicking all their…" He fell into unconsciousness, his sentence unfinished.

"As expected of the man whom Zaxlew-san saw potential in, Chaud Blaze-kun," a voice grinned as the smoke cleared, revealing Zaxlew to be on the shoulder of a SuperDarkKnightmon as it absorbed the last of Millenniumon's data.

"Another SuperDarkKnightmon?" Taiki gasped.

"Not just any SuperDarkKnightmon, Taiki, but the exact Negative Zone Double of your Zone's Nene's own DarkKnightmon," Zaxlew grinned, "This SuperDarkKnightmon is my personal Digimon since he shared a drink with me. All I have to do in return is provide him with power to create the DarknessLoader."

"The…The DarknessLoader?" DarkKnightmon gasped, "You fools! The DarknessLoader is a device of Malice! If you try to create it, your lives will be forfeit!"

"Ah…But that is in your Zone. I have seen other DarkKnightmon create DarknessLoaders with ease," SuperDarkKnightmon chuckled, "Yet not one of them was the power I need. They were all pathetic before I silenced them, taking their power for my own."

"Personally, we have no problem with you getting the Digimon and Code Crown. SuperDarkKnightmon, we're withdrawing," Zaxlew smirked as he held up hand before the two flew off, exiting the sanctum and vanishing.

"Zaxlew…" Taiki whispered as he glared at the spot they left while the DigiXros warriors separated back into their base forms before recalling something, "Let's get back to the others!"

"Right!" everyone nodded.

"Wait! I sense a small bit of love nearby. It is faint, but I know of it!" Deckerdramon declared as he split off of DeckerGreymon-reforming Protoman and Greymon-while Shoutmon X4M split back into his base forms and charged past a few downed trees.

"Deckerdramon-sama!" Paildramon gasped as he flew over with the others following.

"I have found him!" Deckerdramon called.

"M-Max-san!" Sonic X gasped, seeing Max's unconscious and injured body.

"Let's get him out of here. Lilamon knows a few medical techniques," Paildramon advised.

"Allow me," Deckerdramon chuckled as he erupted with Spiral Energy that seeped into Max, healing him, "He used a great deal of love in his battle, that I can tell. Almost as much love as General Blaze has."

"Beelzebumon! Dai Ryuusei Megaman X! Starmonz! DigiXros!"

"DigiXros!"

"Beelzebumon + Starmon-Soul!" Sonic X, now wearing Beelzebumon's armor and wings with Starmon fused to his blast arm, roared before firing a flurry of golden meteors from his blaster, "Meteor Cannon!"

"Deckerdrauncher!" Deckerdramon roared as he unleashed a barrage of missiles from his back silos, the two attacks wiping out the remaining enemy Digimon.

"Impossible!" Kongoumon screamed as he was hit, "You'll pay for this! Remember, my name is Kongoumon!"

Sonic X TS (Triple Soul) landed before everyone and split back into his three components. The sun soon came up and all the Digimon of Forest Zone stood before the former shrine of Deckerdramon. Ryuu took a photo of them, smiling softly at the sight of Lilamon and Paildramon holding each other's hands while Lilamon rested her head on Paildramon's shoulder.

"Thank you, all of you," Paildramon bowed.

"We'll never forget you all, especially you, Deckerdramon-sama," Lilamon smiled.

_'I'll never forget that Love-Love Dance for the rest of my life…' _Zenjirou and Akari thought.

"I will miss you all," Deckerdramon sniffled, "But do not worry. For you now have my successor, Paildramon, as your guardian."

"Th-Thank you, Deckerdramon-sama," Paildramon saluted.

"Aw…This makes us even more of the Forest Zone's number one Lovey Dovey Couple!" Lilamon swooned.

"Uht!" Paildramon blushed madly, "H-Hai, Lilamon-chan…"

"Send us an invitation to your wedding!" Sonic X grinned.

"Hai!" Lilamon waved as Paildramon passed out from too much blushing.

"So why did you give them an invitation to your wedding?" Ryuu asked as they left the Forest Zone and went back to the Prime Zone.

"Lucky for me, Cyber-chan has a Wrister Will modified for Inter-Zone communication," Sonic X grinned,

"She spent a few hours talking with Lilamon after the fight and well…she's the one who made the invitation for her and Paildramon."

"Good thing you got those two accounts Blademan gave you, huh?" Will chuckled.

"You bet I do!" Sonic X grinned, "Oh…Just think about the house I could build with that kind of money! A nice little place in a grassy place, a few sakura trees to go sakura watching in the spring…maybe a few fruit trees to lower the food budget…Oh, and five dojo!"

"That's what one gets when they grow up learning kung fu…" Ryuu sighed, "Then again, I'd bet Cyber's the same way."

"She's the one who wanted the fifth dojo," Sonic X chuckled.

"Deckerdramon-san, what about that Zone? You told me Zaxlew and this SuperDarkKnightmon went through a Negative Zone portal after leaving your place," Max frowned.

"If one calls forth enough Spiral Energy, it acts like the purest of Ultima Energy for only ten seconds," Deckerdramon explained, "I used those ten seconds to make sure our Zone's death did not happen. However, there was also even more than just the amount I put into the air. Max-san, your love made it possible for you to release so much energy that it fused with the amount I released to save our Zone. I thank you."

"Everyone, this is Deckerdramon," Chaud introduced as his new Digimon appeared from his Xros PeT.

"Hello," Deckerdramon greeted, blowing a little smoke from his pipes.

"That better not be cigarette smoke!" Cyber snapped.

"Uh, no…It's actually oxygen my body produces from all the Spiral Energy I absorb continuously," Deckerdramon explained.

"So…You fought the Anti-Spiral and made them retreat?" Simon asked.

"Oh, that sissy…I taught him not to go near the Digital World, that I did," Deckerdramon replied, "He held no love at all. Much like that black knight I saw with that blond-haired boy."

"I hate evil Zone Doubles," Sonic X, DarkKnightmon, and Max stated.

"At least we have a heavy hitter on our side," Yoko smiled as she patted Deckerdramon's nose.

"Aw…thank you. I sense a large amount of love within you as well," Deckerdramon spoke, his eyes closed in a smile, "However, I also see that you have a hole in your heart ten times as big as one normally would."

Yoko's eyes widened in shock. She looked up at Deckerdramon, her mouth gaping. How…How did he know about that?

"My dear, when you have lived for as long as I have, you learn that love is the most important thing in life," Deckerdramon explained, "That, and you can learn a thing or two like how to read one's heart. It opens up one's life to the reader much like that of an open book. You fear kissing men on the lips for each time you have done so, it has resulted in their death just a day or even minutes later. You are afraid that you can never love someone truly."

"…" Yoko just looked down.

"However, I also know that hole in your heart is shrinking slowly," Deckerdramon continued, "The first man you truly loved has somehow returned and it fills you with hope that your kiss will not inflict him with death once more. I will tell you something, young one; a Shinigami has followed you your entire life and still does. You will need it expelled from you if you wish for that kiss to never cause death to your heart's desire."

'A Shinigami?' Simon thought, "How do we get rid of it?"

"We don't. She does," Deckerdramon replied before looking at Max, "There is a library here, is there not?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"I will need to do research about this," Deckerdramon explained before he returned to the Xros Pet.

"Dai-chan!" Julie squealed in joy and she glomped Dai, wearing her normal outfit, "Oh, I missed you so much!"

"Hai, Julie-chan!" Dai giggled as DaiRyuuseiKnight sighed.

"Aw…Ryuuki is sad…" Julie playfully pouted.

-Don't call me Ryuuki!- DaiRyuuseiKnight barked.

"I thought I lost you, Julie-chan…" Dai whispered as she hugged Julie closer, a few tears falling from her face.

"So I take it you both know each other?" Max asked.

"Yes. We trained together in the Nevermore," Dai replied.

"14953 fights with 14953 ties," Julie giggled.

"That's without DaiRyuuseiKnight fighting her instead of me," Dai added.

"Hai. Then I've lost nearly 9/10 of the 19425 fights with one of my wins involving that one time Ryuuki refuses to count," Julie giggled.

-Don't call me Ryuuki!- DaiRyuuseiKnight barked.

"I see…But why can I still sense you?" Ryuu asked.

"It's because I don't want people to think I don't exist or non-exist," Julie replied.

-Did you learn how to form your Barrier Ultima yet, Max?- DaiRyuuseiKnight asked.

"Oh! Uh…"

"Giratina-san!- Dai and DaiRyuuseiKnight called, making Max scream and open a door…resulting in a Shadow Ball to his chest as Giratina poked his head in, sending him through a wall halfway.

"_I love this job!_" Giratina declared as he went back out, closing the door behind him.

"Got it!" Max grunted, showing his Barrier Ultima was up.

-It was slow by two seconds. It must be instantaneous- DaiRyuuseiKnight noted –But for now…You've passed-

"Good. Cause I'm gonna go beddy-bye-bye for two forts of nights now," Max grinned before passing out, making Ryuu collapse, laughing.

**Collab with Gammatron. Please Review.**


	110. Zone Watcher Trial

**Sailing my sea! Yeah-Never say die Gotta go! Go!**

***Camera scrolls from a desert to the sky, the words Return to the Zones in large letters, a Zone Portal appearing in the O of the Zones***

**Asu e no chizu hirogete Issho ni ikou ze Go along along (Unfold the map to tomorrow, let's go together, Go along along)**

***The camera zooms in towards the Zone Portal, fading to white before fading back in to reveal Max and his original team standing in front of the HQ***

**Bouenkyou de nozokeba Michinaru minato e Go along along (If you peek through the telescope, head to the unknown harbor, Go along along)**

***Camera zooms in through the door, running along the hallways, passing Max's team in rooms, Tenshi Zero and Ultimate X sparring, while Eva and Luna Rena cook, Kassie setting the large table in the next room, the camera moving onto the other rooms to show the rest of the team doing their own activities***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Sono te de kaji o tore (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Take the helm with your hands)**

***Scene changes to Max and his team looking out at the sunset on top of the building before cutting to Ryuu and Team Ryuusei on the other side of the HQ, staring at a rising sun, and changes again to show both teams at once, facing opposite directions***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Yoake no umi e to fune o dase (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Sail out to the sea of dawn)**

***Max and Ryuu look at each other, smirking, before the scene changes to Beamer's restaurant, where Lan, Netto, and Ryuu are in a curry eating contest, Ryuu in the lead, while both teams cheer them on, Beamer laughing, Rayne and Komatsu in chef outfits, while J.T. can be seen through the kitchen window trying to put out a fire, Meda slapping at the flames with his apron***

**Seiipai Hareryuuya Ima da go o age Nakama to tomo ni (With all your might, hallelujah- Now raise the sails together with your friends)**

***Scene changes to Tan'ya watching Kent practicing his technique in Sync Merge, Moon staring in silence, while Sonic X is in the background, talking with Rockman and Megaman, Lyra and Harp bopping Omega-Xis and WarRock on the head as the two start fighting in the background just behind Sonic X, who gets caught up in the fight, separating the two***

**Kaisei no sora no shita Yume to iu na no daikoukai e (Underneath the fine weathered sky, head to the great voyage named 'dream')**

***Scene change to Will and Kassie walking through the mall, Cyber, Sonic X, Roll, and Megaman with them, Cyber and Sonic X pushing a stroller each, Volt in Cyber's, Jazz in Sonic X's, while Chaud, Protoman, and Greymon are in a sword store, browsing through. Geo and Subaru walk into the frame with the latter three, Geo holding up a Buster Blade, pointing at it, while the other four shake their heads***

**Koerarenai mono wa nai Kaze o ayatsuri Doko made demo jiyuu ni yukeru (Nothing is unsurpassable; control the wind and freely go anywhere)**

***Scene changes to DaiRyuuseiKnight, back to camera as Ashe and Grey sit beside him, Gregar sitting beside Grey, Falzar sitting on Ashe's shoulder, Model A floating over DaiRyuuseiKnight, while all six look at the stars. The camera pans out to reveal Ace, Ash, and Pandora to the left of the group, also watching the stars, while Yuck and Kevin slept on either side of a nearby tree, Ben sitting on a branch at the top of the tree, Gwen on a Mana platform***

**Leap on Leap on sora o miro umi o miro somatta isshoku no ao (Leap on Leap on, look at the sky, look at the sea, Dyed in one color of blue)**

***Camera pans away from the group, Katta coming on screen, laying down by a small pond, a fishing pole set up beside him, while Blaze, Tarn, and Tara sit around a campfire, fish rotating on a stake over the fire, Kent's mouth watering. Camera pans a little farther to the right to reveal Hub and Mirajane sitting on the other side of Tara, joining in the conversation the three councilors are having, all laughing as Katta was yanked into the pond as he grabbed the pole, Katta resurfacing, spitting out pond water, a four foot long fish on his pole, Katta's fingers in V for victory***

**Shirani mono to ka Motto shiritai kara Go! Go! Shukkou (Because you want to know more about unknown things and, Go! Go! Depart)**

***Scene changes to J, Sasuke, and Will in the lab, trying to explain certain parts to Hub, whose eyes are spinning, while Jen and Z stand nearby, giggling as the Tech Trio soon gave up, Shinobi running down the hall as a blue laser followed him, the camera going out the door and down the hall to reveal the holo-Palkia roaring, Kyuubi and Rockman revealed to be the ones at the panel, rolling on the floor, holding their sides and crying as they laughed, the camera panning to reveal Eggman and Tails on the other side of the room, looking in wonder through the circuitry that made up the holo-Palkia***

**Nenryou tnaku mantan Mawasu igunisshonKaji to konhineeshon Nami to sesson (Ruel tanke full, ignition spinning combination with the helm, session with the waves)**

***Scene change to Dai laughing at Ryuu, who's caught in a large pile of tape, Max trying to help him, while Blademan tapes it, laughing, when Ryuu's shadows extends its hands, Blademan yelping in fear and running, Max now laughing as his friend ran around the room, even on the walls and ceiling, as he tried to escape the hands, Dai now helping her uncle, but still laughing, Ryuu's shadow hands breaking Blademan's camera and then the camera the tape entangling Ryuu came from***

**Agero tensshon Kaizu hirogete adobenchaa Denjaa kugurinukete Ooshan rainaa (Raise the tension, unfold the map, it's an adventure Escape through the danger, ocean liner)**

***Scene change to Sonic X and Viral looking at a diagram, then looking at a small sculpture, turning the diagram every which way as they tried to figure out what it was supposed to look like, when Cyber appears, turning the diagram the correct way and the two looked from it to the sculpture, nodding, while Sonic X kissed Cyber before turning behind him to see an angry Terios Shadow with a shotgun, flames in his eyes as he gave chase to the blue netnavi. Scene change to Misora and Sonia with Lyra and Harp, all four enjoying milkshakes, when Sonic X came into the shot, jumping the table, Terios Shadow not far behind, the four females watching the scene with faces of amazement***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Atarashii ashita e (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Head to a new tomorrow)**

***Scene change to Kenjirou and Marcus with the Xros Heart Army, Nene, Knightmon, Taiki, and Agumon X beside them, watching with interest as Beamer and Bass fought each other in the Blanket Zone, craters everywhere, while the rest of the Hunter Eradication Army stood nearby, cheering on Bass, while Omega-Xis/WarRock, Tenshi Zero, Tomari Axl, and Megaman cheered on Beamer, Shinobi wearing a booky hat as he took bets from those gathered, Gent and Addy there as well, Addy holding Gent's ear, pulling him away from the betting booth, Blaze watching with a sweatdrop before placing his own bet***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Suiheisen no mukougawa e (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Head to the other side of the horizon)**

***Scene change to Max laying in a field looking up at the stars, Geo, Subaru, and Ben with him, all four in a circle with their heads on the inside of the circle, their eyes widening as Zaxlew appeared above them, Zaxlew shooting Max the finger before disappearing in a Negative Zone Portal, an image of Kalar fading into view, switching places with the four stargazers, the camera panning around to reveal Kalar was watching the creation of Rampage's new body, while Lockdown stands nearby, Rampage's Spark held in his hand in a container, Lockdown smirking as he saw the weapons being added to Rampage's new body***

**Yeah – Never say die Gotta go! Go! Go! Go! (Yeah - Never say die Gotta go! Go! Go! Go!)**

***Scene change to the Ground City Arcade, Bud, Taurus, Scar, and Jing all sitting in the seats of a car game, Wily watching nearby, while on the screen, it shows Taurus in the lead, Scar a close second, Bud in third, and Jing in fourth, Kir watching with idle interest from behind Jing, his eyes going to the shooting game right beside the car arcade game***

**Kaisei no sora no shita Ima da ho o age Nakama to tomo ni (Underneath the fine weathered sky, now raise the sails together with your friends)**

***Scene change to Rockman and Megaman running alongside Sonic X, still running from Terios Shadow, who's now taking potshots at the trio with his gun, Will and Komatsu getting bowled over by the four, while Toriko watches, eating a mountain of ramen with Naruto, who stops just long enough to point and laugh at the two, while Maylu and Meiru came out in time to see Terios Shadow run by them, shaking his fist as his gun ran out of ammunition***

**Seiipai Hareruuya Yume to iu na no daikoukai e (With all your might, hallelujah – head to the great voyage named 'dream')**

***Scene change to Ruka watching with Gregar and Falzar as Ashe and Grey fought Ash and Gray in a sparring match, Ash and Gray with the upper hand, until Gregar and Falzar ran towards Ashe and Grey, disappearing in a ball of light as the two entered Beast Drive, Wulf, Akari, and Sari watching as Bumblebee and Cheetor snuck up on Inuyasha and Turbo, holding water balloons, before Inuyasha and Turbo turned towards the two, both armed with fire hoses attached to two hydrants apiece, Bumblebee and Cheetor dropping their balloons as Inuyasha and Turbo opened fire***

**Koerarenai mono wa nai Kaze o ayatsuri Doko made demo jiyuu ni yukeru (Nothing is unsurpassable: control the wind And freely go anywhere)**

***Scene change to the teams standing outside of the HQ, making goofy faces at the camera, before changing to the teams resting in the living room, all beat from the day's activities, Max and Ryuu gripping wrists in the doorway before turning to the room, walking in, the camera capturing a still shot of the two's backs***

* * *

**Zone Watcher Trial**

Dai was in a happy mood. Two and a half weeks ago, she thought only she, DaiRyuuseiKnight, Onii-San, and Nazo were the only ones who came from the future (though Onii-San and Nazo came from a good future while she and her partner came from the Nevermore). Now, she had her best friend and near-sister Julie as well. Better yet, DaiRyuuseiKnight was finally letting her enjoy being a girl for once. She choose the best idea in her opinion; trick her Uncle Ryuu into giving her the Credit Card Blademan had helped him get for one of the accounts, grab Julie, avoid everyone form Team DaiRyuusei since she still hadn't told any of them except for her Uncle Lan, and go on a big-ass shopping spree.

"This is great, Dai-chan!" Julie giggled as she easily carried fifty shopping bags close to spilling out in one hand.

"I know. Do you know how long it's been since I've come to this time that Ryuuki has let me out with his permission in order to have a day to be me?" Dai asked, carrying fifty bags in one hand as well, "Almost never."

"I still can't believe you haven't told your parents that you're…"

"I know. I want to, but it…I'm just worried, that's all," Dai sighed sadly.

"Ah…So where's Ryuuki?"

"He's with Grandpa Deckerdramon, studying up on Aunt Yoko's Shinigami no Kissu problem. Apparently, Grandpa Deckerdramon can touch him without the pain just like in the Nevermore," Dai replied.

"Really?"

"Hai. Uncle Ryuu-kun managed to once and got the repercussions," Dai giggled, making Julie laugh for a few seconds.

"Has anyone else done that yet?" Julie asked.

"Uncle Max tried to, but I managed to stop him," Dai replied.

"Oh thank goodness," Julie exhaled a relieved sigh, "Ooh! Sale!"

"Yatta!" Dai whooped before the two girls dashed off.

* * *

"What are we looking for again?" Ashe whined.

"Books involving kissing and death," Gray replied to her sister's Zone Double as he looked at the top shelves.

"Nothing over here," Grey noted, poking his head out of a nearby isle of books.

"Not having any luck here, either!" Ash added.

"Keep looking," Deckerdramon advised as he skimmed through five books at once in the main lobby of the library wing of the HQ, DaiRyuuseiKnight resting on his head, "We will find the information on how to get rid of that curse our friend Yoko has over her heart no matter the cost. Unless it is love, then I refuse to use it."

Nearby, Yoko threw books off the shelves, searching high and low for anything she could about kissing, curses, and death. This really opened her eyes to why whenever she kissed someone of the opposite gender, they die either on the same day or within twelve hours. Sure, they were fine when they kissed her, but it was just the opposite for her. Nearby, Simon and Viral ducked the thrown books.

"I'm scared…" Simon whimpered.

"I agree with you for once, naked ape…" Viral muttered as he ducked another book, "You think we should hide farther away? She's pumping Spiral Energy into her throws now."

"Yeah…" Simon nodded and the two dashed off.

"I found some!" Pandora called as she ran in.

"Excellent, Pandora! Oh…Your love for helping your nakama grows stronger each time I see you," Deckerdramon smiled as a small mechanical hand emerged from his treads to grab each of the books Pandora found and began to skim through them before pausing and looked around, "Where is Ace?"

"He went to see this professor Shinobi told him about. He's a narcoleptic," Ash explained.

"Who?" Ashe pondered.

"The professor just down the way. I think Shinobi said his name was…" Pandora began.

* * *

"Professor Ludwig Von Drake, are you sure you can help me?" Ace asked.

"Oh, of course, you silly boy," a humanoid duck with gray hair on the sides of his head, a lab coat, a red kitted vest, and old glasses replied as he put a strainer with plugs attached to it on Ace's head, "Tell me, do you have dreams when you have your sleep attacks?"

"Well…sorta," Ace replied, "They're vague, to tell you the truth. But recently…"

"How recent?"

"About a few months, maybe a year, ago, back in a world called 'Perim,' those dreams started popping up while I was awake, especially when I'm in the King Kittan," Ace explained, "But the strongest one is when I…I die, destroying this thing with a Giga Drill Breaker."

"Ah…! Those may not be dreams then!" Professor Drake grinned as he walked up to a computer and began to type things up, "They may be repressed memories of old lives, simply trying to flow out through dreams, thus resulting in your body getting its problem with the sleeping all the time narcolepsy. Let's see now…If I simply tweak the discombobulator to the left…move this thingamajigy to the right…kiss this camel, spank the baby's bottom, go to jury duty for 6 to 8 weeks, and then pressed the green button here, I should be able to let those memories surge right out of you!"

"Really? That's great news! Fire it up, doc!" Ace grinned.

"Or…It could very well create a black hole that will suck us both up," Von Drake tapped his chin, "Oh well, too late for that!"

"What?" Ace screamed as Von Drake pushed the button.

* * *

"Hmm…Perhaps a 3-42 semi-socket?" Eggman pondered.

"More like a Genova 4214 sprocket to me," Will replied.

Jazz babbled a little in her nearby mini-crib with Volt due to Tails and Eggman being on 'Baby Duty' because her soon-to-be-somewhat (in sense of closeness he had with her) older sister going to try on wedding dresses with her Zone Double and their NetOps while his reborn big brother had been taken by his Zone Doubles to get a wedding tuxedo for him. Not even less than two months away and already they were getting things ready.

"Tried that," Will called to the baby girl.

"You speak baby?" Eggman asked.

"Nah. Just thought she was trying to say something," Will shrugged as Volt babbled, "No. We are not going with the Zero MX-243. Last time we used that, I lost all my hair."

"Speaking of hair, you forgot to shave again," Sasuke noted.

"Go…" Will began before feeling a demonic presence looking directly at his soul from a distance, "…Go…Gosh darn it."

"Even when she's away, you still feel her Killer Intent if you attempt to proceed with foul language around her infants," Sasuke noted, writing down in a notebook labeled 'The Study of Roll Cyber Sakurai.'

"I thought I told you not to do that," Eggman frowned, annoyed at the teen near him.

"You did, but this is merely a private wedding gift for her spouse-to-be upon his second-to-last night of bachelorhood," Sasuke replied.

"I'm not sure if he'll need it," Tails advised, "Those two have been inseparable ever since they first met from what I've heard."

"I even have evidence. One of my robots secretly took this photo of them on our first meeting in my old lab," Eggman chuckled as he held up a picture of Sonic X and Cyber, both Mobians, as they ate Chili-Dogs.

"So she was a crossbreed between Hedgehog and Fox," Sasuke noted before giving a small grin, "I believe I have the perfect wedding gift for them we could prepare once we are finished with repairing the teleportation system."

"And that would be?" J asked.

"I'll explain once we are finished," Sasuke replied, "Now then…Perhaps a Zeta 1583-X-99?"

"No. That would cause the energy to flow too quickly and overload everything, causing this part of the Prime Zone to collapse," Tails replied as he ran a quick simulation on a yellow device in his arms.

"What is that?" Sasuke pondered.

"It's my favorite invention. I've spent years making and upgrading each little piece of it," Tails replied as Laser floated into the room and tickled Volt's chin, making the baby giggle, "It does a various useful things, like a translator for Wisps. But it's in Binary Code, so I guess we're the only ones that will be able to understand them."

"Really? Then what's he saying?" Will asked, pointing at Laser, who had noticed he got dragged into the conversation.

"He's saying…'I'm looking for someone,'" Tails read.

"Who?"

"Ivana Shakemybooty," Tails replied, making Will and J snort in their laughter as Eggman and Sasuke chuckled, only for all of them to collapse, laughing as Tails continued with, "What? What's wrong with Shakemybooty? Come on, guys. Ivana Shakemybooty? Come on. Ivana Shakemybooty. …Hold on…Why you little prankster!"

Volt squealed in laughter along with Jazz. Laser bowed to the two babies and the others that were laughing before high-flying it out of there. Tails grumbled to himself as he waited for everyone to stop laughing. Oh, he'll have his revenge on them, yes he would. No one makes fun of a fox an gets away with it. Sasuke should've known that, living with Naruto if Tails had listened to Kyuubi and the sunkissed blond correctly.

* * *

"Ready?" Chaud asked as he looked at his two partners-his third in the library doing research on Yoko's condition while one of his partners had gone into their other form-in the training room, facing a solid hologram of Palkia, "Greymon! MailBirdramon! DigiXros!"

"MetalGreymon!" the DigiXros Cyborg-Type Digimon roared as he was formed.

"Dai Ryuusei Megaman X! Shoutmon! Ballistamon! Dorulumon! DigiXros!"

"DigiXros!"

"Shoutmon X3M (Cross Three Mega)!"

"MetalGreymon, X3M, ready?" Taiki called.

"Ready!" Shoutmon X3M nodded.

"Let's go!" MetalGreymon roared.

"MetalGreymon! Shoutmon X3M! DigiXros!" Chaud declared.

The two DigiXros fighters glowed before they began to collide. There was a flash of light before fading, revealing everyone had split apart. The Holo-Palkia vanished as Kevin walked in.

"Dude, what happened?" Kevin asked.

"The DigiXros failed," Chaud frowned.

"We just have to keep trying, Chaud-kun," Taiki encouraged.

"Could be that it isn't you guys, but your Digimon," Kevin said, "From what I've seen, you combine your Digimon through some type of bond. However, those guys haven't made any bonds yet with each other."

"I blame the shrimp," Greymon growled.

"What?" Shoutmon roared.

"You're the base of the DigiXros we're trying to form," Protoman replied, "It could be you're not strong enough to handle that much weight."

"And you two think you are?" Shoutmon demanded.

"Greymon's our base and he has to handle the raw power Deckerdramon-sama has in order to form DeckerGreymon," Protoman replied before he and Shoutmon got into each other's face and growled.

"Honestly…" Sonic X sighed, "Hey, where's Ben?"

"He's out sparing with Max," Kevin replied.

* * *

"Let me tell ya somethin, Maxwell Escal; You mess with Rath, Rath gets ya wedgied!" the humanoid tiger alien roared as he threw Max through a boulder.

"Ow…" Max groaned as he got up before he fired a laser of Light Zone Energy at Rath, not even making a scratch on him.

"That was your first mistake; you shoot at Rath, you just make Rath _Mad_!" Rath roared before a ringing got his attention, making him take out a green cellphone and answered it in a lower voice, "Hello? …Let me tell ya somethin' Gwen Tennyson; Rath is busy sparing with Maxwell Escal right n…! …Uh-huh…Uh-huh…Okay…Fine. Let me tell ya somethin' Maxwell Escal; Gwen Tennyson just called and wants me to do some jugin' on Roll Cyber Sakurai's wedding outfit. So I'll beat you later!"

With that, Rath slapped his Ultimatrix Symbol and was engulfed in a flash of light. The light faded to reveal an alien resembling a tall man, about a foot taller than Rath. He wore a strange blue hooded robe with only his face, except for the green bug-like eyes and icy-blue mouth resembling a grate, and three-clawed feet being pitch black.

"Big…Chill!" the alien declared.

With that, it unfolded its cloak to reveal the cloak was actually a pair of moth wings and fuzzy blue antennae. His whole body was pitch black with blue markings on its face going around his eyes, making a 'Y' on the center of his face, and blue markings on the lower sides of the face. His torso and outer areas of his legs and four-clawed hands were icy-blue and normal blue patches while the Ultimatrix Symbol was on the torso. He flew off, leaving a confused Max.

"Seems you have been left behind, Maxwell," a voice said before a paper bag appeared before him, "Gumball?"

"Ack!" Max jumped before turning to see a smiling Paradox.

"It seems I was a bit late in stopping young Ben. You, though, have a part as well," Paradox spoke.

"What do you mean?"

"We have a slight problem," Paradox explained.

* * *

"Agh! Fuck it!" Will screamed as he held his scorched thumb before all the older ones in the room paled at what he just said.

"Fuck!" Volt called out, giggling, making them pale further.

"Well…Nice knowing you, Tails, Will," Eggman cleared his throat, "It was an honor to work with you, my fox friend."

"We're dead!" Tails screamed.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Sasuke exclaimed as he began to run around, fearing what his interaction with this has done.

"No, no, no, no, no! Don't say that, Volt! Come on. Try saying 'Mama.' 'Mama!'" J tried to veered the baby off course.

"Mama!" Volt squeaked, making everyone give out a relieved sigh, "Fuck Mama!"

"No!" they screamed.

"Finish the teleporter! We'll flee for our lives!" Sasuke yelped.

"'Papa,' Volt. Say 'Papa!'" J pleaded.

"Papa fuck Mama!" Volt giggled.

"No!" J sobbed as he fell to his knees.

* * *

"Okay, Ben, we're going to need an honest opinion on this," Gwen explained.

"I don't get it, though, why not get one of Sonic X's Zone Doubles?" Ben asked.

"Rockman has a cold, remember?" Gwen asked, recalling that the ninja version of their friend has gotten it from falling into a river via Cyber's foot when he let out a curse by accident.

"And Mega-kun has a phobia of girls…" Roll added, looking down in shame, "Stupid Hub…"

"Hey now…None of that, Roll," Gwen comforted as she put a hand on her shoulder, "Shadow's gone to get a friend of his, a psychic Pokemon, that may be able to help with that phobia."

"Are you ready, Cyber-chan?" Mirajane asked.

"Hai," Cyber confirmed in the dressing room before walking out in the wedding dress she had picked, a small white heart on the white necklace she had picked to go with the dress.

"Wow! You're going to knock his entire tux off when he sees you in that," Ben examined before noticing something wrong with her breathing, if it was just a little off, "Are you okay, Cyber?"

"I love this wedding dress, I really do, but…" Cyber sighed.

"It's too tight in the chest area?" Meiru guessed.

"Hai," Cyber replied as she looked at her chest, the front of the dress straining a bit under the pressure, "Stupid DDD Cups…"

"I swear you have the figure those lingerie women have!" Roll groaned before looking at Meiru, "Same with you and Mirajane-chan. No offense, though."

"None taken," Cyber giggled with Mirajane and Meiru, "I got these from having my little angels in me for nine months as you recall."

"Yeah. I still can't believe they don't cry at night. I thought they were suppose to cry at night and day," Roll frowned.

"That's because we have a night-time baby sitter; Kage," Cyber giggled.

"That Shadow Blot in Ryuu-kun's shadow doesn't need sleep, so he agreed to be a full-time night sitter for the two," Meiru explained as Cyber went back into the dressing room to change.

"Oh…" Maylu nodded, "…So how did you three get figures like that?"

"Well, I just ate like any other human does," Mirajane giggled, "That and a good workout when I was younger and even now."

"Cyber-chan and I spar with each other with martial arts in order to keep in shape," Meiru shrugged, "I still say that there was something in the food in Fiore, though. Because all the girls I saw over 15 had C Cups and above, all stopping at DD Cups or E Cups."

Cyber walked out of the dressing room. She wore a simple pink t-shirt with a white heart over the chest and jeans that hugged her figure with pink and black hearts lining the sides. She readjusted the green hair bow that held her ponytail before picking up the wedding dress by its hanger.

"You already know how I have mine," Cyber shrugged before giving a sly smirk, "Are you two insecure about your breast sizes? Personally, I'd rather be a C Cup than a near-E Cup right now."

"We're not insecure!" Maylu and Roll barked in unison, blushing a bit.

"Though it is mainly because of Cyber-chan's children not being able to drink breast milk," Mirajane giggled.

"Curse you, eggnog!" Cyber shouted before she went to the counter, "Excuse me, could I get a custom order on this dress, but with a larger chest area to hold a DDD Cup?"

"Um…Meiru-chan?" Roll whispered, "Just how did Cyber-chan get pregnant? In our Zone, NetNavis can't have children or even change clothing without a Designer Chip."

"Really? Hold on. I keep a copy of some programs," Meiru said as she began to go through her Hammerspace, "Yuchiro-san, Ryuu-kun's late father, created special programs for NetNavis to make them more human."

"Really?" Roll gasped.

"Hai. Ah, here we are," Meiru smiled as she pulled her hand out to reveal a small CD case and handed it to Maylu, "Roll-chan will need to be in her PeT in order to upload the programs, though."

"Right. Um…That is a problem, though," Maylu sweatdropped, "The Prime Zone drops the barrier so NetNavis and Wizards can be seen and be in the real world."

"Have you tried pressing the Jack-Out button?" Akari asked, having been learning a bit about NetNavis from Ryuu and Sonic X in order to try and figure out how Sonic X is able to perform DigiXros.

Maylu and Roll looked at each other. A small, awkward silence soon followed. It was soon broke by Cyber giving a small giggled, realizing what the silence meant.

"You two didn't think of that, did you?" Cyber asked, earning embarrassed nods from the two, "Don't worry about it. Sometimes one never sees the simpler method in things. Remember, you learn one thing in victory, but 1000 in defeat."

"Hai, Cyber-chan," Roll nodded.

"Good! Now then…Time to find some nice dresses for yourselves," Cyber smirked.

"Hai!" the girls nodded, with Ben groaning-knowing he'd have to stay to offer advice about the dresses.

* * *

"Dude, I hate monkey suits," Kevin complained as he tried to take care of his bowtie, only for it to fall apart.

"Second," Ryuu nodded before Kage went over him and changed into a snazzy tux, "That's why I have a little buddy in my shadow."

"Lucky bastard…" Kevin muttered.

"At least there aren't any girls here," Megaman shuddered.

"Okay. What the hell is with you? Are you gay or what?" Kevin asked.

"I am not gay!" Megaman argued, "I…I just have a phobia of girls, okay?"

"How do you get that?" Shoutmon asked.

"Take a girl with a B Cup, add some Dragon Scale Rum into tea, put this guy pre-phobia in the same room as her before she drinks the tea, and that's what you get," Kir replied as he and Jing walked in.

"Well, you're nearly as lucky as Bro, Simon, me, and Sonic X," Hub grinned.

"How is getting a phobia of girls from something like that lucky?" Megaman snapped.

"They mean in a sense of seeing your girl without her clothes," Kevin chuckled, making Megaman glare at him.

"She's not my girl," Megaman said, "She's my friend."

"Who you have a fear of," Taiki added.

"You be quiet," Megaman ordered, annoyed at the smiling Taiki.

"Okay? What do you guys think?" Sonic X asked as he walked out of the changing room in a white tuxedo, a black heart jewel on his left breast pocket.

"Meh. B-minus," Kevin replied.

"A," Taiki, Chaud, and Megaman replied.

"B-plus?" Ryuu shrugged, the rest agreeing with him.

"Well, this is one that I like," Sonic X smirked as he looked at himself in the nearby full-body mirror, "Okay. I'm getting this. However, Ryuu, I'm gonna need Kage to stay home with Volt and Jazz."

"D'oh!" Ryuu grunted as he slapped himself in the forehead while Sonic X went into the changing rooms once more.

-General Blaze- Deckerdramon's voice said through his Xros PeT.

"What is it, Deckerdramon?" Chaud asked.

–We've managed to find what we need to cure the young red-haired woman as well-

"Good job, Deckerdramon," Chaud spoke, "Tell us when we get back, okay?"

-Very well, General Blaze- Deckerdramon replied.

"That's some good news for Yoko-chan," Sonic X spoke as he walked out, wearing a blue jacket with white highlights, a white shirt, and a blue jeans with running shoes resembling the ones he used to wear as a hedgehog, "We'll find some more tuxes for you guys and tehn we'll head back. Okay?"

"Right," everyone agreed/groaned.

* * *

"Now if I were an all-powerful Psychic Pokemon, where would I be?" Shadow pondered aloud as he entered Edolas's capital, recently rebuilt, "Hm?"

He stopped at the entrance to the capital. He saw that there were various types of Pokemon all around with the humans. He looked nearby to see Edolas-Gray making ice sculptures with a Dewgong of Edolas-Juvia, who merely rolled her eyes along with her Milotic. A bit ahead, he saw Edolas-Natsu on the back of a Charizard as they ran away from Edolas-Lucy and her Electvire. He rose a brow before recalling this was the opposite world of Fiore, so it would have opposites of those in Fiore.

_'Seems Mewtwo has introduced Pokemon to this land as a way to get over the fact there is no more magic,'_ Shadow thought as he stuck to the shadows until he reached the castle.

_"Hello, Shadow,"_ Mewtwo greeted from behind Shadow.

"Oh geez!" Shadow yelped as he turned to see the smirking Ultimate Pokemon Clone, "Don't do _that_!"

_"My apologies. But why are you here, Shadow? And I must say that I enjoy the new look. You ate it, didn't you? Even after you told me all those times you swore you would never do it, fearing what may befall your sister if you did?"_ Mewtwo asked.

"Yes. Tasted like…ugh…black licorice. I hate that stuff," Shadow scowled, "And as to why I'm here…Look, I hate saying this but…I need your help, Mewtwo."

_"I can tell that hurt you in various ways, mainly your ego. But why me?"_ Mewtwo asked.

"I need you to wipe out a memory in a Megaman for me," Shadow replied, "Oh, and I'm an uncle to twins."

_"You want to kill our friend Megaman for that, don't you?"_ Mewtwo asked.

"Big time. But my sister would never forgive me for it. That and they're getting married in less than two months!" Shadow growled.

_"Let it all out, Shadow,"_ Mewtwo rubbed his temples, having known it would end up with him having to do some psychiatry on this guy before helping him out.

* * *

"I'm still not sure if it's from the food or because of all the magical energy in the air or if it were something in my training," Meiru shrugged as the girls-minus Yoko, Ashe, Pandora, and Ash-were sitting in the rec room, "All I know is that I wake up one day and had gone up a Cup Size."

"So where is Chu today, Meiru-chan?" Sonia asked, "I've seen her around here at times. At least, I think it's her."

"Right here," Chu said before poking out of Maylu's hair, having evolved into a Pikachu and still wearing her red left ear bow, "I just love this shampoo you use, Meiru-chan. Smells like strawberries."

"Chu-chan, not again!" Meiru giggled as he took Chu out of her hair, "Ever since you've evolved, you've been after sleeping in my hair."

"Like I said; strawberries," Chu giggled as she hopped onto Meiru's shoulder.

"Does everyone in your Zone have more than one partner besides a NetNavi?" Maylu asked.

"Not sure, haven't been there in nearly two and a half years," Meiru replied, "But from what I've seen with that bastard Chaud, the one from where we're from and currently desert sand, and Ryuu-kun, then I guess so."

"How did he get turned into sand?" Lyra pondered.

"Ryuu-niisan did it from what Komatsu-niisan and I can guess," Ruka replied.

"Really?"

"Hai. He was in this weird form. It was as if he was made of flames so white, that they made the purest snowfall seems tainted beyond purifying," Ruka replied, "And he had angel wings made of those flames. But his eyes, though…Before he changed back, his eyes were pure blue floating in seas of a white abyss. And even then, the eyes seemed to be like the strongest, purest flames known to intelligent life; blue flames."

"He must have been tapping into Reshiram's powers," Chu gasped.

"There's that name again," Maylu frowned, "Just who is Reshiram?"

"Wow. Humans are idiots…" Chu frowned.

"Chu!" Meiru gasped.

"What? I'm saying full-blooded humans are idiots," Chu argued, "Not like you, Meiru-chan, since you've got some dragon blood with that little mate mark you've got on your neck from that first night you and Ryuu…"

"Chu!" Meiru exclaimed, blushing heavily.

"Mate Mark? You mean that tattoo on your neck that looks like a dragon, right?" Misora asked, recalling seeing a mark on Meiru's neck when they were trying on some dressing for the approaching wedding, "And the one on Mirajane-chan too?"

"Well, yes," Mirajane replied, "Hub-kun told me that when a dragon and his or her mate have sex, the one with dragon blood will normally bite on their mate's neck, leaving behind a mark that releases a small bit of energy that makes it clear to all of the opposite gender that they were taken and to just back off. However, the mark won't appear unless it's put on when both have an orgasm at the same time."

All the girls there immediately turned tomato-face at what Mirajane just explained. If what she said was true, then…Their eyes widened as they looked between Meiru and Mirajane, the former completely embarrassed at what the other had just said.

"So…this makes you both half-dragon?" Maylu asked as she traced the area where Meiru's mark was.

"H-Hai…" Meiru replied, struggling with something, "P-Please s-stop…"

"Why?" Maylu asked before Meiru let out a small moan.

"It's a turn-on for us when our mark is rubbed," Mirajane explained as Maylu quickly moved her hand away, blushing a bit, "Though it's a bit weird; normally, the mark only reacts when we rub it or it's licked by our mates. Though I guess you got her to react like that because you're her Zone Double, Maylu-chan."

"L-Licked?" Meiru exclaimed before a crash was heard followed by a stream of curses.

"My babies had better not be out there…" Cyber scowled as she began to stomp out, "Bad enough that bastard Will got my Volt-kun to start saying 'fuck,' but I will not let them learn any other curses!"

The others quickly followed her. They skidded to a halt when they found Hub was being restrained by a group of people in different-colored armor as the others were trying to get them away from him. Hub let out a feral roar before he changed from his Human Form into the form of a large black dragon with scarlet eyes. Suddenly, one of the people in blue armor began to glow before blasting Hub with a blast of water from everywhere.

**"S-Sea water…"** Hub growled before he began to fade out, changing back.

"Hub Abyss Hikari, you are hereby under arrest for aiding the Absolute Hunters in kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, assault of Plumbers, assault of Zone Watchers, and two accounts of stealing frm the Zone Watchers," a figure in red armor ordered.

"Hey! What in Palkia's name are you guys doing with my bro?" Ryuu demanded as he was held back by one of the black armored figures when Mirajane was caught by a chained pair of handcuffs that attached to her arms and neck.

"'Demon' Mirajane, you are also under arrest for aiding an Absolute Hunter," the red armored figure continued.

"What?" Meiru gasped before all the figures vanished with Hub and Mirajane.

"Max, please tell me you know what the hell that was about?" Ryuu asked.

"I…I have no clue. I know those guys were Zone Watchers, but…but Hub was part of the Absolute Hunters?" Max asked.

"Well, yeah…" Ryuu sighed, "But he never felt right being with them. He was forced by his old Guildmaster to take the job from what he told me."

"If it wasn't for him, we would have stayed in the Absolute Hunter's base," Meiru replied, "And…and I would have probably been dead by now."

"Regardless of circumstances, he must still stand trial for his actions," the figure in red said. Max walked up to him. "What?"

"Who sent you?" Max asked.

"The council."

"Not what," Max said, his eyes changing to silver. "Who?"

"The council," the man replied once more, putting more force behind his words, stepping forward so that he was nose to nose with Max, though he had to look up at Max.

"…Let's go see Lai, then," Max said, turning around. "Mirajane, Hub, I'll figure this out. Soon as I see the ass I'm sure did this."

"Councilor Lai is under house arrest," the man in blue said, Max stopping in mid-step.

"What?" Max gasped.

* * *

"What a pretty pickle you've gotten yourself into," Blaze said, sitting across from Lai.

"Shut it," Lai said, his arms crossed. "I'm not the only one stuck in this position, am I?"

"Touché," Blaze sighed, looking at Tara and Tarn. "So…any idea how it came to this?"

"Not exactly," Tarn said, shaking his head. "But perhaps we should have listened to Paradox when he came to us."

"The four strongest of the council, caged like rats," Lai said, uncrossing his arms, standing up. "In my own home, no less."

"Say, why are _we _stuck in here with you?" Blaze asked, sweeping his arm towards Tarn and Tara. "House arrest doesn't normally mean all of us stay in one house."

"It's probably because my house is the only one that still has its original building plans in the archives," Lai replied. "Out of everyone here, I also tend to be the hothead of the group. Making me the most likely to mess up in this scenario."

"You seem pretty calm right now," Blaze observed.

"In fact, you almost seem…serene," Tara offered, leaning forward to look at Lai.

"Because I've already calculated how long it would take for them to get to the Prime Zone, meet up with Max, and our ride should be here…now," Lai said, looking pointedly at the right wall. He was rewarded with a body in dark armor flying through the wall, Tan'ya stepping through.

"Here I am, here to save all'a yer asses," he growled before smirking. "Just like the old days."

"Not now, Tan'ya," Lai said, hurrying over to him, the other three following. "Just get us out of here."

"Alright, alright," Tan'ya said. He backflipped away from them and over the mace that landed in the spot he had just been, landing on the shoulders of the figure it belonged to. "Not nice, kid," Tan'ya said, cracking the back of the teenager's skull with the flat of the katana in his right hand, knocking him unconscious.

"Fuck," Blaze said. "That was Kab. He was supposed to graduate top of the class next month."

"Well, look at it this way," Tan'ya said, hopping down as he crumpled. "Better to graduate top of class next year than never."

"Thanks," Blaze said.

"Just because I don't regret killing doesn't mean I do it unnecessarily," Tan'ya replied, taking a run at some other figures.

"So, how did you?" Tara began as they all ran after Tan'ya, who fired off a Wind Scar at the feet of the people, knocking them onto their backs.

"Got a call from Max," was the reply. "Figured that if Lai was under house arrest, then you three would be as well. And it wasn't hard to figure out whose house they'd stick you in. After all, he's the only councilor who's ever left his house plans in the archives for public use."

* * *

Max, Ryuu, and both teams were all sitting in the main living room, Hub and Mirajane still cuffed on a couch. Nearby, four guards stood beside the couch, keeping an eye on everyone in the room. The man in red armor from earlier came in. "Well?" Max asked impatiently.

"They're still to be transported," the man replied, Max's eyes falling downcast. He walked to Hub, pulling out a pair of light colored cuffs. "And your cuffs are to have Sea Stone(or is it Sea Prism) added to them."

"Shit," Hub whispered as the cuffs were put on.

"That's right, half-breed," the man said. "We know about your powers. We also know that you feed on darkness, which is why we made sure to bring in people that don't use Darkness Zone Energy."

It was at the moment that Kishi walked in, pausing. "Um…I know I've been away for almost a month, but…what could I have missed in that time?" he asked, looking at Max.

"How about my bro and his mate getting arrested?" Ryuu growled.

"It's not just these two," the man corrected, "Juvia Loxar-Hikari and Happy Dragneel are being arrested as well."  
Hub just gave the man a dark look beside Ryuu. Hub let out a stream of muffled curses at the man, all of which were muffled by the muzzle on his face. They just had to line the muzzle and straightjacket with Sea Stone.

"What's he saying?" Naruto asked.

"'You bastards! Why are you arresting my Onee-chan and little Happy?' …Is what he says," Shinobi replied, earning looks from everyone and a kick to the head by Cyber.

"I forgot you spoke Muffled," Kyuubi frowned.

"Well…Both of them are also being arrested under your same charges, Absolute Hunter," the man replied, earning more muffled screams from Hub.

"Whoa there, Hub! I'm not repeating that on fear of Cyber beating both of us up!" Shinobi yelped, "But basically, he says he's going to beat you all up."

"Ah…Threatening a Zone Watcher. Another felony," the man noted, sending Hub into another round of muffled shouting, falling off the couch in his muffled ranting.

"Simply put, he's furious," Shinobi summarized, "That, and something about if he could just get into his Hammerspace and pull out Zekrom Deathcalibur to murder you."

"Threatening to murder a Zone Watcher as well? Another felony!"

"Will you stop with the felonies?" Ed barked.

"Can it, pipsqueak."

"Pipsqueak…? …Are you talking to me?"

"Uh oh. He called him a pipsqueak," Al gulped.

"Are you talking to me?"

"Shouldn't have done that," Ash smirked.

"Are you talking to me?" Ed practically growled.

"Now he's in for it," Grey rolled his eyes before Ryuu knocked out Ed with the flat end of his bandaged blade, "Ryuu!"

"We don't need anyone else arrested for a dumb reason," Ryuu replied as he turned to glare at the man, "Tell me, can we provide our own lawyers for them?"

"Why yes," the man replied.

"Max, I'm going to need your help then. I have a few connections," Ryuu replied as he began to whisper into Max's ear.

"Uh-huh…Uh-huh…Okay. Wait. Are you sure about him?" Max pondered.

"Big time. Trust me, those two are the best lawyers you could ever have. Trust me, when Sonic X and I got arrested because of our Zone's Chaud-Teme and Protoman-Teme nearly five years ago-or is it seven now with the Hyperbolic Space/Time Chamber Training?-being afraid of our potential, those two got us out with a 'Not Guilty'…until we learned that the JudgeTree was tampered with by an Absolute Justice-corrupted Judgeman."

"Jerks…" Meiru and Cyber muttered.

"Jerks!" Volt giggled, "Fuck jerks!"

"…I take it you had something to do with corrupting a little baby's vocabulary?" the man asked to Hub.

"No. Will did with Dr. Eggman, J, Tails, and Sasuke," Ryuu snickered as he pointed at Will, his left leg and both his arms in casts with his face missing three teeth and two black eyes with the others mentioned all sporting an arm cast and a black eye.

"Oh shad up…" Will muttered.

* * *

Kent walked into the room, holding a tray with enough cups for those gathered, Moon right behind him. "Thank you," Tara said as she accepted a cup from Moon, while Kent handed the rest to the men.

"So, how did you all get into house arrest?" Katta asked, pouring some alcohol into his cup of tea.

"That's a very good question," Lai said, out of his armor, which was very rare. Without his armor, he wore a sea-themed T shirt and jeans combo, while his dark blue hair was pulled back in a miniature ponytail. "One to which I haven't found the answer. Yet."

"So, ideas?" Blaze asked, also out of armor. In fact, the only one wearing armor was Tarn, who had never been seen out of it.

"First, we need to find out the situation there," Katta said, putting his cup down. "I assume that your personal guards are still trustworthy."

"You wound me, Katta," Pyre said, startling everyone, but Blaze, there.

"I was wondering why you were taking so long," Blaze said, calmly sipping his tea.

"I would have been here faster, but I had some bugs to take care of," Pyre replied, holding up what looked a jumble of wires. "This was the last one and it was a pain in the ass to destroy."

"What about Jake?" Tara asked.

"Unfortunately, I was the only one to get out of there."

"Not surprising," Blaze muttered, Lai glaring at him.

"You have something you wish to say of our guards?" Lai asked.

"No," Blaze said, calmly putting his cup down. "It is not surprising that Pyre is the only to escape, as the others know he was the best choice. The others ran distraction, yes? Because you alone can become one with the shadows?"

"Yes, Councilor Blaze," Pyre said, nodding. "Though I had volunteered to be the distraction and allow the others to escape, but they refused. They did have me bring one thing, though," Pyre said, walking over to Tara and handing her the hooksword Tan'ya had repaired. "Jake was especially adamant about me bringing this to you, Councilor Tara."

"Thank you," Tara said, placing the hooksword gently by side.

"Now, why don't you tell us what the hell is happening over there," Katta said.

"Well…I'm not entirely sure," Pyre said. "But…I do know it began when one of the other council members came back from a mission involving one of Kalar's subordinates."

"Shit," Lai said, the others groaning. "It always comes back to Kalar."

"It seems that way, Councilor," Pyre nodded. "But I'm afraid that's all we know."

"Hn," Blaze groaned. "We need to make contact with Addy. Find anything in the archives we can about people who have served under Kalar who may have manipulative powers."

"Easier said than done," Lai snorted.

"Or maybe not," Blaze said, looking at Pyre. "Tail Max. Or someone who's staying at the HQ with him. Let them know our position and to get a hold of Addy."

"Yes sir," Pyre said, melting back into the shadows.

"Are you sure he can handle that?" Lai asked, Blaze looking at him with an expression of incredulity.

"I don't see why not," Blaze replied. "After all, before he came to join the Zone Watchers, he was called the Kage Oni."

* * *

"So what do you want to do next?" Dai giggled as they left a music store.

"I'm not sure," Julie giggled when they bumped into someone, "Oh, my

apologies, sir!"

"It was nothing. I wasn't paying attention," the figure replied.

The figure was a man of Japanese descent in his twenties with blond hair and

black eyes. He wore a white lab coat with a black tie over a black shirt and

white jeans. He bore Dark Protoman's Muramasa on his left hip. He wore the

NaviMark of Protoman on the back of his lab coat while having what resembled a

blue dragon blow fire as its tail was crooked in a way that made the whole

dragon resemble an upside-down triangle just below it. He helped them pick up

their shopping bags. He and Dai put their hands on the same handle, making

both move back and caused Dai to blush a little.

"My apologies," the man apologized as he picked up the bag before handing it

to Dai.

"I-i-i-i…" Dai stammered before the man looked at a clock.

"It seems I will be late for my interview at the hospital."

"Oh! We-we're sorry," Dai apologized.

"It was not a worry," the man replied as he began to walk off.

"M-Matte! My name is Dai. May I know your name?" Dai asked.

"…Mikoto…Mikoto Aoune-Blaze," the man replied before continuing his

leave.

"Mikoto Aoune-Blaze…" Dai repeated in a whisper.

"Oh…my…Arceus…Did you just blush and stammer like a fan girl?" Julie

gasped.

"What? I did no such thing!" Dai argued.

"I just saw you! You were blushing and stammering!" Julie argued.

"Julie-neechan~!" Dai whined as the younger girl ran off, laughing, before

she gave chase, "Get back here!"

Unaware to them both, Mikoto was observing them from atop a lamp post. He

could tell those two let out a type of energy, but one that was only possible

to sense if you knew exactly what you were looking for. It prevented others

from sensing them, but that younger girl let out a small trickle of energy to

let herself be noticed, almost as if she were afraid to not be noticed. The

older of the two was a stranger case, one that seemed to not be existent or

nonexistent. Barely, just barely, he felt that she was incomplete, as if

something were amiss. He placed a hand over his left eye as a red glow

emanated from it. He then looked at the time and frowned. He was going to be

late in getting to his interview if he didn't leave at once. If only he could

reset time like he could in what many would call 'games' these days.

* * *

"I can't believe this is happening," Grey said as he walked down the hallway, Gregar following behind him.

"Oi, just say the word, kid," Gregar said, licking his chops. Grey stopped walking, letting Gregar come even, before slapping the back of his head. "Ow!"

"What did I tell you about those kinds of things?" Grey asked, his arms crossed.

"Sorry," Gregar sighed. "I let my instincts get the better of me."

"Oh, Grey," Ruka called as she walked from the opposite end of the hall. She stopped when she neared, petting Gregar, who began to purr.

"Seriously?" Grey asked, looking at Gregar.

"What can I say?" Gregar replied. "I'm a big ol' softie with kids."

"I'm sure Falzar would love to hear of this," Pyre said from behind Ruka and Grey, startling them. Ruka was the first to calm down.

"Oh, Pyre," she said, her hand over her heart. "Please don't do that."

"But I've been standing here for a few minutes now," Pyre said with a sweatdrop. "More than long enough for the wolf to sense me." Ruka and Grey glared at Gregar, who simply did his best impression of a shrug.

"I didn't sense a thing," was Gregar's answer.

"Who are you, anyways?" Grey asked.

"Oh, right, I never met Max or his team before," Pyre said, gently knocking himself on the head. "I am Pyre, personal guard to Councilor Blaze. If you don't believe me, then Ruka here can vouch for me." Grey looked at Ruka, who nodded.

"He helped Councilor Blaze with the interviewing of Team Ryuusei," Ruka said.

"Okay, so that's something in your favor," Grey said. "But why are you here?"

"Because councilors Blaze, Tara, Tarn, and Lai requested it," Pyre answered. "All four of them were placed under house arrest and asked me to get a hold of Max or, failing that, to get a hold of someone who is currently in the HQ. And right now, you three are the closest at hand. Tell Max to contact Addy and request files for Kalar's known subordinates. We're looking for anyone who would be able to manipulate other beings."

"Alright," Grey nodded. "But perhaps you could in turn help us. We have two people here who are being arrested and we need to figure a way out of it. Max and Ryuu have left to talk to some lawyers who apparently helped Ryuu himself a few years ago. Ask the councilors if they know of any way to stop this."

"Deal," Pyre said.

* * *

Max screamed as Ryuu laughed maniacally as they ran from a large hoard of

monsters. To Max, they reminded him of giant bugs with just two hind legs that

were smaller than the head for a body it had. Its head-like body was

completely black except for the red spots it had and its blood-shot eyes. It

also had two fangs in its jaws. Ryuu, though, had already seen them when he

had been in a Smash Tournament some years ago.

"What's wrong? Never seen a Bulbear before?" Ryuu asked with a grin.

"I'm going to fuckin' kill you for not telling me about these crazy bastards,

Ryuu!" Max screamed as he dodged a chomp sent at him.

It was then a pair of whistles were heard. Almost instantly, 100 purple

little creatures with pink flowers on top of their antennae charged, jumped,

and flattened each of the fifty Bulbear, killing them instantly. Only fifty of

them dragged them off as Olimar and Louie approached.

"Why, Lan, a pleasure to see you again," Olimar greeted. Olimar was short, going up to the height of Max's leg. He wore a somewhat-cream colored spacesuit with a see-through helmet over his face. He had pointed ears, small black eyes, and a rather large nose. He also had red gloves and an antennae on his helmet that ended with a red flashing light.

"Hey, you want me to go cook ya up some Bulbear Pancakes?" Louie offered,

making Max turn green, "…Who's this guy?" Louie was taller than Olimar and went up to Max's stomach. He wore the same spacesuit as Olimar, but his was blue in both gloves and the flashing light. He had orange eyes and a tuff of yellow hair on his egg-shaped head.

"This is Max, Louie. Max, these two are Olimar and Louie. Olimar there was

one of my lawyers back when I got arrested because of my Zone's Chaud," Ryuu

introduced before coughing was heard, "And those purple guys over there are

the Purple Pikmin."

"Did you get arrested again, Lan?" Olimar asked.

"Not me this time. This time it's Bro and Mirajane-neechan along with Happy

and Juvia-neechan that got arrested," Ryuu replied, "Their time as Absolute

Hunters has caught up to them."

"Oh dear…And you wish to help them, yes?" Olimar asked.

"Big time," Ryuu replied.

"Hmm…I'll do it, but you must help Louie, the Pikmins, and I," Olimar

replied.

"Now hold on…" Max began.

"What do ya need?" Ryuu grinned, "Oh, and call me 'Ryuu' for the time being.

I'll explain as we do the job."

"We're collecting something Ship has located," Olimar replied, "However, it

is being guarded by something I have never seen before. It is a giant hand

with scales!"

"…It could be a dragon," Ryuu noted, "Okay! I'll help ya! So where do we

need ta go?"

"Oh, thank goodness…This is an excellent thing!" Olimar praised, "Thank

you, Ryuu, thank you!"

"No giving out thanks until we get that thingy," Ryuu replied.

* * *

Blaze stared at the chess board in front of him, his chin resting on his fist. "I'm rather impressed," he said, looking up at Katta. "Since when did you play chess?"

"Well, I have to have some kind of hobby," Katta replied.

"Rook to G-7, Councilor Blaze," Pyre said from behind Blaze. Blaze looked up.

"Any luck?" Blaze asked, moving his rook to G-6 instead of G-7.

"Somewhat. I was able to relay the message, but it seems we'll have to scratch each other's backs. It seems that Hub, Mirajane, a girl named Juvia, and a cat by the name of Happy are being arrested," Pyre replied. "The former two under Max's own home." Lai spit out his tea, while Kent grumbled as he wiped it off of his head.

"That's impossible!" Lai exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Katta asked as he casually took Blaze's rook with his queen.

"Because the council signed an agreement that anyone under Max's jurisdiction, which pretty much means anywhere in the Prime Zone, cannot be placed under arrest without prior consent by Max himself," Tarn answered.

"Which is starting to explain why whoever voted for us to be placed under house arrest was so adamant about it," Tara said. "Not even Lai would dare break an agreement as large as that."

"One question. Why did you place this Zone under Max's jurisdiction?" Katta asked as Blaze moved his knight forward, placing Katta's king in check.

"Because he is the first to be willing to do so," Tarn answered. "And it was asked of us by Palkia-dono himself. Whoever is running this show is cutting through a lot of red tape for this. But the question is why?"

"Wait," Blaze said, watching with disappointment as Katta's bishop took the knight. "Three of the four mentioned…they were part of the Absolute Hunters, yes?"

"Yes, I believe so," Pyre replied.

"And this all started after a mission involving one of Kalar's subordinates."

"Er, yes."

"And Kalar has had dealings with the Absolute Hunters. Does anyone see where I'm going with this?"

"I believe I do," Tarn said. "Punishment. For walking out of the Absolute Hunters, no doubt."

"So then…why get rid of us in the process?" Blaze asked. "If those were they were the targets and if this _is_ all an elaborate plan for punishment, then what was the point in removing us from the equation? The council is made up of thirty-five members total, with an unofficial three for tie-breakers. We're only four members."

"But we have the strongest influence," Lai said. "If we vote one way, it's almost guaranteed the entire council will vote the same way."

"Checkmate," Blaze said, taking Katta's king with his remaining knight. "Now we have only to wait for an answer from Addy."

"But what about those four young 'uns?" Tarn asked. "Surely our knowledge of the laws of the Watchers can be of some help to them."

"Tarn, we all know that there's only one of two ways to get them free. The first is a trial, like any…er, most other Zones. The second…well, we all know that's impossible. After all, that option was wiped out twelve years ago," Lai said.

* * *

"Hmm…I see…So you need me to erase and alter some memories," Mewtwo noted as he used his PSI to drink a cup of tea.

"Indeed," Shadow replied before Mewtwo sighed.

"Sire, I shall be out for a time. It will most likely take about a week," Mewtwo said before nodding, "Very well then, Mystogan. We leave at once."

"Don't you need to pack a suitcase?" Shadow asked…until a suitcase landed on him, "Okay…I get it…Let's go…!"

Shadow removed the suitcase from his body as Mewtwo lifted it up with his powers and grabbed its handle. Shadow then snapped his left hand and they vanished. They reappeared in the lobby of Max's HQ…when the Zone Watchers guarding the place had them at blade and gunpoint.

"Um…Is this a bad time?" Shadow asked, sweatdropping.

"Wait! Hold on!" J yelped as he ran in, "They're friends! …At last, one of them is. The other, I have no clue."

"I am Mewtwo. Shadow asked me to help a Megaman with a little…" Mewtwo paused to snicker, "…Girl phobia?"

"Yes, yes, we all know that little problem…" J muttered, "You can blame Hub for that indirectly. Now all of you just back off. Okay?"

The Zone Watchers grumbled as they left, a few annoyed at not getting to fight them. Once the last were gone, J turned to the two. Mewtwo knew what was on his mind and it was a mix of worry and relief.

"Do not worry. Megaman will be all right once I am through with him. However…He'll have a few perverted thoughts when he sees his Zone's Roll for two days," Mewtwo replied.

"That doesn't help," J frowned.

"It could be worse. I could summon a Porygon-Z and ask him to alter all the NetNavis to either have fox, dog, or cat ears and tails," Mewtwo chuckled.

"You've been reading Inumimi again…" Shadow sweatdropped.

"Why yes, yes I have. Oh, come on! It's a great series! And when Elga…" Mewtwo paused to wipe a tear, "It moves the heart, both a real heart and a cloned heart."

"Just deal with the guy's girl phobia!" Shadow barked before blinking, "Where's Max?"

"Out with Ryuu to get these lawyers he had a few years back," J replied, "Hub, Mirajane, and these other two got arrested."

"You mean Juvia and Happy, right?"

"Yeah. Those two," J replied before a Zone Watcher in yellow armor walked through the front doors with Juvia and Happy, both tied up, followed by a grumbling Natsu, a young man with spiky pink rose colored hair, whose outfit mainly consisted of a black waistcoat with gold trimmings over his chest with no shirt underneath, short white trousers that go down to his knees, a wide black wristband on his left wrist and sandals along with a scarf detailed with white scales, bound and gagged just like Hub.

"He is under arrest for interfering with the arresting of Juvia Loxar-Hikari and Happy Dragneel," the Zone Watcher said, "That and for beating up half of the fifty Zone Watchers we sent. I knew we should've kept away our Fire Zone Energy users…"

"Just put them in the rec room with Mirajane and Hub…" J sighed before walking off with Mewtwo, "Come on, I'll take you to Megaman."

"…I think I'd better go with you, then," Shadow ordered, his eyes glowing a soft gold color as he glared at the now-shaking Zone Watcher, "Afraid of me? You should be."

"Eep!" The Zone Watcher gulped before Shadow's eyes stopped glowing.

"March," Shadow ordered.

* * *

"Okay…So where is the thingy?" Max pondered, _'I can't believe I just asked that…'_

"The hand was right here! I swear it!" Olimar exclaimed as they stood on a giant tree stump.  
It was then the top of the stump cracked. Everyone and the 100 Purple Pikmin with them, looked down slowly and paled. The top of the stump broke apart and everyone fell in. Louie took out a paper bag and began to throw up into it after getting it into his helmet since the air was filled with Oxygen, which he and Olimar couldn't breathe in.

"Ow…" Ryuu groaned as they all got up.

"Uh…Guys? That hand was mossy-green and covered in scales…right?" Max asked as he looked up at another direction.

"Yes. Why?"

"Found what it was attached to…" Max squeaked, "A fuckin', big ass snake monster with a claw for a tail end."

The others slowly turned to Max's direction and paled. Before them-rather, slithering before them-, was a snake the size of a Brachiosaurus. It was covered in moss-green scales and had deep, venom-red eyes. The end of its tail was indeed a claw with four fingers, each ending in a scarlet claw. Louie hugged Olimar in fear as Olimar pushed Ryuu out before him.

"Great…I fuckin' hate snakes! Except for Viper. She's a great friend," Ryuu chuckled before engaging his armor as Kage emerged from his shadow, "Kage, remember that anime we watched last week? Turn into the one you liked best."

"Okay!" Kage laughed maniacally.

His form then transformed once more. Ryuu now rode upon a giant spider-like being the size of two horses. It had six legs instead of eight and seemed to be a mix of spider and mecha. Its head had the six legs attached to it while its face was covered in a silver faceguard and a red visor. Its abdomen had blade-like attachment running down the top parts of it. Ryuu took out his two energy blades as Olimar and Louie split the Pikmin evenly between them both. Max sighed as he engaged his armor.

"I hate my life at times…" Max muttered as they charged at the behemoth of a snake.

* * *

Kishi stood in the aisle between two bookshelves, his arms full of books, Addy close by, picking out more books to add to the pile. "Is all this really necessary?" Kishi asked, Gent standing nearby, his arms just as full.

"Do you know how many people have served under Kalar in the past decade alone?" Addy asked as she placed another book on top of Gent's pile, at the same time throwing one in Kishi's direction. "And then there's the trial that's about to take place for those three ex-Absolute Hunters," she added, standing on her toes to reach three books at the very top of the shelf. "Some of those books I have picked out should be of some use to their lawyers."

"Ah," Kishi said in understanding, glad to finally know why he was holding a book labeled 'Watcher Laws, Sections 102-347' in his arms. "Damn, that's a lot of laws."

"And that's just the basic outlines for the Watchers," Gent said, Kishi staring at him.

"Really?"

"Yeah. There are about four shelves of nothing but books outlining the laws of the Watchers. Another five are dedicated to past cases and one shelf in particular holds the biggest cases in the history of the Zone Watchers. We even have a shelf for cases won through loopholes, but there's only one book. With pictures."

"How many cases?"

"Four. Total." Kishi whistled. "Yeah. Impressive, huh?"

"Ah, here we go," Addy said, pulling one final book down. "This book should be a shortcut of the laws for those going on trial."

"Thanks," Kishi said. "I'll get these to them now."

* * *

"A fuckin' top!" Max screamed as he pointed at the top the size of a house that had been expelled by the snake upon its death while 89 Purple Pikmin took it off to Olimar and Louie's ship, "The fuckin' thingy was a top?"

"So it's called a 'Top?'" Olimar pondered, "Fascinating."

"Shut it! Can we please just get the other lawyer?" Max groaned.

"Huh? Oh, sure," Ryuu replied, "You know where the Thousand Sunny is, right?"

"The Thou…You mean the Thousand Sunny that has the Sanji who trained Rayne, right?"

"Bingo."

"I've got it. Come on," Max ordered as he muttered curses at the top.

"Louie, go back to Ship and tell him I won't be returning for a bit. Our friends need my assistance," Olimar said.

"Sure!" Louie grinned as the remaining Pikmin carried off the remains of the snake, "Oh, goody…I can't wait to make something form all this meat!"

"Let's just get going…" Max muttered as he formed the Portal Sword and made a portal to the Thousand Sunny that the trio proceeded to go through…before dodging a furious Zoro with make-up all over his face as he chased Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy.

"Get back here, you asses!" Zoro roared. Zoro's left eye had a scar on its while it stayed closed, meaning the eye was no longer of use, while he wore a blue samurai-like outfit. Chopper wore a new pilot-themed hat, shirt, and shorts all brightly colored with his medical 'X' on the hat.

"Hey, Lan," Nami greeted as she walked up. She wore a green bikini top and small brown pants that only ended halfway down her lower legs, her red hair curly.

"Nami-neechan!" Ryuu grinned as he hugged the older girl.

"Uh…" Max gawked.

"Oh yeah. Nami-Oneechan, this is Max. Max, this is Nami-Oneechan," Ryuu greeted, "Oh, and can you call me Ryuu while I'm with Max, please?"

"Okay…But it will cost you…" Nami began before Ryuu pulled out a treasure chest and dropped it at her feet, making her eyes turn into gold stars, "Oh, you're the best little brother a girl could ever have!"

"She's your older sister?" Max asked as they walked along the deck.

"Well, not in blood-relations," Ryuu replied, "I spent a whole year on this ship and I bonded with Nami-Oneechan like she was my big sister, Chopper as a little brother-even though he's older than me-, and Usopp and Luffy like big brothers."

"I see…" Max nodded, "So who are we getting from here?"

"Robin," Olimar replied as they looked to the grassy part of the deck to see Robin reading a book.

"Aunt Robin!" Ryuu called as they ran over to her.

"Lan, it's nice to see you again," Robin smiled before looking at Max, "And who's this?"

"This is Max, Aunt Robin," Ryuu replied, "Um…Aunt Robin, I kinda have a problem."

"…Did something happen to Haruka?" Robin asked.

"What?" Ryuu exclaimed before looking at Max.

"I'll check…" Max muttered as he closed his eyes, "…She's chasing a guy while firing bullets of flames from a sword."

"Oh, then she's fine," Ryuu grinned.

_'How that is fine, I will never know!'_ Max thought with a deadpan look.

"It's about Bro," Ryuu replied as he told Robin about the arrests and trial.

"Hmm…I'll do it," Robin smiled.

"Great!" Max grinned as he took out his Portal Sword.

"Yo! Luffy, I'm borrowing Aunt Robin for a bit, okay?" Ryuu called.

"Huh? Okay! Bye, Robin! Have fun with Lan!" Luffy grinned as he ducked under a sword swing by Zoro and ran off, laughing.

"…You got insane from being on this ship, didn't you?" Max asked as he go the Portal Sword out.

"Nope. I went crazy, then sane, then normal, then crazy, then the sanity I always had but looser during my travels to others worlds and the training I did with Dai-chan and DaiRyuuseiKnight," Ryuu replied.

"Oi…" Max groaned.

* * *

"Yo," Kishi called as he walked into the HQ, stopping as the Zone Watchers standing guard halted him. "Do we really have to do this?"

"Depends on what the books are for," one in blue armor replied.

"Research," Kishi replied. He tried to walk forward, but was stopped by the same Watcher. He glared at the Watcher, noting that she was just a teenager. And that he knew exactly who she was. "I would kindly ask that you remove your body out of my way."

"And I would kindly ask that you tell us what kind of research."

"Oh, darn, you caught me. I actually snuck a metal file in here so those guys could escape," Kishi said, sighing. "You know, this is probably why you won't graduate for the next five years." The girl flinched and Kishi knew he was getting somewhere. "Especially after I'm through with you." At this, the girl was confused. "Don't recognize me? Kishi? Second best Darkness user, right after Pyre? You know. Your teacher."

"Oh. Oh, crap, I'm so sorry, Mr. Kishi," the girl said, stepping back. "I-I didn't recognize you." Kishi walked by, hiding his smile.

'_Never thought my position as a teacher at the academy would ever get me through something like that,' _Kishi thought, putting the books on the closest table.

"Oh, Kishi," Z said, walking in. "You're back."

"Yeah. Got everything Addy had on both the laws of the Watchers and Kalar's past and present known subordinates," Kishi replied, gesturing to the table. "Max still isn't back?" Z shook her head.

"Lovely," he said drily. "Well, I'm gonna grab one of these and try to make some headway. Who knows, I may find something useful even before the lawyers get here."

* * *

"Now just go get some rest there, Ace," Von Drake advised as he pushed out Ace form his smoking laboratory/home.

"Okay, Doc," Ace replied, _'Man…It all makes sense now…Boy, aren't those three going to be shocked at the news I've got for them. That reminds me…That bastard Kamina still owes me for a meal he swiped from me!'_

It was then Max, Robin, Olimar, and Ryuu stepped out of a Zone Portal. Max looked around before seeing Ace, who waved. Max frowned.

"Damn. Off by a few meters," Max frowned.

"I guess you're still mad about the top and it's making you lose concentration," Ryuu sweatdropped.

"Shut it with the fuckin' top!" Max barked.

"Uh…Is something going on here that my little brother's Archaeologist is here along with Olimar?" Ace asked.

"Sadly, yes," Max sighed before recapping on what was going on.

"Damn…I knew that Hub was an Absolute Hunter, but not Happy and Juvia," Ace frowned, "And just because Mirajane's in love with Hub, they arrested her too?"

"No. She's associated with Hub and helped him once," Max replied.

"…I hate the Zone Watchers. I really do," Ace scowled.

"You and me both," Max agreed, "Now come on. We've got only one day left before the trial."

* * *

Kishi beat his head against the wall, while Olimar and Robin stood watching. "What did you find?" Olimar asked. Kishi glared, holding up a book titled 'Watcher Laws, Sections 3,005-3,251'. "That still doesn't answer my question."

"Don't…ask," Kishi said through gritted teeth, throwing the book into a corner. "Just don't ask." Kishi stalked back over to the table of books, grabbing the next one on the pile, while Olimar looked at Robin, who shrugged.

"Now, what do we have in favor of our clients?" Robin asked, addressing Olimar.

"Well…actually, the only thing we have is that they helped free those who were first kidnapped," Olimar offered meekly, Robin slumping. "Even if that were enough to drop the Absolute Hunter charges raised against them, there's still the matter of…well, Hub and Natsu's additional charges."

"Which are?" Robin prompted.

"Threatening and assaulting multiple Zone Watchers," Kishi said from his corner of the table. "Both normally only result in a fine and a temporary exile of about two months from certain Zones, but in extreme cases, imprisonment for a couple months. If deemed a threat to other Zones while the charges are being investigated, then imprisonment for life or, in the most severe cases, a permanent exile, stripped of identity, powers, personal belongings, communications of any kind, and so on and so forth." Olimar and Robin looked at Kishi, their jaws dropped. "I work as a teacher at the Watcher Academy, okay? I'm required to know certain points of law. That's the most basic charge there is." Kishi moved his head back as a book came flying through the wall, Zero seen through the hole, curses spouting from his mouth. "Something tells me he just saw Siren's file."

"Who?" Robin asked as Olimar picked up the book, before throwing the book as well after seeing whatever was on the page.

"Possibly one of Kalar's most disturbing subordinates from the past," Kishi said calmly. "If you know what's good for you, you won't pick that book up and look."

"Er, right," Robin said, eyeing the book suspiciously. "Anyways, have you got anything that may be of help?"

"Well, right now, the only thing I have is an agreement between the Zone Watchers and Max."

"Which is?" Olimar asked.

"Well, basically, anyone under his jurisdiction cannot be arrested or investigated without prior consent from Max himself."

"And what counts as his jurisdiction?" Robin asked.

"The entire Prime Zone," Kishi replied. "Anyone currently in the Prime Zone falls under his jurisdiction. Technically, they're breaking this agreement right now, by arresting Hub and Mirajane. In fact, by bringing Juvia, Happy, and Natsu in, they've put those three under his jurisdiction as well, just because they're in the Prime Zone. However, if enough of the council votes a certain way, they can bypass this agreement, though it's a rather lengthy process." Robin and Olimar both nodded. Kishi looked up suddenly, the proverbial light bulb over his head. "Though…no, wait, never mind," he said, downcast.

"What?"

"Well, there is one other thing that could be done. Find a Zone Guardian," Kishi said. "But the last Zone Guardian was killed twelve years ago."

"Perhaps you could explain why," Olimar said, gesturing with his hands for Kishi to do so.

"Well, a Zone Guardian…is kinda like the highest rank, I guess. Higher than the council. If a Zone Guardian tells them to do something, then the council _must _obey," Kishi explained. "But again, the last Zone Guardian was killed about twelve years ago."

"Can't someone be elected to that position?"

"No. It's something that happens naturally. And there haven't been any more Zone Guardians in the past twelve years. So, either figure out some way to turn the agreement on them or there may be no hope for those five," Kishi said. He looked at nearby clock, swearing. "And we better hurry. We've only got sixteen hours left."

* * *

Natsu snored into his muzzle as Mirajane and Hub leaned against each other, sound asleep beside the snoring Natsu and the sleeping Juvia. Happy, wide awake, watched as Omega-Xis lost to Harp in Pool in just one turn of Harp's.

"How do you do that?" Omega-Xis demanded.

"I've just been lucky at Pool my whole life, that's all," Harp shrugged.

"Aye!"

"You be quiet, cat!" Omega-Xis barked, shaking a fist at Happy.

"You sound like Lucy," Happy stated as DaiRyuuseiKnight walked in while the 'convicts' were waking up.

"We have roughly five hours left until you will be taken to trial," DaiRyuuseiKnight spoke, "If we do not find something that will help you all, it will end with up having to rely on luck of the Zone Council falling in favor of Max's jurisdiction of anyone who is currently in the Prime Zone."

"So what do we do if we aren't found in favor?" Happy asked.

"Ryuu-san has a plan for that. He plans on going over their heads."

"Really?" Juvia asked.

"You don't mean that…" Mirajane began.

"I do."

"But…"

"She does."

"Aye?"

"Aye," DaiRyuuseiKnight replied as Natsu and Hub began to scream into their muzzles, "He just remembered he had a favor from her."

"Will she be able to help?" Mirajane asked as Ryuu walked in, sighing.

"Nope. She says that she's not allowed to interfere with things her children make in terms of groups," Ryuu replied, "And I can't go talk with Palkia because he's in bed with the Dragon Flu. He'll be out in about a week after the trial."

Hub and Natsu gulped at that. They both caught the Dragon Flu once and couldn't leave their beds for a month. The reason it's called the Dragon Flu is because only dragons could catch it. It makes spots appear on their bodies while zapping them of nearly all their strength. It is also highly contagious and can take effect within five seconds of catching it.

"Juvia doesn't understand. Couldn't Ryuu go above their heads since Ryuu is a disciple of Reshiram?" Juvia asked.

"Well, Juvia-neechan…I can't really call on those abilities…" Ryuu sheepishly admitted, rubbing a hand on the back of his head, "They just come and go with my emotions. The last time I used them was when it involved that murder, Aggregor. I still don't remember what happened, but everyone-even Arceus-says that Reshiram took over my body."

_'Come and go with our emotions?'_ Hub thought, recalling a time when he desired to have a cat that he was fighting so much that he blacked out, _'Could that have been when I tapped into…'_

"Excuse me," a Zone Watcher said as she walked in, "But the trial has been upped to one hour from now. We need to get going."

"Oh crud…" Ryuu muttered.

* * *

"Shit, shit, shit!" Kishi exclaimed as he, Robin, and Olimar hurried to the door of the HQ. "We are seriously cutting this close!"

"Less talk, more run!" Robin snapped, Kishi's Zone Energy creating a Portal just outside the front door. They jumped in, Olimar landing on Kishi, Robin landing on Olimar, while Kishi grumbled about always getting the short end of the straw. They rushed to a large building labeled Watcher Court, running through the doors just before they closed, hurrying into the courtroom, Kishi handing Robin and Olimar their materials as the two made their way to the table where the five who were to go on trial were sitting.

"Glad you could make it," a man with blonde hair said as Kishi took a seat, Kishi looking at the man, doing a double-take.

"Councilor Blaze?" Kishi whispered, incredulous. Blaze put a finger to his lips, winking.

"Tara, Tarn, and Lai are here as well," Blaze replied. He scratched his head. "I hate wigs. So itchy. Anyways, we think that we know why those four were charged. Er, excluding the pink haired kid."

"And?"

"Punishment," Lai said on the other side of Kishi, startling him. "Blaze made a connection between one of Kalar's subordinates and a council member. Kalar had dealings with the Absolute Hunters. I think it's safe to say that someone may have called in a favor from him. We just got the call from Z that she found someone who fits what we're looking for."

"And that would be?" Kishi asked.

"Manipulative abilities," Lai replied as Robin stood up, calling a witness from the crowd. "We think it may be our old friend, Hypnose." Kishi sweatdropped, making the connection between abilities and name. "Yeah, I know," Lai said, a tick mark on his forehead. "I know."

"Anyways, be on the lookout for him," Blaze said, Kishi nodding. "Actually, go tell Max and Ryuu as well." Kishi nodded, standing up carefully to avoid drawing attention and made his way back to the two teams.

"What's the word?" Max asked as Kishi sat down.

"Apparently, the councilors under house arrest think that this is punishment for three of the five up there," Kishi replied. "One of Kalar's subordinates, Hypnose, may be somewhere nearby. Be on the lookout for him."

"What does he look like?" Ryuu asked.

"Actually, he's a photo negative of a netnavi known as Flashman, I think," Kishi said. "Anyways, we think that he may be around here if he is the reason this is all happening." Kishi noticed Max's eyes start to change color and he gulped.

"This is really starting to piss me off," Max said, Kishi sweating.

'_I feel sorry for Hypnose,' _Kishi thought as he noticed Ryuu cracking his knuckles, already looking around the courtroom for the being known as Hypnose.

"Your Honor," Olimar was saying at the front of the room. "I would like to bring to light an agreement between the Zone Watchers and Maxwell Escal. The agreement is very specific about certain happenings in the Prime Zone, which, according to the same agreement, falls under the latter's jurisdiction. Now, part of this agreement is that the detainment, arrest, and/or investigation of any being in the Prime Zone must be approved by Maxwell Escal. Yet, this was ignored when the Zone Watchers arrived to arrest Hub Abyss Hikari and 'Demon' Mirajane. And furthermore, by transporting Juvia Loxar-Hikari, Happy Dragneel, and Natsu Dragneel to the Prime Zone, you also placed them under Maxwell Escal's jurisdiction. But again, it was ignored."

"Before you continue," the Zone Watcher acting as judge said, "perhaps I should tell you a little something about that agreement. If a majority of the council votes that an arrest may be made without consulting Maxwell Escal, then that particular clause may be bypassed and the detainment, arrest, and investigation can and will be conducted." Olimar flinched, knowing that they needed a miracle now. He then looked confused as he noticed a shadow behind the judge.

"Oi, Ryuu," Max said, nudging the half-dragon. "Behind the judge. Is that…who I think it is?" Ryuu looked, grinning.

"Why, I believe it is," Ryuu said, nodding. "Would you like the honor or shall I?"

"Oh, no. We must do this together," Max smirked. Ryuu nodded, engaging his Dragon Master Knight Armor, while Max walked forward, pulling out his Portal Sword, to which all of the Zone Watchers in the room had weapons trained on them.

"What are you idiots doing?" Kishi hissed at the two. He was about to grab them when he noticed the figure as well and understood. "On second thought, continue."

"What is the meaning of this?" the judge shouted as Ryuu and Max walked right up to her. Max disappeared and reappeared, now holding a perfect photo negative of Flashman by his collar, while Ryuu was cracking his knuckles in anticipation of finally having a source for which his frustration could be taken out on.

"Release her," Max said, Hypnose trembling. When Hypnose didn't do so, Max turned Hypnose around to look first at Ryuu and then at Max himself, who's irises were now glowing, as they had done in his fight with Zaxlew. "Perhaps you didn't hear me the first time. Release her." Hypnose nodded meakly, snapping his fingers, the judge fainting and suddenly awakening once more, looking around the courtroom in confusion. "Here you go, Ryuu," Max said, tossing Hypnose to him, Hypnose now whimpering.

"Hey there," Ryuu said, grinning as he caught Hypnose by the collar. "Ever played with a half-dragon?" Hypnose shook his head. "Ya wanna?"

"What's going on here?" the judge asked, before suddenly remembering the trial. "Oh, right…er, what was I about to do?"

"Read the statement," the bailiff whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

"Before you do that," Max said, pointing at Hypnose. "Perhaps you would like to reexamine the case before this trial continues, as you were under the influence of another being." Max looked back at the judge, who was staring at him, jaw dropped. "What? I have something on my face?"

"Er…out of curiosity-Maxwell, correct-what do you think the decision should be?" the judge asked.

"Me?...Well, honestly, I don't think they should be charged," Max said, tapping his chin. "In fact…I'd say they more than made up for their actions after leaving the Absolute Hunters. As for Hub and Natsu's additional charges, well…perhaps we can just agree that they're both idiots and leave it at that," Max added, to which Natsu and Hub began to scream behind their muzzles. The judge raised and lowered her gavel, surprising everyone.

"Case is dismissed," she said. "The accused are innocent. This case is to never be opened again and Hypnose will be placed under arrest effective immediately," she continued, sweatdropping as Hypnose came crawling into the courtroom, Ryuu following close behind, whistling. "After he's recovered…"

"Er, wait. What about Councilors Lai, Tara, Tarn, and Blaze?" Max asked.

"I wasn't aware that they were being tried," the judge said. "And in fact, their house arrest should be over tomorrow."

"Oh. Well, in that case, thank you," Max said, putting his Portal Sword away, turning to the teams. "Er…I guess we can go back to HQ now."

* * *

"Ah…! It's so good to not have that muzzle on me," Hub groaned as he shifted into his dragon form and stretched outside the base.

"I'll say," Natsu agreed before he began to eat a large fire Ace had made for the Fire Dragon Slayer.

"I still can't believe those guys can eat elements…" J muttered as he watched as Hub began to eat the base's shadow in his dragon form.

"Trust me. Bro told me that there are even Dragon Slayers who can eat Spiral Energy and Zone Energy," Ryuu chuckled.

"Hey, I just realized something. Two of our friends who you helped capture said that it was always raining when you were around, Juvia," Max noted.

"Gray-kun helped Juvia~" Juvia swooned as she imaged the Ice Make Mage of Fairy Tail.

"Gray?" Ashe and Grey pondered as they looked at Gray.

"Not me. Gray Fullbuster," Gray sighed.

"Aye," Happy agreed.

"Shut up, cat!" Omega-Xis and War-Rock barked.

"Waaah! The doggies are being mean to me!" Happy cried as he flew into Mirajane's arms.

"Don't go to someone when we're barking at you!" both snapped.

"And I'm a dragon!" Omega-Xis snapped, both him and War-Rock feeling the fist of Harp and Lyra on their heads.

"Don't bark at the cute, little kitty!" both ordered.

"Yes, Ma'am. Sorry, Ma'am. Right away, Ma'am…" Omega-Xis whimpered as he ran away from Harp as she kept bopping him on the head.

"That reminds me…" Hub said as he changed back to his human self, "Max no Baka!"

"Let's get him!" Natsu growled as he finished the last of his meal.

"Oh crud…" Max muttered.

"Yamiryu no…"

"Karyuu no…"

"Hōkō!" both Dragon Slayers cried as they fired a wave of normal flames or a wave of black flames at Max, who dodged and began to run around the base with the two chasing after him and firing their flames at him.

"I have the weirdest family…" Mirajane and Ryuu sighed as the others began to either laugh at the misfortune Max was having or trying to help him.

As the two teams were trying to either help or laugh at Max's misfortune, Mikoto looked out from a tree. He smirked as he saw that the trial had went in favor of them. All as he planned. He turned back to the bound and gagged Hypnose, whose eyes had a faint red outline to them.

"You've served well for a Pawn. I managed to get some more information on both Kalar and the Absolute Hunters," Mikoto said as a large figure in darkness stomped towards them, "CarnoRyutus, have a nice snack."

With that, Mikoto vanished in a swirl of white energy. The figure looked down at Hypnose as the red rings around his eyes faded. Hypnose looked around, confused, before finding out he was bound and gagged. The figure let out a small, starving growl at Hypnose, getting his attention. He slowly looked up and screamed behind his gag as the figure's massive jaws opened to devour the NetNavi. When the Zone Watchers who were sent to find him when they had learned of his escape, all they found was a small piece of his left shoulder guard with a bite mark in it along with two giant footprints with three toes and a fourth on the backs.

* * *

**Collab with Gammatron. Please Review. Also, Gammatron owns Mikoto Aoune-Blaze.**


	111. Ryuu Kidnapped

**Sailing my sea! Yeah-Never say die Gotta go! Go!**

***Camera scrolls from a desert to the sky, the words Return to the Zones in large letters, a Zone Portal appearing in the O of the Zones***

**Asu e no chizu hirogete Issho ni ikou ze Go along along (Unfold the map to tomorrow, let's go together, Go along along)**

***The camera zooms in towards the Zone Portal, fading to white before fading back in to reveal Max and his original team standing in front of the HQ***

**Bouenkyou de nozokeba Michinaru minato e Go along along (If you peek through the telescope, head to the unknown harbor, Go along along)**

***Camera zooms in through the door, running along the hallways, passing Max's team in rooms, Tenshi Zero and Ultimate X sparring, while Eva and Luna Rena cook, Kassie setting the large table in the next room, the camera moving onto the other rooms to show the rest of the team doing their own activities***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Sono te de kaji o tore (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Take the helm with your hands)**

***Scene changes to Max and his team looking out at the sunset on top of the building before cutting to Ryuu and Team Ryuusei on the other side of the HQ, staring at a rising sun, and changes again to show both teams at once, facing opposite directions***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Yoake no umi e to fune o dase (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Sail out to the sea of dawn)**

***Max and Ryuu look at each other, smirking, before the scene changes to Beamer's restaurant, where Lan, Netto, and Ryuu are in a curry eating contest, Ryuu in the lead, while both teams cheer them on, Beamer laughing, Rayne and Komatsu in chef outfits, while J.T. can be seen through the kitchen window trying to put out a fire, Meda slapping at the flames with his apron***

**Seiipai Hareryuuya Ima da go o age Nakama to tomo ni (With all your might, hallelujah- Now raise the sails together with your friends)**

***Scene changes to Tan'ya watching Kent practicing his technique in Sync Merge, Moon staring in silence, while Sonic X is in the background, talking with Rockman and Megaman, Lyra and Harp bopping Omega-Xis and WarRock on the head as the two start fighting in the background just behind Sonic X, who gets caught up in the fight, separating the two***

**Kaisei no sora no shita Yume to iu na no daikoukai e (Underneath the fine weathered sky, head to the great voyage named 'dream')**

***Scene change to Will and Kassie walking through the mall, Cyber, Sonic X, Roll, and Megaman with them, Cyber and Sonic X pushing a stroller each, Volt in Cyber's, Jazz in Sonic X's, while Chaud, Protoman, and Greymon are in a sword store, browsing through. Geo and Subaru walk into the frame with the latter three, Geo holding up a Buster Blade, pointing at it, while the other four shake their heads***

**Koerarenai mono wa nai Kaze o ayatsuri Doko made demo jiyuu ni yukeru (Nothing is unsurpassable; control the wind and freely go anywhere)**

***Scene changes to DaiRyuuseiKnight, back to camera as Ashe and Grey sit beside him, Gregar sitting beside Grey, Falzar sitting on Ashe's shoulder, Model A floating over DaiRyuuseiKnight, while all six look at the stars. The camera pans out to reveal Ace, Ash, and Pandora to the left of the group, also watching the stars, while Yuck and Kevin slept on either side of a nearby tree, Ben sitting on a branch at the top of the tree, Gwen on a Mana platform***

**Leap on Leap on sora o miro umi o miro somatta isshoku no ao (Leap on Leap on, look at the sky, look at the sea, Dyed in one color of blue)**

***Camera pans away from the group, Katta coming on screen, laying down by a small pond, a fishing pole set up beside him, while Blaze, Tarn, and Tara sit around a campfire, fish rotating on a stake over the fire, Kent's mouth watering. Camera pans a little farther to the right to reveal Hub and Mirajane sitting on the other side of Tara, joining in the conversation the three councilors are having, all laughing as Katta was yanked into the pond as he grabbed the pole, Katta resurfacing, spitting out pond water, a four foot long fish on his pole, Katta's fingers in V for victory***

**Shirani mono to ka Motto shiritai kara Go! Go! Shukkou (Because you want to know more about unknown things and, Go! Go! Depart)**

***Scene changes to J, Sasuke, and Will in the lab, trying to explain certain parts to Hub, whose eyes are spinning, while Jen and Z stand nearby, giggling as the Tech Trio soon gave up, Shinobi running down the hall as a blue laser followed him, the camera going out the door and down the hall to reveal the holo-Palkia roaring, Kyuubi and Rockman revealed to be the ones at the panel, rolling on the floor, holding their sides and crying as they laughed, the camera panning to reveal Eggman and Tails on the other side of the room, looking in wonder through the circuitry that made up the holo-Palkia***

**Nenryou tnaku mantan Mawasu igunisshonKaji to konhineeshon Nami to sesson (Ruel tanke full, ignition spinning combination with the helm, session with the waves)**

***Scene change to Dai laughing at Ryuu, who's caught in a large pile of tape, Max trying to help him, while Blademan tapes it, laughing, when Ryuu's shadows extends its hands, Blademan yelping in fear and running, Max now laughing as his friend ran around the room, even on the walls and ceiling, as he tried to escape the hands, Dai now helping her uncle, but still laughing, Ryuu's shadow hands breaking Blademan's camera and then the camera the tape entangling Ryuu came from***

**Agero tensshon Kaizu hirogete adobenchaa Denjaa kugurinukete Ooshan rainaa (Raise the tension, unfold the map, it's an adventure Escape through the danger, ocean liner)**

***Scene change to Sonic X and Viral looking at a diagram, then looking at a small sculpture, turning the diagram every which way as they tried to figure out what it was supposed to look like, when Cyber appears, turning the diagram the correct way and the two looked from it to the sculpture, nodding, while Sonic X kissed Cyber before turning behind him to see an angry Terios Shadow with a shotgun, flames in his eyes as he gave chase to the blue netnavi. Scene change to Misora and Sonia with Lyra and Harp, all four enjoying milkshakes, when Sonic X came into the shot, jumping the table, Terios Shadow not far behind, the four females watching the scene with faces of amazement***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Atarashii ashita e (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Head to a new tomorrow)**

***Scene change to Kenjirou and Marcus with the Xros Heart Army, Nene, Knightmon, Taiki, and Agumon X beside them, watching with interest as Beamer and Bass fought each other in the Blanket Zone, craters everywhere, while the rest of the Hunter Eradication Army stood nearby, cheering on Bass, while Omega-Xis/WarRock, Tenshi Zero, Tomari Axl, and Megaman cheered on Beamer, Shinobi wearing a booky hat as he took bets from those gathered, Gent and Addy there as well, Addy holding Gent's ear, pulling him away from the betting booth, Blaze watching with a sweatdrop before placing his own bet***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Suiheisen no mukougawa e (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Head to the other side of the horizon)**

***Scene change to Max laying in a field looking up at the stars, Geo, Subaru, and Ben with him, all four in a circle with their heads on the inside of the circle, their eyes widening as Zaxlew appeared above them, Zaxlew shooting Max the finger before disappearing in a Negative Zone Portal, an image of Kalar fading into view, switching places with the four stargazers, the camera panning around to reveal Kalar was watching the creation of Rampage's new body, while Lockdown stands nearby, Rampage's Spark held in his hand in a container, Lockdown smirking as he saw the weapons being added to Rampage's new body***

**Yeah – Never say die Gotta go! Go! Go! Go! (Yeah - Never say die Gotta go! Go! Go! Go!)**

***Scene change to the Ground City Arcade, Bud, Taurus, Scar, and Jing all sitting in the seats of a car game, Wily watching nearby, while on the screen, it shows Taurus in the lead, Scar a close second, Bud in third, and Jing in fourth, Kir watching with idle interest from behind Jing, his eyes going to the shooting game right beside the car arcade game***

**Kaisei no sora no shita Ima da ho o age Nakama to tomo ni (Underneath the fine weathered sky, now raise the sails together with your friends)**

***Scene change to Rockman and Megaman running alongside Sonic X, still running from Terios Shadow, who's now taking potshots at the trio with his gun, Will and Komatsu getting bowled over by the four, while Toriko watches, eating a mountain of ramen with Naruto, who stops just long enough to point and laugh at the two, while Maylu and Meiru came out in time to see Terios Shadow run by them, shaking his fist as his gun ran out of ammunition***

**Seiipai Hareruuya Yume to iu na no daikoukai e (With all your might, hallelujah – head to the great voyage named 'dream')**

***Scene change to Ruka watching with Gregar and Falzar as Ashe and Grey fought Ash and Gray in a sparring match, Ash and Gray with the upper hand, until Gregar and Falzar ran towards Ashe and Grey, disappearing in a ball of light as the two entered Beast Drive, Wulf, Akari, and Sari watching as Bumblebee and Cheetor snuck up on Inuyasha and Turbo, holding water balloons, before Inuyasha and Turbo turned towards the two, both armed with fire hoses attached to two hydrants apiece, Bumblebee and Cheetor dropping their balloons as Inuyasha and Turbo opened fire***

**Koerarenai mono wa nai Kaze o ayatsuri Doko made demo jiyuu ni yukeru (Nothing is unsurpassable: control the wind And freely go anywhere)**

***Scene change to the teams standing outside of the HQ, making goofy faces at the camera, before changing to the teams resting in the living room, all beat from the day's activities, Max and Ryuu gripping wrists in the doorway before turning to the room, walking in, the camera capturing a still shot of the two's backs***

* * *

**Ryuu Kidnapped**

DaiRyuuseiKnight looked upon the waters in the fountain as Dai and Julie sat on a nearby bench. They were waiting for someone and she was a few minutes late. A set of footsteps were heard before they turned to see two figures. One was a girl, roughly around 18. She had long, flowing green hair that went down to her rear end with two bangs going down to the front of her chest. She had gold eyes and semi-pale skin…with a pizza slice in her mouth. She wore a white jumpsuit that hugged her figure. The neck part of her jumpsuit was large and looked as if she could put it over the lower half of her face. While she wore a pair of white boots and zippers on the bottom of her pants. Coating the jumpsuit were various black leather straps. The other figure was taller than the first. His outfit consisted of a tight, light/dark-purple suit with golden stripes and long, wrapped sleeves. The outfit combined Victorian fashion with that of a sleek bodysuit, elegant but practical; worn over it was a black and gold cloak with crimson spandex inside and an enormous black cape encircling the head. Its immediately recognizable feature was a spiky black and indigo mask with a long variation of a bird sigil stretched over its bottom, completely hiding the wearer's face — appearing opaque from the outside, but transparent from the inside.

"So…You two are from the Nevermore Giratina spoke of," the woman noted as she pulled the slice out of her mouth.

"Aunt C.C.," Julie smiled softly.

"I see you know my name. But 'aunt?'" the girl tilted her head.

"You were one of the people who raised us in the Nevermore," Dai explained, "We know not to say what you real name is, Aunt C.C.…especially around Zero-san."

"C.C., I don't understand any of this," the man sighed.

"It's safe to take your mask off, Suzaku. There is no one here that will recognize you," C.C. spoke.

"What?" Zero exclaimed.

It was then C.C. swiped his mask. It revealed he was a man of Japanese descent around 20. He had a soft complexion with brown hair and jade-green eyes. He yelped before swiping the mask from C.C.

"It's okay, Uncle Suzaku. No one in the Prime Zone knows of you," Julie explained as she stopped him from putting the mask back on.

"C.C., why are we here?" Suzaku asked, feeling embarrassed at not wearing his mask.

"You haven't felt it?" C.C. asked.

"Felt what?" Suzaku asked.

"A Contract I made that ended nearly two years ago has been brought back."

"A Contract? …Wait! You don't mean…!" Suzaku gasped.

"We saw this NetNavi under its influence a week ago," Dai explained with a frown, "The Power of Absolute Obedience has been brought back."

"But that was…" Suzaku began.

"I know. As you know, every Geass is different for everyone. No two Geass that are exactly the same as each other can exist in a ten year gap of each other," C.C. explained, "That means that only _he_ could be alive."

"I'm not sure how to feel about that," Suzaku frowned as he put his mask back on, "I better get back to Nunnally."

"Very well. Good luck, Zero," C.C. smirked.

"Let me," Dai said as she snapped her hand, letting Suzaku vanish is a swirl of Ultima, before she turned to C.C. and gave her a hug, "Aunt Cera, I really hope you can help."

"But of course, but it will cost you pizza," C.C. replied, "And do not refer to me as that. Just call me 'C.C.' unless we're alone."

"Okay, Aunt C.C.," Dai and Julie nodded.

"Okay. Take care you guys! See you in the morning," Beamer waved off his workers.

He began to lock up the place when he felt something. He paused for a few seconds before resuming closing up shop. Once he was finished, he closed his eyes.

"You know it's rude to show up when I'm closing," Beamer frowned before he opened his eyes to see a white version of Zero/Suzaku walk out from the side of the building.

"**I need some answers**," the man said.

The left side of his mask opened up to reveal a slot. It revealed his left eye, a soft glowing purple with a glowing scarlet bird sigil in it. The 'bird' flew out of his eye and into Beamer's eyes. His body relaxed as a red ring appeared around his eyes.

"What do you need to know?" Beamer asked, his voice calm and monotonous.

"I need information on the team that Maxwell Escal has made along with Team Dai Ryuusei," the man ordered.

"Very well," Beamer replied in his trance.

"Is he done yet?" Lockdown groaned.

Kalar looked up at Lockdown, irritation in his eyes.

"He's been done for two days," Kalar said, a tick mark on his forehead. "But we can't get him to calm down."

"What, did he go crazy?" Lockdown asked.

"No. He's acting like a child," Kalar said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

Lockdown turned to see Rampage running around a large area, laughing like an idiot. Yet there wasn't any noticeable difference to his appearance.

"'I just wanna take the hydraulics for a spin', he says," Kalar grumbled, throwing his hands in the air, "Get him under control or I'm using the failsafe."

"Alright, alright, hold yer horses," Lockdown muttered, walking into the room.

Max collapsed off the couch due to an ear-splitting scream. Everyone quickly ran into the lobby. There, they saw Naruto with a dog-sized, orange toad with a blue shirt on. Both were looking up at the ceiling. Everyone quickly followed their sight before seeing Cyber, having a nervous breakdown as she clung to the ceiling. She was wearing a pink shirt with a red heart on the front while wearing slim blue jeans and red and white running shoes with white gloves.

"What is she saying?" Netto asked.

"It's Russian," Sonic X replied, "She's saying 'toads are after getting me pregnant' over and over again really fast."

"What now?" nearly everyone asked with a sweatdrop.

"Er…Well…As long as I knew my niece, she's had this fear of toads and frogs. Apparently, she had a nightmare of being an adult where this human woman with a crazed look in her eyes and fangs in her mouth shoved a frog or a toad the size of Bokkun into her rear and made her pregnant," Eggman explained, making everyone gawk at him.

_"It's true. She's had it since she was four. I examined her mind once about it, but…"_

"What's wrong, Mewtwo?" Chaud asked as Sonic quickly got a ladder.

_"…It's so deeply ingrained within her mind that if I were to try and mess with it at all, it would result in her premature death,"_ Mewtwo replied, _"She is beyond any type of normal help."_

"Naruto, just what in Arceus's name were you thinking?" Sonic X snapped at the blond.

"What? How was I suppose to know she had a fear of Gamakichi?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah. By the way, Naruto, ya got any snacks?" the toad asked.

"It talks!" Cyber screamed, "It talks and it will go in me and I don't want to have icky, slimy thingys I have to give birth to!"

"Just why did you show her it?"

"She wanted to learn how to mold Chakra so she could summon animals," Naruto replied.

"You should've summoned one of the foxes first," Gamakichi noted as he munched on a pretzel log.

"Hey! That's _my_ Pretzel Log!" Greymon roared, shaking a claw at the toad, who vanished in a plume of smoke, "Stupid toads…"

"Toad? Where?" Cyber yelped as she looked around on the ceiling.

"I got you, Cyber-chan," Sonic X sighed as he climbed up the ladder when he was blasted off it by Cyber's Roll Arrow.

"Keep away from me, toads!" Cyber screamed.

"The sad thing is…In the Nevermore, she still flipped out like that," Julie sweatdropped as DaiRyuuseiKnight sighed, both recalling her end when Julie was four.

"Not even the safety word works," DaiRyuuseiKnight added.

"So how do we get her down?" Max asked.

"We don't. She'll come down once she calms down," DaiRyuuseiKnight replied.

"Not even my time abilities work," Julie shrugged, "The time moves, but she's somehow aware, yet not aware."

"Pepperoni?" C.C. offered to Cyber as she sat on the top of the ladder.

"Who is that?" Will asked.

"That is Aunt C.C., the Immortal Contract," Julie giggled as Cyber slowly accepted the slice.

"For some reason, when she flips, only C.C.-sama can get near her without facing the wrath of her attacks," DaiRyuuseiKnight explained.

"Where did she come from?" Max asked.

"She is from roughly the 12th century," Paradox replied, suddenly beside DaiRyuuseiKnight and Julie.

_"Hello, Time Walker."_

"Mewtwo," Paradox nodded as he watched C.C. talk with the still-frightened Cyber, "I see you two received the message from Max to invite a friend over."

"Eh? That's the friend? And he's gone again," Max frowned as Paradox had vanished.

"He's a confusing man, but also understandable," Gwen frowned.

"No he's not," Kevin argued, "He's just confusing. That's it."

"Boy…Cyber takes her phobia to a higher level than Shinobi with Palkia…" Kyuubi began.

"Palkia? Where?" Shinobi flipped as he looked around fearfully, "You're not getting me with that laser of yours!"

"Let me…" Misora sighed.

With that, she pulled out a white mask resembling a bunny's face. She put it over her face and her body glowed. She reshaped into a smaller form and the glow faded. She changed into a bipedal Pokémon that was based on real-life rabbits. She stood at approximately three to four feet tall, with a rose pelt, long, warm ears and a round tail. She also had a fluffy, pink pelt that was found on the ends of her ears, legs and arms, as well as distinctive large 'eyebrows'. She also black pupils with red irises, with small pink noses and inner ears.

Misora opened her mouth and a sphere of icy energy formed. She fired three lightning bolt-shaped beams from the sphere at Shinobi. Within seconds, he was stuck in a pillar of ice. Misora giggled before removing her mask and changing back.

"Huh…When could she use Ice Beam so fast?" Ryuu asked.

"In our training," Gwen replied.

"What…was that?" Geo and Sonia asked.

"My Pokemon Mask," Misora giggled, "Nearly everyone in Team Dai Ryuusei has one. Toriko-san is a Munchlax-though he may be a Snorlax now-, Sari-chan is a Skitty, Komatsu is a , Bumblebee is a , Will-kun is an Manetric, Ed is an Umbreon, Al-kun is an Arcanine, Sonic X-san is a Sandslash, and Boss is a Heaven Charizard."

"Heaven Charizard?" everyone repeated, even Ryuu.

"That's what I call your form at least, Boss," Misora sheepishly explained, "I mean, your form looks like a Charizard slightly."

"What does she mean?" J asked.

Ryuu sighed as he walked outside as C.C. got off the ladder and put it to the side with Sonic X's help before a calmed down Cyber landed in Sonic X's arms. Ryuu pulled out a mask resembling a dragon's face before putting it on. His form was engulfed in white flames before a roar echoed from them. The flames parted to reveal Lan's Charizard Form, but altered. His wings, once like other dragon wings, were now white angel wings as his tail flame was gone, replaced by four masterly-crafted runes in an 'X' formation, each one glowing a blue color and spewing a blue flame, almost like a torch. The claws on his hands and feet were now diamonds of blue color as his body was more slender than before, making it gain three feet. His head was sleeker with the horns longer and seemed to be more like waves. However, many of them could tell that the form had powerful muscles on it. On his chest was a blue outline of a Blue Eyes White Dragon encircling where his heart was suppose to be. Hub snapped his fingers and handed a smirking Mirajane a handful of jewels.

"You two betted on him having a dragon form or not?" Max asked.

"No. We better on if it were girly or not. I lost, said it would be girly," Hub replied before a snort came from Ryuu, "Oh, boy…"

Hub roared before changing into his dragon form and flew off. Ryuu snorted before bending down, spread his wings, and vanished in a white blur. Everyone heard a yelp before Hub and Ryuu landed in a large fight cloud before it faded, revealing the two were back in their human forms, both biting the other's left leg.

"Heel!" Meiru and Mirajane barked.

"Yes, Meiru-Koishii/Mirajane-Tenshi!" both whimpered as they separated and saluted.

_'They're whipped…'_ Netto and Lan thought.

"We heard that!" both snapped as they shook a fist at Ryuu's Zone Doubles.

"Ryuu-kun/Hub-kun…" their mates warned.

"Yes, ma'am…" both sighed.

"Hmm…Now I wonder which would do better against Holo-Palkia," Sasuke pondered as, back at the stairs, Shinobi whimpered in his icy prison.

"I must say that you two were right; they are hatchlings," C.C. noted.

"What?" Hub and Ryuu asked.

"You both have lost close ones before, but you have hardly any experience with the dark demon of death," C.C. explained.

"What?" Ryuu growled.

"Allow me to tell you of the tyrant king Lelouch Vi Britannia," C.C. explained, "He was a simple boy, roughly seven at the time. He lived a good life with his four-year-old sister, Nunnally, and their mother. One day, she was assassinated right before the little sister's eyes, causing her to go blind and her legs to just fail. She still cannot walk even though her eyes have regained their sight. Now then, their father, the emperor of their homeland, cared less about them and simply sent them away to Japan. Shortly after, roughly a year, Britannia-the homeland they had been banished from-attacked Japan. Thousands were lost in the war. In the end, Japan was stripped of every, single thing it stood for, even its name. For the next eight years, Japan was known as 'Area 11' and the Japanese were changed into 'Elevens.' However, the two exiled were killed as well."

Everyone but Julie and DaiRyuuseiKnight looked at her in a mix of emotions. A whole country had lost everything and were given a simple number? What's worse was that two children were killed.

"Seven years passed since the takeover and a man by the name Lelouch Lamprouge, a student of Ashford Academy in the Tokyo Settlement, was bored with his life and would often skip classes to play chess against nobles of Britannia, easily defeating them. His main philosophy in chess was using his king and mixing it with the other pieces. One of those days, he found me. I took a fatal shot for him and gave him a Contract. This contract gave him the power to rule. His first order…he ordered all the men and the women who were in the Britannian Military in his sight at the time to kill themselves."

Everyone couldn't help but shudder. They all swore they saw the image of a boy around 17 with brown hair and purple eyes behind C.C., scowling at them, as she continued.

"Over time, he took on the persona 'Zero,' hiding himself from the world behind a mask. He created an army of the Japanese that he named the 'Order of The Black Knights.' He was manipulative, cruel, and uncaring as Zero yet also compassionate and regretful for his actions at times. He faced many obstacles, even the betrayal of his order once a half-brother of his revealed who he truly was. A year went by and he was able to kill both his father and mother, who were trying to gain control of Arceus, who had taken the form of 'God' to fool them. She knew of his potential and allowed him to believe she had been taken over by his power and killed them. He became the 99th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire. He went on and preformed the deadliest massacre in his world that they had ever known. One day, his half-brother created a massive flying battleship known as the 'Damocles' with Lelouch's sister holding the key to its controls. He and his old friend he made in Japan-almost a brother to Lelouch-, known as Suzaku Kururugi, attacked the Damocles along with the Black Knights defending it. Suzaku died in the battle yet got Lelouch into it. He used his power to force his half-brother to forever serve 'Zero' before finding his sister. He used his power on her to make her hand over the key to him. After that, he took over the world on threat of destroying it with the Damocles."

Many of them were becoming furious at the tale she told. This Lelouch was a sick, sick bastard.

"In the end, he had many of those who betrayed him, even his sister and half-brother, arrested and set for execution. However, when he brought his sister to him, Zero killed him. He died in his sister's arms, smiling at ushering peace."

"Hold on. You said Lelouch was Zero. Then how did he die by Zero?"

"Because Suzaku never died. He survived and forever dons the identity of Zero," C.C. replied, "Lelouch planned it all out. He preformed the killings so that all the world's pain, suffering, and hatred were all directed directly at him. He died with his goal fulfilled; his goal for the world to be at peace. It still is to this day. Now then, do you wish to know what his sister's name was? It was Nunnally, Nunnally Vi Britannia, the 100th Empress of the Holy Britannian Empire and the current ruler as of two years now."

Everyone stared at C.C. in shock. The boy, who had been exiled, who had lost his mother, whose father could care less for him…had been a man who created peace by becoming the symbol of evil itself. C.C. just smiled as they became confused.

"The mother never died mentally. She had a Contract from her step-brother on her husband's side. Her power allowed her soul to inhabit another body, being hidden within the other soul," C.C. explained.

"…Why?" Hub pondered, "Why did you tell us that?"

"It's because he knew what life was truly like," C.C. replied as she turned to walk into the HQ, "Just like I do."

"Wait!" Ryuu barked as he gently took C.C.'s wrist.

"No! You can't do that!" C.C. screamed as a red bird-like sigil appeared on her forehead.

Ryuu's eyes widened. Within that second, his Dimensional Roar had awoken once more. The nun…C.C.'s Geass of the 'Power of Love'…her death at C.C.'s hands…so many lives lost…so many deaths… Mao…Lelouch… Ryuu struggled to try to come up with something, anything, to say to her. He slowly moved away from C.C., his body shaking almost as if his very soul had been dunked within a thousand Sheer Cold attacks.

"You…you saw it…all of it?" C.C. asked, the mark vanishing.

"Y…Y…" Ryuu turned away from everyone, shaking, "Y-Yeah…"

"So what will you do now?" C.C. asked.

"What are you two talking about? What was with that mark on your forehead?" Naruto asked.

"It's her 'Code,'" Ryuu replied, "It what lets her make her Contracts…what makes her immortal…what causes her to live a life of hell…I…I need to go get some rest now…"

Ryuu slowly walked into the HQ. Everyone slowly turned to C.C., who couldn't help but look at her boots. They warned her he had the three Dimensionals, and she had been careful, but then that had to happen.

"What did you do to Ryuu-kun?" Meiru asked.

"He…You know of his Dimensionals, correct? Scream, Shriek, and Howl?"

"Yes," Meiru nodded, "He can't completely control Scream and even less with Howl."

"That is what happened. His Howl got to me," C.C. replied, "I've lived ever since the 12th century. All those memories he saw were the memories I can recall. The rest, Arceus wiped form me. She only allowed me to keep my memories of Lelouch and those he and I interacted with for a reason."

"And what? What was that reason?" Meiru asked.

"…To make the true Tao Trio Disciples ready," C.C. replied, "And those three are all in the Prime Zone at this moment."

"The _true_ Tao Trio Disciples?" Roll repeated.

"Hey…I like this lady already," Chu grinned, poking her head out of Meiru's hair.

"Again?" Meiru asked, annoyed at her first Pokemon.

"What can I say? Strawberries," Chu giggled innocently before looking at C.C., "And your hair smells like kiwis."

"Does she have a problem with hair?" Maylu asked.

"Only if it involves Kiwis, Strawberries, and Oranges," Meiru sighed.

"What are you talking about, C.C.? Are you telling me that there are three beings here that are on-par with Arceus?" Max asked.

"Possibly on par with one of her children. A true Tao Trio Disciple can let their master take over their body, allowing them to live in this realm for a time," C.C. explained, "When that happens, the disciples do not have the power beyond Arceus, but their masters do."

* * *

"Alright, Rampage, let's get you used to your new systems," Kalar said, Lockdown standing nearby, grumbling. "Lockdown, hold your tongue, please. Rampage has agreed that so long as you're around, he'll do the tests. So shut up, lest I shut you up myself." Lockdown gulped, nodding his head as Kalar slowly raised his hand. "Good. Now then, Rampage, the first thing I should tell you about is the projectile weapons. For a while now, this company has been developing railgun technology. When you came to us, they had just finished the final preparations on it. You now hold that weapon in your arsenal."

"Is this it?" Rampage asked, holding up a much larger version of the railgun that J had used in the Forest Zone of the Digital World, complete with a scope.

"Yes," Kalar replied, while Lockdown began to tremble, Rampage looking down the scope, his fingers near the trigger. "However, I would ask that you please keep your fingers away from the trigger, as there is no-"

BOOM

"…safety feature," Kalar finished as the shot tore through the nearby buildings, Kalar shaking his head.

"Please tell me that's the only gun you gave him like that," Lockdown pleaded behind Kalar.

"I truly wish I could, Lockdown. I truly wish I could." Lockdown gulped as Rampage put the railgun away, pulling out twin pistols that also had scopes on them.

"They didn't."

"They did," Kalar replied. "They added pistol-style railguns. I don't know if I should give them a raise for figuring that out or a cut for giving them to Rampage." Kalar and Lockdown jumped out of the way as Rampage pulled the triggers on accident, completely obliterating the building they had been standing in front of.

"Oi, watch where you're aiming, you idiot!" Lockdown yelled, waving his fist at Rampage.

"Now I see why Race suggested this ghost town," Kalar said, sighing. "But that should be the last of the long-range weapons."

"Thank the Maker," Lockdown muttered.

"Next is the close- to mid-range weapons," Kalar said, Lockdown's jaw dropping.

"That's not much better!" he yelled at Kalar.

Kishi sat in his room, his glare almost burning a hole in the wall. _'All this time,'_ he thought. _'All this time, I thought he was dead…but now…I'm not so sure…'_ Kishi stood up, grabbing his Kage Nodachi, walking out of the room. _'But I'm going to get some fucking answers about it now. Rules be damned.'  
_As he left the HQ, he never noticed that figure following him, expertly tailing him to wherever his destination was.

"Oi, oi, oi, watch it!" Lockdown ducked as a chain flew over his head, a blade whirling at the end of it.

"Well, you seem to have taken to the scythe quite quickly," Kalar said, nodding approval as Rampage caught the weapon. It was a scythe, two blades at the head, two more just below that, while the chain was attached to the middle, which looked to have a type of pivot to it. Rampage was holding another scythe in his other hand, the exact same design as the first, while the chain was hidden in his arm.

"And I can use these in animal form as well?" Rampage asked. Kalar nodded.

"The purpose changes somewhat, but is essentially the same as this form. Though you'll find it hard to throw them in animal form," Kalar added.

Ryuu trudged into his shared room with Meiru. He couldn't stop shaking, not able to stop the memories of C.C.'s life rushing through his head. She had been alive for centuries now and every single memory except for the ones involving an insane man who could read your mind with ease and Lelouch Vi Britannia were all horrible. He was about to slide off his jacket when he noticed something off; he was the last one out of this room this morning and he knew that the window was closed. So why was it open? He turned to the bed to see the mask of the white figure open, revealing his eye.

C.C.'s eyes widened in shock as the mark returned.

"He's here!" C.C. gasped as she looked into the building.

"Who's here?" Max asked.

"Where is Ryuu most likely right now?" C.C. demanded.

"His and Meiru-sama's room," DaiRyuuseiKnight replied before C.C. dashed off.

"Hey! Get back here!" Omega-Xis barked.

Everyone began to chase after the green-haired girl. She found Ryuu and Meiru's room with the others to see the white figure having an unconscious Ryuu on his back. C.C.'s eyes widened.

"A white Zero?" C.C. gasped before the figure jumped out the window.

"Ryuu-kun!" Meiru gasped.

She ran to the window as the white Zero pulled out a Pokéball. He threw it and it opened up. The Pokemon that emerged from it was a stag-like quadruped Pokémon, aqua-blue in coloration. Its yellow horns somewhat resembled thunderbolts. Its snout was a little lighter blue than its fur. On its long neck were small, gray spots. It had a white tuft of fur under its neck. It had yellow shoulder-blades that resembled the fins on a Carvahna, Magikarp, or Gyarados' head. Its back legs also harbored gray spots. Its tail, also the same color as its snout, truly resembled a Gyarados' head fin. Its legs had black bands with dark and light blue fur and semi-large black feet. The white Zero landed on the Pokemon's back and rode off.

_"That's a Cobalon!" _Mewtwo gasped, _"It's one of the Musketeer Trio, the Trio Master to be exact."_

"I'll stop him! Yamiryuu no…" Hub began as he inhaled when Meiru slugged him in the face.

"Are you insane? What if you hit Ryuu-kun?"

_"That and Cobalon is immune to darkness. He is one of the Pokemon with the trait 'Righteous Heart,' after all,"_ Mewtwo added, _"And do not use a Pokemon Mask. One glare from Cobalon, and you're a slave to his orders."_

"Fitting for you, isn't it?" C.C. pondered as she looked at the retreating figure with the stolen half-dragon.

"I blame Paradox…" Max muttered before he jumped out the window, engaging his armor.

"Hey, wait!" Hub barked as he jumped out and changed into his dragon form, **"Get back here with my blood brother, you white jerk!"**

"Oi! There's only one guy who can be called 'Zero,' and that me!" the Maverick Hunter snapped as he jumped out the window and ran after them.

"Simon, Yoko, get to Gurren Lagann. Viral, get Enki up and running," Ace ordered as he donned his armor before turning into flames and going after them, "I'm going after them."

Sonic X narrowed his eyes at the C.C. before looking out the window. Cyber placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned to her and she gave a nod. Sonic X nodded before jumping out the window and dashing after the Cobalon. He was the first to get to the Pokemon first. The two glared at one another. Sonic X could tell from his eyes that Cobalon was calm and collected, not even surprised by his speed. Sonic X just smirked at the Musketeer Trio Master before glaring at the white Zero. He jumped up and preformed a homing attack on the white Zero, but Cobalon jumped up and kicked Sonic X back into Hub, knocking him out of the sky. A giant drill ripped out of the land before Cobalon, making him skid to a halt, as Gurren Lagann emerged with the Enki.

Max's eyes narrowed as he and Tenshi Zero caught up to Cobalon and the white Zero. "Oi, I'll make an opening for you," he said to Tenshi Zero, who nodded.

"Alright. But you gotta get past Cobalon first," Tenshi Zero said.

Max grinned, closing his eyes. "Not a problem. Stealth Lazer, Double Predation! Invisible! EM Advance, Shadow Thief!"

Max suddenly accelerated at Cobalon, who turned, preparing to kick out at Max. Only to have Max, now just a shadow, go right through him and touch Ryuu's back as he neared the white Zero. Ryuu also turned into a shadow, both of them disappearing and reappearing, Ryuu lying on the ground, Max kneeling next to him, his hand still on his back.

"Bastard!" Tenshi Zero exclaimed as he flared his wings, flying at the white Zero and slammed his open hand into the back of his head, grabbing on and dragging him along the ground. Tenshi Zero let go, landing, skidding to a stop, smirking. "Heh. Easier than Sigma." He turned around to look down at the impostor, his eyes widening when he didn't see him. "What the?" Max looked down to see Ryuu also gone and then back up to see the white Zero running once more.

"Oh, he's good," Max said, Tenshi Zero nodding.

"Very good." Tenshi Zero started giving chase once more, only to have Cobalon ram him in the side. "Gah!" Tenshi Zero rolled a bit, coming to a stop, propping himself up on an elbow. "Damn…deer," he grunted, standing back up. "Oi, why didn't you cover me?" Tenshi Zero yelled over to Ace, Gurren Lagann, and Enki, only to see that Ace was buried up to his neck in a pile of sand, Gurren Lagann head first in the ground, and Enki pulling its arm out of a building, apparently stuck in it. "…Oh…that's why…"

"Alright then," Max said, eyes narrowed at the back of white Zero. He held up his finger, a small ball of Light Zone Energy building there. He shot it, though the beam was too small to see. It nicked Ryuu's shoulder and disappeared, Max turning his attention to Cobalon, _'Good thing Kishi taught me that Zone Energy tracking technique.'_

_"You will stay away from Master!"_ Cobalon snorted.

**"Oi! Where did he go with my Bro?"** Hub growled in his full dragon form, eyes narrowed at Cobalon's eyes.

_"Cobalon, why are you working for him?" _Mewtwo asked as he appeared with C.C. as the others managed to get out of their predicaments to surround the Legendary Pokemon, earning a simple chuckle from the Pokemon.

_"Mewtwo…You are truly a knave,"_ Cobalon chuckled as he looked at Mewtwo's eyes, his eyes glowing a soft magenta, _"__**Take them to Maxwell's headquarters just this once.**__"_

_'Fuck…'_ C.C. thought as Mewtwo's eyes glowed the soft magenta color.

_"At once,"_ Mewtwo replied in a monotonous tone before everyone but Cobalon were outside the HQ and Mewtwo regained control, _"Hm? What just h…I got looked into the eye by him, didn't I?"_

**"No fuck!"** Hub roared, earning a fist from Cyber that knocked him out cold and back into his human form.

-This is bad- Enki scowled as he changed back into Viral, "We can't use a Pokemon when that Cobalon is around and that figure just took Ryuu AKA our True Reshiram Disciple."

"That man wore the outfit of Zero, leader of the Black Knights," C.C. explained, "In other words; he is possibly a Lelouch from another Zone."

"No. From what you told me about how Lelouch looked like earlier, not one of the living Lelouchs in any Zone is missing from them," Max replied with his eyes closed.

* * *

"Eh? Kishi, what are you doing here?" Katta asked as he opened the door to his hut. He then blinked in surprise as Kishi punched him in the gut, looking up at him, his eyes angry.

"Why?" Kishi asked. "Why…didn't you ever tell me…"

"Ah," Katta said, rubbing his stomach. "I…see you found out…"

"Why?" Kishi asked again.

"I…come inside and I'll tell you about it," Katta said. "It's a long story…and somewhat embarrassing for me as well. But I do feel that it's a good reason…"

* * *

The white Zero and Cobalon entered a dark room. The white Zero laid Ryuu down on a nearby couch. Cobalon nuzzled into white Zero's side before three Pokemon approached. The first was a quadruped Pokémon with a bear-like body, with gray coloring. Its tail was stubby. It had a black, rounded forehead and two sharp brown horns that come forward from its back. Its face was beige, with orange irises. It had claws under bands on its legs- the bands were the same color as its face. Its underside was also beige with stripes. The second was a deer or antelope-like Pokémon, green in color, with horns that ended in dull points. It had a pink-tipped leaf on the side of its neck, somewhat resembling a Sky Forme Shaymin's 'scarf'. On its back, there were pointed ends of fur ending in a medium-long tail. Its legs resembled pointed knee-high boots and had pointed hooves and at the joint of its knees are pink highlights. The last was pony-like, with a large, feathery red mane, long, dark blue, ridged eyebrow-like features, and a single white horn that was slightly curved. The back of its head, as well as its neck, had light blue-and-white-spotted coloration with spiky edges at the lower portion. Its body was cream-colored, with blue hooves. Its blue-and-white-spotted, lifted and feathery tail was comparable to an elaborate feather in a cap.

_"You got him!"_ the muscular Pokemon declared.

_"Not too bad, boss,"_ the thinnest of them smirked.

_"Yay! Now me, Terrakion, and Virizion can have a turn!"_

_"Keldeo, enough!" _Cobalon ordered, _"So what is next, human?"_

"Simple; we wait for them to come," the white Zero replied, pointing at where the tracer had hit Ryuu.

* * *

"So," Katta said, pouring Kishi more tea. "Now do you get it?"

"I…I don't know," Kishi replied. "I still want to hit you, but…"

"Kishi….I only did it because I was afraid I would lose the respect you held for me," Katta said. "If you knew that I had been kicked out for teaching someone who wasn't a Zone Watcher how to manipulate Zone Energy…well, you can imagine what went through my mind."

"But…I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," Kishi said, smiling, his anger and confusion relieved now. "You know Taly?"

"Yes."

"Well…I taught her how to use hers," Kishi said, grinning.

"Wha…you're…and you aren't being exiled?"

"Nope. Max managed to swing the council my way," Kishi said.

"Heh…heh heh," Katta said, chuckling before bursting into laughter, Kishi joining him. "Eh…who's that?" Katta suddenly asked, pointing at the small figure behind Kishi.

"I'm Vερό," the figure replied, startling Kishi.

"Er…hi," Katta and Kishi said.

"Oh, wait," Katta said. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

"What?"

"It's about the weapon you carry. You've been…"

BEEP BEEP

"When did you get a phone?" Kishi asked, Katta shrugging as he pulled out a cell phone.

"Hello?"

-Katta, it's Tarn- was the reply from the other end.

"Oh, hey. Need something?"

-Er, sort of…we…kind of need a certain someone to go to a Zone that has been blocked off from us. It's only affecting Zone Watchers right now and…well, we need your dormant personality-

"…No."

-Katta, I understand the reluctance, but…listen, as it stands, a Shinigami may be just the thing to breach that barrier. You know that your final personality can-

"No," Katta cut off Tarn. "I…can't do that again…"

-Katta, please. Max and his team may be in trouble if they go. We can't get to them if they need help. And didn't you say that you could partially control him?-

"You said…Max and his team could be in trouble…"

-Yes-

"…Fine. But understand that Tan'ya will be billing you." Kishi heard a sigh from the other end.

-Why did I feel that coming?-

* * *

"So why aren't you two making dinner?" Netto asked.

"It's best to let Meiru cook when she's like this," Komatsu replied.

"Yeah. Nearly chopped our arms off last time we tried anything in the kitchen when she was cooking," Rayne chuckled nervously.

"…Is she good?" Shinobi asked, having been partially defrosted with a blow dryer.

"Palkia," Sasuke stated.

"Where?"

"…Can't you do something about that, Mewtwo?" Naruto asked before sweatdropping as Mewtwo was drinking a bottle of Dragon Scale Rum.

"He only drinks when he loses to Cobalon," C.C. stated before Max walked in.

"Please tell me you have some good news," Sonic X said.

"Yes and no. Apparently, Ryuu's in some sort of volcanic region," Max replied, "From what I saw with my eyes, There's a hole there, almost as if someone had dug out of a grave."

"…Were there grave markers as well? About six or so of them?" Viral asked.

"Yes…" Max replied uneasily.

"They're near Team Dai-Gurren's graves," Yoko frowned.

"Looks like we're going to our home terrain for this," Viral smirked.

"You two, finish making dinner," Meiru ordered as she came out of the kitchen and punted Rayne and Komatsu into it, "I'm getting back my plushy."

"…Your plushy?" J snorted back a snicker.

"Yes, my plushy," Meiru growled, her eyes flickering from jade to blue with slits and back.

"…Does everyone in your Zone do that with their eyes?" J asked.

"Only those with dragon blood in them," Will replied, "Or Toriko when he gets…hunty."

"Hunty?"

"When he finds an animal he wants to eat that's a big-ol' toughie," Hub grinned, "Or when we spar."

"I'm getting that jerk!" Tenshi Zero growled.

"I'm getting him first. Whatever I leave, you can have," Meiru growled.

"Heh. This seems great," Marcus smirked, "Me and Agumon are in."

"Right!" Agumon saluted.

"Allow me to lend a hand," Wulf offered as he extended the green claws on his left hand.

"Heh. This guy might have some weapons I could make," Tomari Axl smirked.

-Probably some things to A-Trans as well- Model A and Model Axl added.

"We'll go as well," Ace said, getting nods from Ash and Pandora.

"He will pay for abducting Lan-dono," DaiRyuuseiKnight stated.

"I'm ripping that guy a new one!" Hub declared.

"Same," Will and J added.

"Okay, guys. I think we have enough members," Max said before turning to the scientists in the room, "Any luck with the teleporter?"

"No. We need something to regulate the Zone Energy and Spiral Power," Eggman replied.

"Did you try a T-353-Goddard?" Cyber offered.

"A T-353-Goddard…" Eggman gawked.

"Why didn't we think of that?" Sasuke, J, Eggman, and Tails exclaimed, thoroughly annoyed, before Eggman sniffled.

"That's my niece…" Eggman said before blowing his nose with a handkerchief he had on hand.

"…Um, guys?" Max said, getting their attention. "Er, save Ryuu?"

"Right!" they all exclaimed, running out the door, Max shaking his head.

"I just know this won't turn out well for that Zero impostor," Max said as he walked out the door.

"Alright, which way?" Will asked as Max closed his eyes, "Uh, Max?"

Max held a finger to his lip.

"The problem with my Eye of Zone is I can't always pinpoint stuff," Max explained, his eyes still closed, but now moving the finger to point at the ground, "So I asked Kishi about tracking techniques that use Zone Energy. Learned a really fun one." Max opened his eyes, smiling.

"Well?" Meiru asked, impatient, before Max gestured down.

"Well, now we follow the trail of breadcrumbs," Max said, everyone looking down to see a thin line of Light Zone Energy winding off into the distance, starting at Max's feet.

"Not bad, kid," Viral said. Max shrugged.

"I try," he said, walking off, following the line.

He then fell from sight, everyone running forward to see that he had fallen down a cliff, his hand holding onto a branch a few meters down.

"Um…I think I found one of the volcanoes," he called up.

He looked down, staring at the red magma churning.

"Yeah…yeah, I think it's a volcano." He continued to hang there for a few seconds, scratching his head with his free hand, "Weird…why does the trail go down that way…and then up that way?" he asked himself, his free hand pointing at the trail of energy as he talked.

"Max, get back up here!" Will called down, cupping his hands over his mouth, "If we come back without you, Z's gonna skin us alive!"

"Hang on!" Max replied, free climbing further down the cliff, much to Will, J, Grey, Ashe, and Tomari Axl's dismay. A few seconds later, they heard him call up, "I found a cave! The trail leads into it, but comes out of the other side of the volcano. You guys walk around the top and I'll meet you over there. Oh, make sure not to fall," he added.

"Gee, like we really needed help on that," Viral snorted.

"I'd better go to make sure that Z really doesn't kill us all," DaiRyuuseiKnight sighed. He disappeared in a swirl of Ultima, reappearing beside Max, startling him.

"Geez! Could you warn a guy?" Max asked, putting his Portal Sword down, "I just about took a swing at you."

"My apologies," DaiRyuuseiKnight bowed before pulling out his ReshiramLaser and firing at a wall.

"What the hell?" Max exclaimed before DaiRyuuseiKnight walked over to where he had shot and pulled out a small camera.

"He knows of our presence here," DaiRyuuseiKnight explained as he crushed the camera, "Most likely, he's lined this pathway with various traps."

"So we're going to have to be careful?" Max pondered.

"Most likely," DaiRyuuseiKnight said as he put a hand against the wall…causing a small square-shaped panel his hand was on to push in.

"Aw crap…" Max muttered as the trap went off.

-Huh…Irony~!- Dai called from the EnergyCellular.

"What is taking those two so long?" Meiru demanded as she tapped her foot impatiently.

"Meiru-neechan is an impatient one, just like cousin Natsu," Hub snickered until his shadow gave him an uppercut, "Ite!"

"You have got to stop accidentally insulting her, Hub," Sonic X sighed.

"Indeed," Caliburn agreed as Max and DaiRyuuseiKnight an out of a cave, screaming as they finished blasting polar bears in black armor and chainsaws for arms away from them.

"You just had to not think he had a triple trap for us!" Max barked.

"Says the one who tripped nearly all the traps except for four."

"That's because you tripped them!"

"Consider it as part of training," DaiRyuuseiKnight advised casually.

"…Can I kill him?" Max asked, looking over at the members of Team DaiRyuusei.

"Yuck's been trying that for months," Sonic X shrugged.

"He even resorted to childish pranks," Meiru added, recalling the time Yuck had tried to make DaiRyuuseiKnight slip on banana peels, yet ended up with Yuck being hogtied and used as a piñata for a party, "Now let's get going!"

"Okay, which way now?" Hub asked.

"Let's…see…oh, shit," Max said.

"What's the problem this time?" J asked.

"Look for yourself," Max said. The single strand of Light Zone Energy now branched off in multiple directions, each of those branching off into even more strands. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Shadow clones?" Will suggested, Max shaking his head in reply.

"No, not possible. I'd be able to tell if my own Zone Energy had been split like that. Each strand would be smaller…but these are all the same size, same output…"

"Should we split up?" Zero asked.

"Well…all roads lead to Rome, right?" Max replied.

"…what the hell is Rome?" Hub asked.

"Never mind. The point is, there's no way that each strand leads to somewhere else. It's impossible. They all have to meet up at one point. The question is which one is the shortest route?"

"Uh-huh…"

"So….anyone got a coin?" Max asked.

"Nope! Sides, I got a better idea…" Hub grinned mischievously.

"I don't like that grin of yours," Grey sweatdropped.

"I call dibs on Gray, Model Axl, and the dummy!" Hub grinned as he grabbed Gray, Model Axl, and Tomari Axl and ran off down the fourth path, "Path D is mine!"

"When did we agree to this?" the three he had swiped snapped.

"Might as well go down this one," Ace shrugged as he went down the middle path with Ash and Pandora following.

"…" DaiRyuuseiKnight weighed his options before pointing at the far-left path, "I will go down this one."

"Wait up," Meiru said as she followed the knight with Yoko following in Gurren.

"Aw man…" Simon sighed before he went down another path in Lagann, followed by Tenshi Zero and J.

"So I guess we're taking the last path?" Ashe asked.

"Seems like it," Viral frowned.

"Hey…Um, where did Max go?" Falzar asked, currently perched on Ashe's shoulder. Viral, Ashe, and Will looked around.

"That little brat," Viral grumbled.

"No helping it now," Will said. "We'll just have to hope he meets up with us at some point. Well, let's get going," Will said, walking forward and hitting a trip line.

"Um….does anyone else hear a high pitched noise?" Ashe asked, Viral paling in his cockpit. Two seconds later, they were all stuck in a net, attached to the only tree in sight.

"Will. When we get out of this, I'm going to give you a very long beating," Viral said as the group of four, plus a falcon, swung gently back and forth, Will grumbling as he got to work on cutting the netting.

Tomari Axl was fiddling with his rifle as they walked, Hub and Gray watching in amusement as he continued to step around rocks and duck under overhangs as he came to them, all without ever looking up.

"Come on," Tomari Axl grumbled. He gave the rifle a swift hit and it beeped, Tomari Axl grinning. "Alright, now we're in business."

"What's up?" Hub asked.

"Well, this thing isn't made for hot areas. I've been working on adapting it to the extreme heat of the magma around here, just in case," was the reply.

"Ah," Gray said, nodding. "Not a bad idea."

"Thanks," Tomari Axl said, a smug grin on his face. He then tripped over a rock, Hub and Gray sweatdropping.

"Apparently, you're only focused when you're working on that thing," Hub said.

Tomari Axl stood up, leaning against a rock.

"Well, the worst injury here is to my pride, so we'll just pretend that didn't happen," he said, falling again as the rock he was leaning against suddenly opened up.

"Um….so, anyone wanna go down the creepy staircase?" Hub asked, pointing at the stairs leading down, the trail of Zone Energy also following the stairs.

The passage itself was dimly lit by the Zone Energy, moss growing in patches along the wall, cobwebs hanging from the roof.

"Oh, no, after you," Gray said, gesturing.

"Oh, but I must insist that one of you fine gentlemen go on," Hub said, stepping aside.

"Hey, I guys, I have an idea," Tomari Axl said. They both looked at him.

"What?" they asked. Tomari Axl booted both of them down the stairs, following on foot.

"You're a what?" Meiru exclaimed as she and Dai were on Gurren's shoulders.

"Two souls of opposite genders sharing a single body," Dai giggled as she finished putting on her jacket.

"Why am I not surprised?" Meiru demanded.

-No clue- Gurren shrugged.

"Does Ryuu-kun know?" Meiru asked.

-Hai. Everyone but those of Team Dai-Ryuusei know of it- DaiRyuuseiKnight replied –We would prefer to not let Mirajane and Hub know of this for some reasons-

"Fine…" Meiru sighed before a square-shaped part of the floor an inch longer and wider than Meiru's left foot was pressed down on.

-If it's another polar bear with cybernetic enhancements…!- DaiRyuuseiKnight growled before he and Dai swapped places.

"Um…Do you prefer metal snakes that size of houses?" Meiru asked as she pointed at the five house-sized robotic snakes coming at them.

-Oh shit!- Gurren screamed as the mecha began to run.

Tenshi Zero ducked under a metal log on steel chains before slicing another one heading his way in two. Lagann roared as he began to drill through the ones heading at him while J stayed on his top, firing at the bat/bomb fusions flying at them.

"How did we get into this mess?" J demanded.

-Tenshi Zero did it!-

"No way, Simon! You were the guy who broke the stalagmite!"

-Well you were the one who sliced that stalactite!- Lagann snapped.

"Focus!" J barked, "This is no time for arguments! This is the time for fleeing for our lives!"

"Snakes…Why did it have to be mutant snakes?" Ace complained as he incinerated another horse-sized snake with claws limbs and five jaws.

"Because caves are evil!" Ash replied as she aimed her cannons at the mutant snakes and fired large blue beams from them, "Kaiser Knockout!"

"Usagi-Giri!" Pandora shouted as she used her bunny ears/swords to slice apart the opponents in their path, "Ew…I hate snakes!"

"Second," Ace and Ash agreed.

Hub grumbled as he tapped his left foot. It was just his unluck that their path didn't have anything but those stairs. Tomari Axl fiddled with another weapon of his as Model Axl was being juggled by Gray. A pair of screams echoed through the cavern before Gurren skidded into the chamber. DaiRyuuseiKnight pulled out his ReshiramLaser and fired at the top of the cavern they had just exited, causing a cave-in.

"What was that about?" Tomari Axl asked.

"Evil, mechanical, robotic snakes," Meiru replied.

Will stopped cutting for a moment. "Anyone else hear a rumble?" he asked, the others in the net shrugging. "Hm…weird."

"Will. Net," Viral said, his cockpit open as he worked on the other side of the net with his own blade.

"Yeah, yeah," Will said, cutting one more strand, the net depositing them all onto the ground. Will stood up, stretching his legs and arms.

-Okay, let's try avoiding trip lines as we move- Enki said, Viral once more in the closed cockpit.

"Um…what about moving rocks?" Grey asked, pointing at the square of ground that Enki's foot had stepped on.

"Oh, you have got to be fu…"

BOOM

Ace jumped out of the way as a large rock from above nearly squashed him, Ash and Pandora bracing themselves as the cavern shook.

"Too close," Ace said, pale. "Way, way too close."

"Make way!" Tenshi Zero yelled, running over Ace, followed by a very large robot, wielding what looked like a halberd.

"Damn it, quit moving!" J yelled, his rifle swinging as it tracked the robot. "You've gotta keep him still!"

"You try running distraction against a laser-halberd wielding robot and see how you do!" Tenshi Zero snapped back as Lagann tried to run interference for Tenshi Zero.

"Fuck it, this is taking too long," J said, putting his rifle away. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, opening them once more to show them to be red in color. He held out his right arm, his large blade slowly coalescing from the cloud of data. "Awaiting orders."

-Um…- Lagann stood there for a second, confused. –Er…defend Tenshi Zero?- Lagann offered.

"Receiving…orders acknowledged," J said, his voice monotonous. He disappeared, reappearing in front of Tenshi Zero, catching the halberd with his blade as the robot swung down. J threw the halberd off of his sword, but stood there, only moving when the robot moved.

"Say…um, would it be too much to ask that you…I don't know…defeat the robot?" Ash asked as Pandora applied first aid to Ace's back, wiping off the footprints Tenshi Zero had left.

"Orders received and acknowledged," J said, jumping up. He swung his sword with his right hand, the robot moving to block it with its halberd, only to have J's sword cleave both the weapon and the robot's head in one swing. J landed, his eyes still red, holding the sword on his shoulder.

"…Wow- everyone gawked.

"Checkmate," DaiRyuuseiKnight said as he placed his Rook before Tomari Axl's King.

"Aw man…" Tomari Axl grumbled.

"Do you think the others are okay? Gray asked.

"Does this make us sound okay?" a voice demanded before Will kicked Gray in the face.

"Ow! What was that for?" Gray barked.

"For asking dumb questions!" Will replied.

-So which one of you got here first?- Enki asked.

"Hub, Gray, Model Axl, and Tomari Axl," Meiru replied.

"Stupid stairs!" Hub roared.

-What's with the blocked pathway over there?" Ace asked.

"House-sized snake robots," Meiru replied.

"So, um…J," Ace said as he stood up, arching his back, feeling a popping. J turned his head to look at Ace, letting his sword fall to the ground, now in the middle of a crater as it landed. "When will you…ya know, turn back to normal?"

"This is normal," J replied. "Netnavi model J-136Z/89HG. Primary purpose: Combat. Capabilities include solo-combat, skilled with any close-range weapon, and tactical planning. Secondary purpose: none. Awaiting orders."

"Oh, crap," Tenshi Zero said. "Max warned us about J's original programming. And like an idiot, I let him use it."

"Well, is there any way to get him back to normal?" Ash asked, Tenshi Zero shaking his head.

"Not without Cossak, there isn't. He knows J's programming inside and out. I suppose you could say that J was meant to be…a little brother of sorts to Beamer. But there was a problem with his programming that prevented him from killing other netnavis, EM-beings, reploids, and humans and other organic beings. That doesn't apply to normal robots or something like that. The military didn't want him because of that and would have scrapped him if Cossak hadn't stopped them. He gave custody of J to Max's father, who introduced Max as J's netoperater."

"Oh…well, should we make the most of this?" Ash asked.

"Dunno," Tenshi Zero replied. "But it may be worth trying."

"So…does anyone have an idea as to where we go from here?" Hub asked.

"Not with that snake there," DaiRyuuseiKnight replied. They then heard a sudden rumble and looked at the pile of rocks to see it starting to shift.

"Oh, come on!"

"Everyone, get ready!" Will ordered.

BOOM

They all dodged the rocks as they came, but nearly got hit by the snake flying into the cavern wall behind them. "What the?" Will began.

"Hmph. So this is what was so urgent?" a voice said. They all turned around to see Katta. But it wasn't exactly Katta. His eyes were now a golden color and his expression was one of perfect neutrality.

"Um…Tensai…"

"Either call me dad or sensei," Tensai said. "You know that."

"Er…sensei…I'm fairly sure you didn't need to do that," Kishi said, revealing himself from the other side.

"But if I'm to show you why you're an idiot, then I have to," Tensai replied, turning to look at the team. "…Move out of the way." Tensai walked forward, holding the Kage Nodachi. "Now, Kishi. One of the personalities inhabiting this body is a blacksmith. How you ever mixed up the two names of this weapon is beyond me. And the fact that you mixed up the sword types is even worse."

Tensai took the hilt, drawing the weapon. But instead of a short katana, it was a long katana, the same length as the hilt.

"The first purpose of this weapon is the Kaze Nodachi. The second is the Kage Kodachi. But you messed that up. I don't know how, but you did. The Kaze Nodachi was made as the ultimate Wind Zone Energy weapon."

"Um…sorry, but….who the hell are you?" Grey asked.

"I said move out of the way," was the reply. Tensai swung the sword casually.

"Okay…not very impre-" Hub's sentence was cut short as the snake fell in two, shocking everyone. "Never mind."

"That was awesome, Uncle Tensai!" a ghost-pale netnavi sitting on Hub's head said. The netnavi was very small, with a glass bowl around its head, water spurting out of the top at a constant rate.

"Um…whose this?" Hub asked, pointing.

"I'm Vερό," the netnavi replied. "I'm looking for Model WM! Has anyone seen him?"

"I assume he came here with you two," Will said, looking at Tensai and Kishi.

Kishi sighed, nodding.

"I'm assuming we're not going to get an answer on why you three are here, so all we're waiting for is…" Viral began.

"Hey guys," Max greeted from behind the Beastman, startling him off Enki and onto the floor face first.

"Where have you been?" Ashe asked.

"Actually, I saw another path leading off, so I followed that one," Max replied. "It was actually rather nice. No lava, a few small animals out, a cafe, and best of all, no traps!"

"A...cafe..."

"Yeah. But it didn't look too good, to be honest. It had...uh, well...how do I put this...let's just say that the workers were...unlike anything I've ever seen..."

"Ah…It's almost complete," the White Zero noted, examining something.

"White Zero!" a voice roared before everyone ran in.

They skidded to a halt and gasped at the surroundings. It resembled the Fairy Tail's interior, yet made of white wood with black walls. Upon the stage was the White Zero, standing before a container hold Ryuu with his Sin Mask on.

"Bro!" Hub gasped.

"No…That's Sin, isn't it?" Meiru demanded.

"No shit, bitch," 'Ryuu' growled, "The so-called 'King' is over there."

He jabbed a thumb over to the east. They turned their heads to see Ryuu was on a nearby table. His body was resting upon it.

"I suggest you not go near him. He is still under my influence," White Zero explained a smirk under his mask.

"Bastard!" Sonic X, Hub, and Max growled as they charged at the stage.

"I have you now," White Zero smirked as he pressed on something in his left hand.

It was then two panels emerged from the floor, coated in strange runes. One rune glowed black while the other resonated a grey color. Max and Hub grunted as they were pulled into the two runes as Sonic X was forced into the center of the room, right in the direct view of Sin, Hub, and Max. He began to grunt a little before crying out in pain, the World Rings, World Stars, and Chaos Emeralds ripping out of his Hammerspace.

"I must thank you for falling into this trap," White Zero chuckled.

"Bastard!" Tenshi Zero growled when Ryuu was before him, Oblivion aimed at him.

"Ryuu, make sure none of them interfere with the resurrection ritual," White Zero ordered, earning a feral growl from Ryuu, the rings around his slit eyes glowing softly.

"Ryuu-kun…" Meiru began as the Musketeer Quartet stood at Ryuu's sides.

"Fucker! I thought…we had…a deal!" Sin cried out as white flames came off him in spasms of agony.

"Yes, but deals change," White Zero replied as he turned to Sonic X, "You remember the owner of these, don't you?"

It was then White Zero held up a few articles of clothing. They were a black, leather jacket with red flame designs on the arms, black socks with spikes on the ends that appeared outside the shoes, black sunglasses, and a crown that looked like a flame with three ends. Sonic X gasped in shock at the items.

"Ah…I see you _do _remember your Zone Double, Scourge," the White Zero chuckled.

Viral growled as he engaged his Enki. He tried to charge when Ryuu jumped on his 'face' and ripped it in two before delivering a powerful punch to Viral's throat. Gurren Lagann growled as he charged at Ryuu with his drills out. Ryuu vanished before Gurren Lagann collapsed as its arms and legs dissolved in Thinner. Ryuu sheathed Oblivion as he looked away from the downed Gunman. Meiru moved towards Ryuu when Cobalon tackled her into a wall.

"Sorry, but you're too late!" the White Zero declared as he pushed a button on the machine behind him.

With that, Sonic X began to scream in agony with Sin, Max, and Hub. Hub and Max suddenly fell off the runes, revealing a black and white version of Hub and a grey version of Max. Sin and the two doubles of Max and Hub turned into white, black, and grey energy respectively before entering the clothing the White Zero threw before Sonic X. Sonic X screamed as he felt a part of him start to seep out and into the clothing. The Chaos Emeralds, World Rings, and World Stars began to form multitudes of cracks upon them. The others tried to get to them, but the Musketeer Quartet and Ryuu kept blocking them with attacks. The clothing began to float before Sonic X as more cracks formed upon the items of power. A resounding shatter echoed through the area as the items shattered, turning into small mounds of different-colored dust. Sonic X collapsed, his energy all but gone.

"It is done," the White Zero smirked, "Ryuu, enough."

Ryuu growled before backing away from them with the Musketeer Quartet. Everyone quickly rushed over to Sonic X, Hub, and Max while Meiru simply looked at Ryuu with worry. It was then a blast of green wind knocked them all over. They looked to see a giant black sphere sparking with green lightning and enveloped in various winds. Dark laughter began to echo throughout the room as the sphere of energy condensed into a body.

"Something's moving!" Marcus gasped.

The energy seeped into the form, revealing it to be Sonic X. However, his clothing was in various shades of emerald while his eyes were deep cobalt in color. He had two scars running along a diagonal path on his torso, a reverse-colored version of Sonic X's NaviMark between the two. His helmet had been replaced by the crown while he wore the jacket, gloves, and spikes. He lowered the sunglasses on his face to let them see more of his eyes and gave a sadistic sneer at Sonic X.

"Oh yeah! I'm back, baby!" the NetNavi declared.

"Scourge!" Sonic X gasped/growled as the NetNavi ignored him, settling his eyes upon the mounds.

"Feh. Knew those lame things were weak," Scourge sneered before he made a simple wave at the mounds, creating a blast of green wind that blew them away.

_'He looks exactly like Sonic X…'_ Simon thought.

"Scourge, welcome back after your death," the White Zero greeted.

With that, he pulled out a violet shield with silver trimming and designs. Emerging from the top of it was a pitch-black hilt with silver trimming. He tossed it to Scourge, who easily caught it.

"Consider it a gift from me for your rebirth, Scourge," the White Zero said.

"Heh-heh…Now this is good," Scourge smirked.

"Hub, are you okay?" Tenshi Zero asked as he helped up the half-dragon.

"…I've decided…" Hub whispered.

"Hm?"

"…I'm making that guy my 'cat,'" Hub whispered.

"What?" Tenshi Zero exclaimed.

"Let's go somewhere else, blue boy," Scourge smirked, "Chaos Control!"

With that, Scourge was engulfed in a green energy. It rushed at Sonic X before Hub struggled out of Tenshi Zero's grip. He latched onto Sonic X as the energy hit and warped the trio away. The White Zero chuckled as he sat upon a black and white throne before the machine, the Musketeer Quartet sitting at his sides.

"Ryuu, kill them all," White Zero ordered.

Ryuu let out a feral roar that shook the cavern before donning his Pokemon Mask. Blue smoke billowed out of his nostrils with a deep snort. His tail began to glow a dark blue before he swung it at them. Lagann quickly drilled into the top of Gurren and formed Gurren Lagann. The mecha quickly caught the tail, grunting from the pressure it was exerting.

-Ryuu, get a hold of yourself!- Gurren Lagann grunted in Simon's voice.

Ryuu replied with a powerful roar. His left hand's claws extended and glowed in white flames. He slashed at Gurren Lagann, ripping off the left arm before his right fist was engulfed in a sphere of white energy. He swung it at Gurren Lagann, breaking apart the front of the torso to reveal Yoko, and sent the mecha into a wall, causing it to crumble upon the two inside of Gurren Lagann.

"Ryuu, calm down!" Tomari Axl yelped before he ducked under a blast of blue flames Ryuu spewed at him, "On second thought, go nuts."

"It's fightin' time!" Marcus roared as he charged at Ryuu, avoiding the attacks and delivering an uppercut to the dragon's lower jaw, receiving a gold glow on his fist, "Nice! Let's go, Agumon! DigiSoul, Charge! Overdrive!"

"Agumon X, Warp Shinka! WarGreymon X!" the Digimon roared as he went to Mega Level.

"What did you do to him?" Meiru demanded as the Mega Level began to fight the dragon Pokemon.

"Simple, I gave him an order," White Zero replied.

"You bastard!" Meiru growled, "Chu-chan, Thunder!"

"Keldeo, Hydro Pump," White Zero countered.

Chu jumped out of Meiru's hair and released a blast of lightning at the White Zero. Keldeo jumped in front of his master and unleashed a powerful stream of water from his mouth. The water attack destroyed the electric attack and rammed into Chu.

"Aqua Jet," White Zero commanded.

Keldeo cried out as he was engulfed in water. His hooves released a powerful blast of water that accelerated the Pokémon at Chu. Chu cried out as she was hit by the attack, sending her skidding to beside Meiru.

"Daijobu?" Meiru asked as she gently picked up Chu.

"I'm okay, ma…" Chu moaned, dizzy from the hit before she quickly shook it off.

"Let's go with Volt Tackle!" Meiru ordered.

"Right!" Chu nodded.

She engulfed herself in lightning before rushing at Keldeo. White Zero twitched a bit. For some reason, he hated that attack.

"Terrakion, use Giga Impact!" White Zero ordered.  
Terrakion snorted, releasing dust from his nostrils. He charged at the charging Chu before he was engulfed in a violet energy. It began to swirl around in a counterclockwise formation. The two collided and created a small explosion that sent Chu skidding past Meiru and into a stone bench, breaking it. Terrakion, without a single scratch, snorted at the Pikachu, now bleeding a bit.

_"Human, why do you not allow me to simply make her one of our own?"_ Cobalon asked.

"I have a problem with the Pikachu evolutionary line," White Zero replied, "Best kill it. Musketeer Quartet, Sacred Sword!"

The horns decorating upon the Musketeer Quarter began to resonate with a white energy. They rushed at Chu, who was barely starting to get up. Meiru screamed as she took the attacks, coughing up a bit of blood as the horns pierced various parts of her form.

"Meiru!" Chu screamed as the girl collapsed.

_"Hmph! The human got in the way…"_ Terrakion growled.

Nearby, Ryuu dropped a heavily-bleeding J as he looked at Meiru. The scent was familiar, yet something blocked it. He looked at Terrakion as he was about to stomp on the girl. Something within him snapped at the moment Terrakion moved his front left hoof over Meiru's head. He unleashed a pure feral roar that began to create cracks all around the room as it rumbled. The Musketeer Trio suddenly returned to their Pokéballs.

"That was…Roar?" Ash pondered.

"What?" White Zero exclaimed. "Impossible!" White Zero stood up, but just as quickly fell down, feeling his strength slowly drain while Cobalon let himself out of his Pokéball.

"You made…a mistake…when you thought you could control Ryuu," Max said. He slowly propped himself up on his elbow, revealing his pupil's to be blood red.

"You didn't take into account…the once basic instinct…every being has. The instinct…of protection…" Max slowly stood up. Everyone now saw that Zone Energy from White Zero was slowly leaking into Max. Max staggered for a second, but steadied himself. "The second Meiru is threatened…that instinct kicks in. And you're left with one very pissed off half-human, half-dragon that can turn into a Pokemon on a level that falls just short of the Dragon Trio."

"How are you?"

"Because…I'm a Guardian…but also….a Weaponizer," Max replied, pointing at his eyes. "And right now…I'm extremely pissed off, much like Ryuu. But instead of taking it out on you, I'm going to do the proper thing and let Ryuu take care of you. If he's back in control." Max then stared at Cobalon. "As for you…J, sorry to do this…" J looked up, his body still heavily-damaged, but his expression was still neutral. "J…sic."

"Order acknowledged," J said, standing up.

His sword was in his hand once more, his body suddenly repairing itself at an extremely quick rate, advancing towards Cobalon. Cobalon turned around to deliver a swift kick to J, but J took it, letting Cobalon rocket across the room, while J didn't budge an inch. While J attended to Cobalon, Max walked over to the other members of the team.

"Let's see…if those Nurse Ultima lessons Ultima gave me can be used now," Max grunted, pulling out his crystal. He looked over at Gurren Lagann in the wall, at Meiru on the floor, at everyone who was injured. "Axl, Grey, Gray, and Ashe. You make sure that Cobalon stays cornered, but don't get too close. Let J handle the actual combat. Grey, Ashe, I'm gonna need Falzar and Gregar's help to dig out Gurren Lagann and get Viral out of Enki. Ace, Pandora, and Ash, you're gonna help Falzar and Gregar with that. I'm going to try and see if I can help Meiru and Chu first, assuming Ryuu doesn't try to kill me if I get too close." Max gulped. "Man, this is so not a good day."

"So you think I've lost?" White Zero asked with a dark chuckle.

"Well…Yeah. Until you just said that," Tomari Axl replied.

"Fools. You know one always has a backup plan," White Zero smirked behind his mask before turning to the Heaven Charizard that was staying close to Meiru and Chu, "Ryuu, all those before you are threatening your mate. They wish to kill her in order to take her power."

It was then Ryuu's head snapped to the approaching Max, making him stop with a feral, protective growl. Ryuu removed his mask and changed back. Everyone suddenly began to have trouble breathing, yet the White Zero continued to chuckle with his Musketeer Quartet as they emerged from their Pokéballs. Ryuu grasped the wrapped up weapon upon his back.

"Max, get away!" DaiRyuuseiKnight cried out.

Max turned to the knight in confusion. Suddenly, Ryuu's bandaged blade slammed into his face, sending him into various stone benches. The bandages collapsed and engulfed Ryuu in searing blue and white flames. The flames parted as the pressure around the area dimmed. Where Ryuu stood now had a 24-year-old version of himself. His long hair had turned from a deep chocolate into a brilliant silver and white as his eyes were now completely fire-blue with white slits in them. His body was slender, yet held tone muscles that were hidden within white armor and robes that were made of a strange white metal. Emerging from his back were four angel wings, each covered in blue flames. His sword was thin like a rapier, yet a closer look revealed it was actually a drill. Surrounding him were four white runes with a red aura covering them.

_"Mate…in danger…"_ Ryuu growled, his voice soft and gentle, yet holding a fierce tone, _"All…will die!"_

With that, he lunged at the group. DaiRyuuseiKnight jumped in front of everyone and activated his ZekromLaser Sword. The collision the two weapons made caused a small wave of energy that knocked everyone into one of the walls. DaiRyuuseiKnight grunted as he was pushed back, his feet digging into the ground. Ryuu broke the stalemate and slashed at DaiRyuuseiKnight, knocking him through a wall. Max grunted as he got up.

"Okay, Ryuu…you wanna fight? Then let's fight," Max growled, releasing an aura of Zone Energy.

Ryuu smirked at Max before the boy fired various sphere of Zone Energy at Ryuu. The runes surrounding him began to swiftly block each and every hit. DaiRyuuseiKnight grunted as he pulled himself out of the wall.

"Max, he's about to use Blue Fire!" DaiRyuuseiKnight warned.

"Blue Fire?" Max pondered.

It was then the runes all aimed at Max. The red aura changed into a white aura as they unleashed a giant blue stream of flames at Max. The teen yelped as he jumped out of the way. He slowly turned once the attack ended to see that the wall he was before now had a gaping hole in it that still had small blue flames in it, not losing their luster even a bit.

"Aw crap…" Max gulped, "How do I stop him, Dai?"

-He loses the form after two hours, then goes into a deep sleep for a week. Other than that, we have no clue- Dai replied.

Max gawked at them before Ryuu was before him. Max's head went into the roof as Ryuu lowered his left open hand. He flew up to Max and grasped a leg, applying so much pressure that everyone in the room heard bones breaking. He ripped Max out on the roof and kicked him into the ground. Ryuu aimed his weapon at Max and shot right at him, making him resemble a white blur of flames.

"L-Lan-kun…"

Ryuu stopped his drill/sword, just inches near Max's heart. He turned to see Meiru, slowly limping towards him. Max managed to grasp the blade and push it out a little as Meiru got closer.

"Lan-kun…s-stop…p-please…! Th-This isn't…y-you… Please! L-Lan-kun!" Meiru begged.

She collapsed, falling to Ryuu. She grasped tightly onto his flaming form, managing to embrace him. Ryuu's sword arm began to shake a bit as the rings in his eyes began to fade in and out. Unaware to everyone, the symbol of the Crimson Dragon formed on Ryuu's heart with the outlines of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

"Impossible…!" the White Zero gasped.

Ryuu dropped his sword with the runes surrounding him dropping as well. Silver tears fell from his eyes as he gently embraced Meiru. Steam hissed from her body as her wounds vanished, Ryuu's left hand running through her hair while receiving a gentle intake of her scent. A small wave of white flames erupted from his wings and covered everyone, healing their wounds.

_"M-Maylu-Koishii…"_ Ryuu whispered softly, the Geass controlling him shattering as he lost his transformation, "G-Gomen…"

"Baka…You don't need to apologize," Meiru sniffled as she hugged him tighter while he passed out.

"It's over, fake," Tenshi Zero stated as everyone but Ryuu and Meiru faced the masked figure.

"I am not an ordinary being," the man replied as he pulled his left hand out of his left pants pocket, revealing a white device resembling a white, black, and gold crested pteranodon's head while slightly above it was the faint tracings of a Xros Loader fusing to the body.

"Guys…I'm sensing something…something like DaiRyuuseiKnight and Ryuu…nothing…" Max whispered as the man pulled on a gold part on the end, making the mouth of the head open with a roar.

"Dino Transformation," the man spoke.

With that, he pushed down on the gold part, making the mouth close. A swirl of Pure Ultima engulfed him before being absorbed into his form. Everyone gasped as they saw the figure transform before their eyes. He wore a pure white jumpsuit, helmet, gloves, and boots, but adorned with black and gold as well. The gold was the trimming of the gloves, boots, and the belt. The black made markings going up the sides on the body, arms, boots, and triangle-shaped markings on the backs of the gloves. What separated the gloves from the jumpsuit were two gold wristbands with three black lines on each of them. On the left side of his belt was a strange weapon resembling a white feather-shaped dagger with the hilt ending with the prehistoric dinosaur's head while the device remained on his left wrist. His shoulder had black spikes on them that went up only an inch and made a white, black, and gold torso and shoulder armor. His helmet had a red, demonic-looking 'X' along with black markings that made another 'X' on it. Just above the two Xs was a black crest like the dinosaur head's crest. Suddenly, the form glowed and changed, gaining armor similar to Omega's three forms, all in black, white and gold. His left shoulder had a white and gold, demonic version of Zero's head, the right shoulder had a white and gold, demonic version of X's head, the crest of his helmet had extended into a gold, blade-shaped horn while a plume of blond hair emerged from the back of the helmet, ending at his back. His feather-shaped dagger had grown into a feather-shaped katana while his other hip had Omega's First Form's blade, resized to fit it. He wore the cloak of Omega's First Form. His boots were also bulkier, yet sleeker at the same time.

"With white palpitation…DaiRyuuseiKiller!" the warrior declared with nonchalance in his tone.

"DaiRyuusei…Killer?" Will repeated.

"Come," DaiRyuuseiKiller ordered.

"Bring it!" Ash declared as she engaged her armor.

"Let's go!" Ace and Pandora shouted, activating their own armor and the trio charged.

"It's fighting time!" Marcus roared as he charged in with WarGreymon X

"Wait…!" DaiRyuuseiKnight began.

Suddenly, DaiRyuuseiKiller was a blur. Within seconds, Ace, Pandora, and Ash were mowed down by a series of white blur streaks. DaiRyuuseiKiller appeared nearby, leaning against a support beam of the base, with his two blades out. Ash, Pandora, and Ace collapsed, losing their armor and breathing heavily a bit as the blood from their bodies began to pool around them. Nearby, Marcus grunted as he barely stayed on one leg, his body covered in various slashes, while a red Koromon with its ears extending a little deeper onto its forehead to give an 'X' image on it was out cold.

"Is it over? Quite boring," DaiRyuuseiKiller scoffed.

"ReshiramLaser!" DaiRyuuseiKnight declared as he open fired at DaiRyuuseiKiller, who merely blocked all the attacks with his blades.

"Kyouryuu no Mai (Dance of the Dinosaur)," DaiRyuuseiKiller responded.

He made fluent motions with his two weapons, seeming to write in the air with them. Before him, dozens of energy blades appeared. He made a simple flick of his hands and the arrows all struck DaiRyuuseiKnight, forcing him to switch with Dai, who was unharmed for some reason.

"Dai-chan!" Max gasped, _'He got DaiRyuuseiKnight and Dai-chan to switch places with just one move!'_

"Dai?" many of the members of Team DaiRyuusei and Will repeated.

"This isn't good," Viral scowled, "If Model D were here, he would probably say that this warrior is…indeed a worthy opponent."

"I would rather not let you be injured, Ms. Hikari," DaiRyuuseiKiller replied, "That would be quite a bad part of this game I play."

"Game?" Max exclaimed.

"Yes. To me, this is a mere game," DaiRyuuseiKiller chuckled, "I didn't expect Ryuu to break out of my Geass through sheer will, though. The players in this game certainly show much progress."

"_Players_?" Yoko snarled.

"But of course," DaiRyuuseiKiller replied.

"Bastard!" Yoko cried as she began to fire at the white and black enemy with her rifle.

"J…sic!"

J nodded before charging at DaiRyuuseiKiller. The enemy held up his dinosaur-themed weapon and easily caught each shot Yoko fired with it. He swung it and sent it at J, making him flinch. That flinch allow DaiRyuuseiKiller to create energy arrows and fire them at J, knocking him into a charging Lagann and then sending both into a wall, knocking out Simon inside Lagann. J slowly stood up when DaiRyuuseiKiller appeared behind him, his Model O blade piercing J's stomach. He slid it out before chopping J's neck, knocking him out. Enki, repaired by Viral's Spiral Energy, roared as he aimed his crested helmet at DaiRyuuseiKiller.

-Enki Sun Beam!- Enki roared as he fired his laser.

The beam hit DaiRyuuseiKiller just as he took out his blades. Viral smirked within Enki, Enki's larger face copying the smirk. It was then Enki's arms were sliced off. A white and black-gloved fist ripped through the larger face, ending an inch before Viral's face. The large face of Enki was ripped right off before DaiRyuuseiKiller used his other hand to grasp Viral by the neck.

"Impressive use of your Spiral Energy to empower your Enki Sun Beam, former Hunter Eradication Army Far-East Theater Commander Viral," DaiRyuuseiKiller noted, "But now…Let me show you mine."

With that, he threw Viral at Yoko. Viral and Yoko screamed as multiple black and white drills pierced their arms and legs with Viral gaining a few in his stomach and face. The two saw that all the drills were coming out of just DaiRyuuseiKiller's left pinky, all bending at multitude of angles.

"He can use the Spiral King's drills?" Viral gasped.

* * *

**Cue Sonic the Hedgehog The Movie Soundtrack – South Island**

The trio appeared upon a strange area. It seemed to be a large glacier with various bridges of ice. Scourge sneered as he jumped a few meters away from the two. Sonic X pushed Hub off him.

"Seems I got a little straggler," Scourge noted, "Ah well, more ass kicking for me!"

"Oi! Name's Hub! You, what's your name?" Hub asked.

"He's Scourge, Scourge the Hedgehog. And…"

"His Zone Double," Scourge grinned, "You could say I'm his exact twin."

"A twin?" Hub exclaimed, stars appearing in his eyes.

"Oh no…Mirajane warned me about this…" Sonic X muttered, "Scourge, you may want to not fight Hub. He's going to want you to be his 'Cat' so to speak."

"…Seriously?" Scourge asked.

"Yep."

"Has he…?"

"Not to me," Sonic X replied, "Already have his twin brother, Lan, as a NetOp."

"…Riiight…" Scourge sweatdropped before shaking his head and grinning darkly, "You remember this place?"

"Yeah. This is Planet Freedom," Sonic replied, "This is…oh…"

"Yep. You remember how our last confrontation ended? It was right here, upon this glacier," Scourge grinned.

"Really?" Hub asked.

"Hub, just be quiet. He's doing a monolog…for the ten millionth time."

"I'll kill you for that…if I wasn't already going to do something much worse," Scourge sinisterly chuckled,

"But for now, revenge on killing me."

"What?" Hub exclaimed.

"It was back when I was a hedgehog, much like Scourge here. A few years back in this Zone before me and Scourge came here, the Sonic of this Zone did battle with his own version of Metal Sonic," Sonic X explained, "Scourge told me that this is where we would end it. I win, he'd stop interfering with other Zones. He win, I would help him take over our Zone."

"What? Double-crosser!" Hub barked at Sonic X.

"Knave, please keep going," Caliburn asked as he changed into his Human Form, _'I haven't heard about this before.'  
_

"As the fight went on, we started breaking various parts of this place, even causing a volcanic eruption on parts of the glacier. Lucky for us, someone had made various tunnels to let the lava flow away and not melt the glacier. Anyways, while we fought, we both used our strongest Chaos Attack at the time and made a large explosion. I thought you had gotten away again when the smoke cleared."

"Well you were wrong, ass!" Scourge growled, "I ended up in the lava! Do you know how it feel? Being burned to death like that?"

Hub cringed. He recalled the last time he ticked off the Magma Dragon-Slayer. Took him weeks of eating darkness to heal himself. Sonic X gulped. He thought Scourge had died of old age or from execution by the Zone Cops. Being killed by lava was actually a surprise for him. Scourge chuckled darkly at the reactions they had.

"Enough talking…Now die!" Scourge roared as he vanished in a green blur.

Sonic X vanished in a blue blur. Scourge appeared on one of the nearby frozen pillars before vanishing again when Sonic X appeared in the same spot. All Hub and Caliburn could see were twin trails of green or blue blurs that collided every now and then.

"Hold on!" Hub called as he jumped into the air…only to fall on his face.

"Why did you do that? Turn into your Dragon Form so we may assist the Knave!" Caliburn ordered.

"I'm trying!" Hub barked as he grunted, trying to transform, only to fart, "Whoops."

"Egads! That is foul!"

"I…I don't get it. Why can't I transform?" Hub pondered.

"Uh, Hub?" Caliburn pondered as he tapped the teen's shoulder.

He pointed up at the fight when he got Hub's attention. The Dragon-Slayer turned to see that Sonic X was now fighting a mechanical, emerald-green dragon with cobalt optics. Hub's jaw dropped in shock at the sight.

"Wow! The guy was right," a voice said, getting Hub and Caliburn's attention.

"You're…!" Caliburn gasped.

* * *

Wulf howled as he phased through the floor, attempting to slash at DaiRyuuseiKiller with his claws. The warrior became intangible and let the claws phase through him, startling the werewolf-like ghost. DaiRyuuseiKiller then let out a powerful wail, unleashing shockwaves of ghostly energy at Wulf. Will jumped over the reversed flying Wulf as his armor shifted into a silver version of Enki. He drew his swords and slashed at DaiRyuuseiKiller.

"Typical," DaiRyuuseiKiller rolled his eyes behind his mask before vanishing, a glowing 'X'-shaped mark forming on various parts of Will's body.

"Wha…?" Will began before his armor was sliced apart with him collapsing with numerous lacerations on his body.

"Next," DaiRyuuseiKiller yawned.

"Damn, he's fast," Will said, bloodied everywhere.

"Will, you take a rest," Max said. "Viral, Yoko, you two as well. Dai, if you can, try to heal them and anyone else in need of it."

"Right," Dai said, running over to the three.

"Zero," Max said. "You have my permission now."

"No way," Tenshi Zero said, grunting. "I can…"

"Yeah. I know we agreed it was dangerous. And you aren't supposed to do it without X here. But right now, X isn't here. And we need it done now," Max replied.

"Oh, crap," Tomari Axl said, scooting behind Max.

"Heh. Never thought I'd ever get an excuse," Tenshi Zero said. He put his left hand over the symbol and crystal on his chest. "Speed Form!" He twisted the Omega symbol forty five degrees to the right, while the blue crystal began to spin to the left, his armor changing. The wings disappeared, while the crystals on his back slowly moved back to his shoulders, glowing. His armor became almost nonexistent, while his sword became shorter and thinner, while the vents disappeared.

"You wanted a game. Now it's on even ground," Max said, addressing DaiRyuuseiKiller. _'I hope,'_he finished in his head.

"Alright, let's see how your swordplay is now that we're equal in speed," Tenshi Zero said, pulling the sword back, the tip pointing at DaiRyuuseiKiller.

"Max, what did you just do?" Grey asked.

"Forms," Max replied. "Zero's training resulted in a discovery of different forms. This is his speed form, his fastest form. Perhaps even rivaling Sonic X in speed. But X decided that they're a little dangerous to be used whenever convenient."

"Let's go," Tenshi Zero said, disappearing, reappearing behind DaiRyuuseiKiller, who turned to block Tenshi Zero's sword. But by the time his sword was up, Tenshi Zero's sword was hitting him in the back, DaiRyuuseiKiller rolling forward, lessening the blow. He then disappeared as well, Tenshi Zero following him.

"As such, Zero has agreed that either X or myself or whoever is currently leading a mission must deem it necessary for him to change into a form," Max continued. "But he may choose which form is appropriate. And this should give the rest of us some time to figure something out." Max twitched, as if he was about to jump in, but stopped. "Damn. Just missed an opportunity." He turned to those still standing. "While Tenshi Zero entertains him for a bit, we need to figure out where to hit this guy. Hard and fast may be the only option we have." Max turned back, his hand flexing. "Like now!" Max dashed forward, just as Tenshi Zero and DaiRyuuseiKiller reappeared. Max's hand was surrounded by Earth Zone Energy, his fist swinging at DaiRyuuseiKiller's back. But his fist met steel as DaiRyuuseiKiller used his white and black sword to block. The sword began to glow as the Zone Energy seemed to flow into it. "Well…this won't end well."

"No, it won't," DaiRyuuseiKiller said. The sword fired Max's energy right back at him, sending him into the wall behind Ryuu and Meiru.

"Hey, you two," Max said, grunting as he righted himself. "Sorry to interrupt the reunion, but right now would be a really good time for a heavy hitter."

"Ryuu-kun is still out cold," Meiru replied as an Egyptian eye and hieroglyphics began to appear on her body, glowing in a golden light, while she pulled out her Duel Disk, "But I do have someone. Come forth, Armor of the Tormentor!"

Her body began to glow before her shadow engulfed her. Within the shadow, red eyes pierced through them. The shadows receded to reveal Meiru was now donned in blue, bulky armor with sleek, somewhat demonic wings on her back. Her head wore a blue, multi-crested helmet with a cobalt orb on the conter of the forehead while her eyes had become a fierce crimson.

"I've only got one shot with this form and it takes some time to charge," Meiru explained, "I need you to keep him distracted while I get fully charged."

"Will it work?"

"Trust me. I am Obelisk The Tormentor's Duelist while he is the armor you now see," Meiru explained, "When I have enough energy fully charged, it will be on par with his Fist of Fury."

"Ulp..." Max gulped, recalling a read he had about the Egyptian God Cards, "Okay then." _'I hope she charges quick...'_

"Right then," Max said. "Grey, Ashe, you give Zero a hand. But don't try anything with energy projectiles."

"Got it," they both answered, Grey going into Beast Drive. Grey jumped right into the fray, hooking onto DaiRyuuseiKiller's back, his claws scrabbling at the helmet. Max noticed that Grey's eyes had glazed over and the helmet's eyes were glowing.

_'So he's already switched places,'_Max thought. "Axl, got anything yet on that scanner?"

"Perhaps some possible blind spots," Tomari Axl said. "Here, I'll patch it to your HUD."

"Wait, I don't have," Max began, stopping as the visor in his helmet suddenly started to glow on the inside, electronics turning on. "You and Will?"

"And J," Tomari Axl said. "We figured it might be a worthwhile upgrade to your armor."

"But when did you get the helmet?"

"You'll have to talk to that Proctor guy about it. Anyways, face your attention to DaiRyuuseiKiller," Tomari Axl instructed. Max did so and blinked with surprise as small readouts began to appear. "Those red dots are possible blind spots in the armor, while the yellow show some vulnerability. Will played with the software, so any time there's a spot that can be classified as vulnerable and possible blind, it becomes orange in color. The same goes for any other readout."

"Good job," Max nodded. "So, what can you do about those blind spots?"

"Well, since Zero and Gregar are working on it, I've patched into their HUDs as well and sent them the data. Gregar, being Gregar, has apparently decided to go straight for the hardest vulnerable spot that I can currently see, which involves getting the helmet off. Zero's trying to reach the blind spots, but he doesn't want to reveal anymore about his speed form than he needs to."

"Okay…okay, you work on getting a target," Max said. "I'll try to jump in the fray and help, but it's looking somewhat crowded."

"Alright. Ashe, I need you over here," Tomari Axl called, Ashe coming over. "Change into me and I'll patch your HUD into mine."

"Okay, let's see how well this thing works," Max said, jumping at DaiRyuuseiKiller. DaiRyuuseiKiller began to turn towards him, but stopped as Tenshi Zero's blade jabbed at one of the red dots on Max's HUD. _'I'll need to remember to congratulate them on this sometime,'_Max thought as he hit an orange spot, knocking DaiRyuuseiKiller back. "Axl, you got a spare visor?"

"Yeah," Tomari Axl replied. Max nodded towards Meiru, Tomari Axl nodding back and walking over to Meiru, pulling out a headband with a drop down visor attached to it.

"Gregar, try and hit something you can reach!" Max snapped, Gregar growling.

"Shut up," was the reply. "I'm not letting this bastard off as easy as that if I can help it."

"Come on…Come on…" Meiru grunted as the armor started to bulge a bit, almost as if the 'muscles' it was made of were growing at an exponential rate, "Obelisk-dono, is everything doing well?"

"Just a few more moments and…Now!" the armor replied through her mind, the bulging now to the point it was barely visible to see Meiru's face.

"Minna, get back!" Meiru called, "Final Strike!"

"Oh crud…" Max gulped as everyone got out of the way of Meiru's path.

DaiRyuuseiKiller began to move when an inky claw grabbed his legs. A pair of sinister, sickly-green eyes were visible within the shadow outstretching from Ryuu's unconscious form beside Meiru to him. Meiru's right fist was outstretched within the armor as a gold aura roared off her.

"Ejiputogamiken: Kamiwazakurushimeru (Egypt God Fist: Divine Torment)!" Meiru cried out.

She proceeded to unleash a punch at DaiRyuuseiKiller. The armor shattered and unleashed a powerful beam of golden light at DaiRyuuseiKiller, taking form of Obelisk the Tormentor's left fist. On the ground above the cavern, four figures were looking around.

"Tails said they were here," one noted.

"Yeah. But where the hell are they?" another demanded until they saw a pillar of golden light, taken into the form of a giant demonic-yet heavenly-fist ripped through the ground and pierced the sky.

"Over there," the four said in unison before running over.

Meiru panted as she collapsed, her clothing reduced to rags that still hid the required areas from everyone. Ryuu's shadow receded back to him before Kage emerged from it. He jumped onto Meiru and engulfed her figure, changing into a pitch-black jumpsuit with baby-blue and lime-green markings covering it. She managed to place a hand over Ryuu's left hand before succumbing to unconsciousness. Nearby, everyone conscious poked out from behind one of the upturned stone benches, the unconscious with them.

"…Wow. Remind me to not get her furious enough to do that to me," Tomari Axl gulped.

"Agreed," the others nodded as they got out of their hiding place.

_'That energy she used…I literally felt that an Egyptian God was using that move…'_ Max thought, _'But it seems that it's drained her of so much energy that there's only enough to keep her alive, not alive and conscious.'_

A flicker caught Max's attention. Suddenly, a white blur dashed by them all. Multiple gold 'X' markings began to appear all over them.

"Not bad. No wonder she bared the Death Arcana before it was sealed within a card," DaiRyuuseiKiller noted as his black and white sword, now the size of a quill pen, tapped against his helmet's chin.

The 'X's began to glow before releasing multiple explosions. When the explosions ended, nearly everyone had collapsed but Max. Out of all of them, he didn't have any markings put on him.

"Now it is just us. The Boss of this level against the Playing Character," DaiRyuuseiKiller stated, "Hajime."

"And what the…hell…gives…" Max suddenly passed out, hitting the floor hard, his eyes glazed.

"That wasn't very fun at all," DaiRyuuseiKiller said, raising his blade.

"Sorry, but I can't let you keep doing this," a voice said.

The crystal floated out of Max's pocket, a ball of Ultima Energy building before Ultima formed.

"Not sure how this is a game, but it doesn't look like anyone else wants to play."

"Then how about you?" DaiRyuuseiKiller appeared in front of Ultima. But his eyes were widened with surprise behind his red 'X' visor.

"Kid, let me tell you a little secret," Ultima said. His right hand was up, the back of it held against the blade's edge, having stopped it in mid-swing. "The Tao Trio were sparring partners with me. I'm not someone you wanna piss off." Ultima's ear twitched and he smiled. "Lucky you. Looks like you don't have to fight me."

**Cue Soundtrack - Sorairo Days**

"Who-The-Hell-Do-You-Think-You-Are-KICK!" four voices roared before a man wearing a bullet-riddled outfit and sunglasses covering his face, Yuck, Inuyasha, and Cheetor rammed a foot into DaiRyuuseiKiller in the helmet, sending him into the machine.

"Took you long enough!" Ultima complained as DaiRyuuseiKiller stood up, not a scratch upon his form, "Dang…That guy's got some tough armor if there's not a scratch on it."

"Born in humble origins, with a past shrouded in mystery, raised in many worlds, bonds formed that transcend reality and all of its limitations! I am the man who has gone beyond the dreams of many! Whose power can shatter destiny, karma, and fate! I am Onii-San of Team DaiGurren and DaiRyuusei! Just who the hell do you think I am?" Onii-San demanded, the one whose outfit riddled with holes like he'd been through the firing squad.

"Name's Yuck, ugly," the green rabbit smirked.

"Cheetor," said maximal stated.

"I'm Inuyasha, your end," the half-demon smirked as he pulled out Tetsusaiga.

"Allies of the Dragon's Star and the Great Spiral. Team DaiRyuusei!" all four declared in unison as they assumed different poses to the sides and beneath Onii-San, usually reserved for super sentai. The next moment a black and silver smoke bomb went off above Onii-San, a yellow to the left of Cheetor, a red to the right of Inuyasha, and a green to the bottom below Yuck before rounding and forming a spinning galaxy.

**End theme**

"…I hate you, Onii-San," Inuyasha and Yuck stated in unison once the epic theme ended.

"Meh. What can I say? It's still a work in progress," Onii-San replied with a shrug of his shoulder.

"That's it. No more super sentai for you," Nazo muttered as he appeared beside his partner.

"Awww. But Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger just came out!" Onii-San argued.

"Will you focus on fighting the guy?" Ultima snapped.

"Fine…Fine…" Onii-San shrugged.

"Spiral Wind Scar!" Inuyasha roared.

"Spiral Fist of Fire!" Yuck roared as he released two giant energy fists covered in drills at DaiRyuuseiKiller.

"Spiral Breaker!" Cheetor roared as he fired drills made of energy from his blaster.

"Tengen Toppa Danzaien," Onii-San said casually as he swung his arm at DaiRyuuseiKiller, a phoenix-shaped energy wave made of rainbow-colored spiral energy launching at him as the image of a man in ninja garb emulating a phoenix superimposed himself over Onii-San.

"Hmm…Impressive. You combined your normal attacks with Spiral Energy," DaiRyuuseiKiller smirked as he easily evades the attacks, though narrowly avoided Onii-San's. "It seems that my time is up for now. So I will leave you this to tell Cera; 'I still say that even though the snow is white, it is still beautiful, Cera.'"

With that, DaiRyuuseiKiller vanished in a swirl of Dark Ultima and Light Ultima. Onii-San scowled at where the opponent once stood. He turned to see the injured and noted that only Dai was uninjured, just in shock over something.

"So who's the girl?" Yuck asked, pointing at Dai.

"That's DaiRyuuseiKnight, Yuck," Onii-San replied as he gently picked her up and put two fingers to his ear, "Yo, Tails? You readin' me, right? …Good! Teleport us please. We've got guys out cold and some in critical condition."

* * *

Sonic X cried out as the dragon's tail slammed into his gut, knocking him through the frozen bridge they were on. The dragon ripped the bridge in two and flew right at Sonic X when Humongasaur stopped him, at his largest size.

"Sorry, but NetNavi isn't on the menu!" Humongasaur growled before delivering a punch in the face of the mechanical dragon.

-Bastard!- the dragon roared in a deeper version of Scourge's voice.

"Oi! Give me back my Akuma no Mi!" Hub snapped as he jumped off Humongasaur's head, "Yamiryuu no Tekken!"  
The fist engulfed in darkness slammed into Scourge's face. Scourge just sneered as he returned the punch with his own, coated in Chaos Energy. Scourge then slammed his head into Humongasaur and fired a point-black laser of Chaos Energy, knocking back the alien.

"Okay…Time to deal with this dragon," Humongasaur growled as he slammed down on his Ultimatrix Symbol, "Ultimate Humongasaur!"

Ultimate Humongasaur grew an additional three feet as his skin turned green. His torso gained bulky, black armor with four spikes emerging in an 'X' formation on the Ultimatrix Symbol, twelve spikes lining the black armor of his torso. A black shell formed on his back with various silver spikes on it. His tail gained a black and silver mace on the end while his fingernails turned into obsidian claws. His head gained a black helmet with horns and spikes emerging from the sides and top. Ultimate Humongasaur's hands transformed into gatling guns and began to fire kinetically unstable bone fragments at Scourge, creating large explosions. Scourge ripped through the smoke and slashed at Ultimate Humongasaur, knocking him back. A sphere of Mana hit Scourge in the eyes, making the mechanical dragon roar in pain. He turned to glare at Gwen, who was standing on a Mana platform with Caliburn, Ruka, and Kevin. Caliburn's chains fell as the ends changed into spikes while Kevin absorbed some of the metal the chains were made of and turned his hands into sledgehammers. He roared as he jumped at Scourge while Caliburn's chains wrapped around the dragon's neck. Kevin's hammers slammed into Scourge's head, knocking him down. Caliburn's chains released the dragon and he quickly changed into Sword Form to let a recovered Sonic X catch him.

"Thanks," Sonic X said as Gwen helped him up via a tendril of Mana.

"Paradox warned us that you were in some sort of trouble, Sonic-Niisan," Ruka replied before looking at the rising Scourge, "Activating Hunter GX: Battle Mode. Maxxor and Chaor attacks Scourge. Rayearth, battle!"

Maxxor and Chaor appeared at her sides with her red, fire-coated wolf Mashin. The wolf howled before firing a concentrated beam of flames. Maxxor and Chaor fired a Symmetry Blast, combining it with the beam of flames. Scourge smirked before changing into his NetNavi Form, letting the attack go over him. His arms gained Nanite lines before they transformed into large blue fists resembling steamrollers. Ultimate Humongasaur reeled a fist back and threw it at Scourge, who simply vanished from sight. His fist made contact with nothing but ice. He cried out in pain as he was sent a mile away by Scourge's fists. The fake Maxxor and Chaor charged at Scourge, who changed his 'steamrollers' into giant black swords. He sliced the two in half with ease before changing them back to normal. They were about to attack again when DaiRyuuseiKiller appeared between them.

"Scourge, we're leaving for the moment," DaiRyuuseiKiller ordered.

"They made your Henshin?" Scourge asked, "Must have been stronger than you thought."

"No. Just wanted to show them the difference in our abilities," DaiRyuuseiKiller replied as he released Cobalon, "TopGaler, we're regrouping."

"Fine, human," Cobalon scoffed.

With that, he put a hoof to his face and pushed it off, revealing the face was a mask. A swirl of Dark Ultima and Light Ultima swirled around Cobalon and he transformed. He was a Tupuxuara-mecha the size of a three-storied building that was primarily white with the webbing of its wings, torso, bottom half of its legs minus the feet, and its jaw pitch black. On the sides of its face, the gold crest of its head, parts of the wings, parts of the upper part of the legs, and the claws of its feet were gold. It had scarlet eyes like its master's helmet visor. DaiRyuuseiKiller and Scourge jumped onto the dinosaur's head and they flew off.

"Did he just turn into the Drago Zord?" Kevin sweatdropped before they teleported away, appearing in the Teleportation Room with the ones Sonic X and Hub left behind to fight DaiRyuuseiKiller when Scourge was revived.

"Bro!" Hub gasped as he saw his brother, out cold in Meiru's arms.

"We're going to need a doctor," Onii-San noted.

"Who are you?" Sasuke pondered.

"Onii-San," the members of Team DaiRyuusei, Eggman, and Tails replied before Hub collapsed.

"Hack! C-Can't…! N-Nani…? Cough! Cough!" Hub gasped out as he began to grab the area over his heart with both his hands.

"Oh no…" Onii-San, Lan, Netto, Rockman, and Megaman gasped.

"We need a doctor, STAT!" Onii-San barked as he picked up Hub, "Is there a medical ward here?"

"Y-Yes…" Kassie began.

"Good! Take me to it while someone go and get us a doctor! Hub's having an HBD attack!" Onii-San ordered.

* * *

Mikoto looked through another scroll. It contained various Medical Jutsu and a list of various herbs to help with healing. As he walked along the park's pathways, he nearly heard a yelp after feeling something brush against him. He looked away from his scroll to see Julie on the ground before him, rubbing her rear.

"Julie? Is there something wrong?" Mikoto asked.

"Mikoto-san? Ah! Mikoto-san, tatsukete!" Julie begged, "Tou-san and the others! They're…!"

"Calm down and tell me what happened," Mikoto ordered, getting a bit annoyed with his interruption of reading.

"Uncle Hub…He's having an HBD Attack! And the others, they all got hurt badly! Some are even in critical condition!" Julie exclaimed.

"Heart Bypass Disorder? Take me there at once," Mikoto ordered as he and Julie ran off, the older man following the teen.

* * *

**DaiRyuuseiKiller is owned by Gammatron and Onii-San is owned by NeoNazo365. Please Review.**


	112. Max Meets the Grand Chase

**Sailing my sea! Yeah-Never say die Gotta go! Go!**

***Camera scrolls from a desert to the sky, the words Return to the Zones in large letters, a Zone Portal appearing in the O of the Zones***

**Asu e no chizu hirogete Issho ni ikou ze Go along along (Unfold the map to tomorrow, let's go together, Go along along)**

***The camera zooms in towards the Zone Portal, fading to white before fading back in to reveal Max and his original team standing in front of the HQ***

**Bouenkyou de nozokeba Michinaru minato e Go along along (If you peek through the telescope, head to the unknown harbor, Go along along)**

***Camera zooms in through the door, running along the hallways, passing Max's team in rooms, Tenshi Zero and Ultimate X sparring, while Eva and Luna Rena cook, Kassie setting the large table in the next room, the camera moving onto the other rooms to show the rest of the team doing their own activities***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Sono te de kaji o tore (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Take the helm with your hands)**

***Scene changes to Max and his team looking out at the sunset on top of the building before cutting to Ryuu and Team Ryuusei on the other side of the HQ, staring at a rising sun, and changes again to show both teams at once, facing opposite directions***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Yoake no umi e to fune o dase (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Sail out to the sea of dawn)**

***Max and Ryuu look at each other, smirking, before the scene changes to Beamer's restaurant, where Lan, Netto, and Ryuu are in a curry eating contest, Ryuu in the lead, while both teams cheer them on, Beamer laughing, Rayne and Komatsu in chef outfits, while J.T. can be seen through the kitchen window trying to put out a fire, Meda slapping at the flames with his apron***

**Seiipai Hareryuuya Ima da go o age Nakama to tomo ni (With all your might, hallelujah- Now raise the sails together with your friends)**

***Scene changes to Tan'ya watching Kent practicing his technique in Sync Merge, Moon staring in silence, while Sonic X is in the background, talking with Rockman and Megaman, Lyra and Harp bopping Omega-Xis and WarRock on the head as the two start fighting in the background just behind Sonic X, who gets caught up in the fight, separating the two***

**Kaisei no sora no shita Yume to iu na no daikoukai e (Underneath the fine weathered sky, head to the great voyage named 'dream')**

***Scene change to Will and Kassie walking through the mall, Cyber, Sonic X, Roll, and Megaman with them, Cyber and Sonic X pushing a stroller each, Volt in Cyber's, Jazz in Sonic X's, while Chaud, Protoman, and Greymon are in a sword store, browsing through. Geo and Subaru walk into the frame with the latter three, Geo holding up a Buster Blade, pointing at it, while the other four shake their heads***

**Koerarenai mono wa nai Kaze o ayatsuri Doko made demo jiyuu ni yukeru (Nothing is unsurpassable; control the wind and freely go anywhere)**

***Scene changes to DaiRyuuseiKnight, back to camera as Ashe and Grey sit beside him, Gregar sitting beside Grey, Falzar sitting on Ashe's shoulder, Model A floating over DaiRyuuseiKnight, while all six look at the stars. The camera pans out to reveal Ace, Ash, and Pandora to the left of the group, also watching the stars, while Yuck and Kevin slept on either side of a nearby tree, Ben sitting on a branch at the top of the tree, Gwen on a Mana platform***

**Leap on Leap on sora o miro umi o miro somatta isshoku no ao (Leap on Leap on, look at the sky, look at the sea, Dyed in one color of blue)**

***Camera pans away from the group, Katta coming on screen, laying down by a small pond, a fishing pole set up beside him, while Blaze, Tarn, and Tara sit around a campfire, fish rotating on a stake over the fire, Kent's mouth watering. Camera pans a little farther to the right to reveal Hub and Mirajane sitting on the other side of Tara, joining in the conversation the three councilors are having, all laughing as Katta was yanked into the pond as he grabbed the pole, Katta resurfacing, spitting out pond water, a four foot long fish on his pole, Katta's fingers in V for victory***

**Shirani mono to ka Motto shiritai kara Go! Go! Shukkou (Because you want to know more about unknown things and, Go! Go! Depart)**

***Scene changes to J, Sasuke, and Will in the lab, trying to explain certain parts to Hub, whose eyes are spinning, while Jen and Z stand nearby, giggling as the Tech Trio soon gave up, Shinobi running down the hall as a blue laser followed him, the camera going out the door and down the hall to reveal the holo-Palkia roaring, Kyuubi and Rockman revealed to be the ones at the panel, rolling on the floor, holding their sides and crying as they laughed, the camera panning to reveal Eggman and Tails on the other side of the room, looking in wonder through the circuitry that made up the holo-Palkia***

**Nenryou tnaku mantan Mawasu igunisshonKaji to konhineeshon Nami to sesson (Ruel tanke full, ignition spinning combination with the helm, session with the waves)**

***Scene change to Dai laughing at Ryuu, who's caught in a large pile of tape, Max trying to help him, while Blademan tapes it, laughing, when Ryuu's shadows extends its hands, Blademan yelping in fear and running, Max now laughing as his friend ran around the room, even on the walls and ceiling, as he tried to escape the hands, Dai now helping her uncle, but still laughing, Ryuu's shadow hands breaking Blademan's camera and then the camera the tape entangling Ryuu came from***

**Agero tensshon Kaizu hirogete adobenchaa Denjaa kugurinukete Ooshan rainaa (Raise the tension, unfold the map, it's an adventure Escape through the danger, ocean liner)**

***Scene change to Sonic X and Viral looking at a diagram, then looking at a small sculpture, turning the diagram every which way as they tried to figure out what it was supposed to look like, when Cyber appears, turning the diagram the correct way and the two looked from it to the sculpture, nodding, while Sonic X kissed Cyber before turning behind him to see an angry Terios Shadow with a shotgun, flames in his eyes as he gave chase to the blue netnavi. Scene change to Misora and Sonia with Lyra and Harp, all four enjoying milkshakes, when Sonic X came into the shot, jumping the table, Terios Shadow not far behind, the four females watching the scene with faces of amazement***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Atarashii ashita e (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Head to a new tomorrow)**

***Scene change to Kenjirou and Marcus with the Xros Heart Army, Nene, Knightmon, Taiki, and Agumon X beside them, watching with interest as Beamer and Bass fought each other in the Blanket Zone, craters everywhere, while the rest of the Hunter Eradication Army stood nearby, cheering on Bass, while Omega-Xis/WarRock, Tenshi Zero, Tomari Axl, and Megaman cheered on Beamer, Shinobi wearing a booky hat as he took bets from those gathered, Gent and Addy there as well, Addy holding Gent's ear, pulling him away from the betting booth, Blaze watching with a sweatdrop before placing his own bet***

**Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Suiheisen no mukougawa e (Get on the deck! Get on the deck! Head to the other side of the horizon)**

***Scene change to Max laying in a field looking up at the stars, Geo, Subaru, and Ben with him, all four in a circle with their heads on the inside of the circle, their eyes widening as Zaxlew appeared above them, Zaxlew shooting Max the finger before disappearing in a Negative Zone Portal, an image of Kalar fading into view, switching places with the four stargazers, the camera panning around to reveal Kalar was watching the creation of Rampage's new body, while Lockdown stands nearby, Rampage's Spark held in his hand in a container, Lockdown smirking as he saw the weapons being added to Rampage's new body***

**Yeah – Never say die Gotta go! Go! Go! Go! (Yeah - Never say die Gotta go! Go! Go! Go!)**

***Scene change to the Ground City Arcade, Bud, Taurus, Scar, and Jing all sitting in the seats of a car game, Wily watching nearby, while on the screen, it shows Taurus in the lead, Scar a close second, Bud in third, and Jing in fourth, Kir watching with idle interest from behind Jing, his eyes going to the shooting game right beside the car arcade game***

**Kaisei no sora no shita Ima da ho o age Nakama to tomo ni (Underneath the fine weathered sky, now raise the sails together with your friends)**

***Scene change to Rockman and Megaman running alongside Sonic X, still running from Terios Shadow, who's now taking potshots at the trio with his gun, Will and Komatsu getting bowled over by the four, while Toriko watches, eating a mountain of ramen with Naruto, who stops just long enough to point and laugh at the two, while Maylu and Meiru came out in time to see Terios Shadow run by them, shaking his fist as his gun ran out of ammunition***

**Seiipai Hareruuya Yume to iu na no daikoukai e (With all your might, hallelujah – head to the great voyage named 'dream')**

***Scene change to Ruka watching with Gregar and Falzar as Ashe and Grey fought Ash and Gray in a sparring match, Ash and Gray with the upper hand, until Gregar and Falzar ran towards Ashe and Grey, disappearing in a ball of light as the two entered Beast Drive, Wulf, Akari, and Sari watching as Bumblebee and Cheetor snuck up on Inuyasha and Turbo, holding water balloons, before Inuyasha and Turbo turned towards the two, both armed with fire hoses attached to two hydrants apiece, Bumblebee and Cheetor dropping their balloons as Inuyasha and Turbo opened fire***

**Koerarenai mono wa nai Kaze o ayatsuri Doko made demo jiyuu ni yukeru (Nothing is unsurpassable: control the wind And freely go anywhere)**

***Scene change to the teams standing outside of the HQ, making goofy faces at the camera, before changing to the teams resting in the living room, all beat from the day's activities, Max and Ryuu gripping wrists in the doorway before turning to the room, walking in, the camera capturing a still shot of the two's backs***

* * *

**Max Meets the Grand Chase**

"Urgh…" Max slowly opened his eyes, his head throbbing. "What the hell happened?" He managed to get into a sitting position, slowly looking around. He was in a tower of sorts, but there were what seemed to be monsters around him. For the most part, they were all small, green, of a very small build, and either wore a red cap and carried a club or wore a blue cap and carried stones. "Wait a second…this…isn't where I was," he said. Max stood up, but the creatures around him didn't seem to take any notice.

"Run, run, run!" Max looked around, trying to identify the source of the voice and saw three girls running towards him. The forward most was a girl whose red hair was in something like a bun and a braided ponytail. Her outfit was a light red sleeveless shirt and an equally light red skirt, her boots stopping just below her knees. In her hand was a somewhat large sword. Behind her was a girl with blonde hair, her outfit all green, a dress that stopped at her knees, a bow in her hand, her ears long and tipped at the ends. The third girl had purple hair, a purple shirt and skirt combo, and held a purple rod in her hand, about two feet long, a large circle at the top. "Do we _really_ have to get through here to become knights?" the middle girl asked, notching an arrow onto the string of the bow.

"It's just a couple of goblins!" the red head snapped back, swinging her sword at a goblin with a red cap as it raised its club.

"Yeah, but what about him?" the blonde headed girl asked, pointing at Max after shooting a blue-capped goblin. All three girls stopped, as did the goblins, all staring at Max.

"Um…do we even have anything to fight a ghost with?" the red head asked.

"I'm not a ghost," Max said. "In fact…actually, I don't even know where the hell I am." One of the blue-capped goblins threw a stone at Max, who put his hand up to catch it, but the stone fell through his hand. "…" Max looked from his hand to the stone and back to his hand. "…WHAT THE HELL?"

"Poor guy," the purple headed girl said, shaking her head. "Didn't even know he was a ghost."

"I'm not a ghost!" Max snapped, pinching the bridge of his nose. _Okay, calm down_, he thought to himself. _Let's just…see if I can still use…wait, I can't sense my own Zone Energy…but I can sense those around me…_ Max looked with his eyes only, taking note of the position of each goblin. _Okay, maybe…I can still use one of my Weaponizer abilities… _Max extended his right hand to the nearest red-capped goblin, small bits of Zone Energy flowing into it. But it soon disappeared, while the goblin keeled over, falling unconscious to the ground. "Okay…very little Zone Energy from these guys…got it."

"Um…should we run?" the red head asked. Max turned his attention back to them. He then noticed that the other goblins had begun running away after what happened to their companion.

"No, no!" Max said quickly. "I mean…no, please don't. I really don't know where the hell I am and right now, you're my only chance to finding out."

"Hmmm…" Max turned his attention to the blonde girl. "Well…if he can do that again, maybe he can help us beat Wendy."

"Wendy?" Max repeated, the girls staring at him.

"Yes, the monster we have to defeat," they all answered, Max sweatdropping.

"But…its name is Wendy…"

"Whatever," the red head said. "Look, if you help us, we'll help you."

Max sighed. "Alright, I'll try to," he answered. "I'm Max, by the way."

"Arme," was the purple-headed girl's reply.

"Elesis," the red head said.

"Lire," the blonde said.

"So…this Wendy…do we…go straight up?" Max asked, pointing towards the ceiling.

"That's the idea," Elesis replied, walking towards the door. "And that's going to be a lot easier thanks to that little…whatever you did back there."

"Hasn't even joined the Grand Chase and already pulling his own weight," Arme said, while Lire bowed.

"You'll have to excuse those two," she answered. "They're somewhat…well, they're something." Max nodded in understanding.

"It's okay. I've had to deal with some pretty strange people back home," Max replied, walking forward. After a few minutes and close to twenty flights of stairs, they were finally at the top.

"Hang on," Elesis said, leaning against her sword, panting, while Lire and Arme leaned against the wall. "Need…to catch…breath."

"Um, I don't think you have that kind of time," Max said, pointing at a large, white gorilla-like creature with two horns made of what looked like ice. "I assume that's Wendy."

"Ah man," Lire groaned. Wendy roared, pounding her chest. She slammed her fist down at the closest being, who happened to be Max, who reflexively dodged, forgetting that he couldn't be hit. Wendy roared in frustration, her fist finding her target, or so it would look to the naked eye. Max looked at his body as Wendy raised her fist.

"Okay, maybe this is somewhat handy," he said. Wendy continued to try to hit him, but failed everytime. "Um…you girls caught your second wind yet?"

"Just now," Elesis said, picking up her sword.

"Right…I'll just…stand here," Max said.

"Meteor!" Arme declared, meteors suddenly raining down on the area Wendy and Max occupied.

"Snipe Shot!" Lire fired off an arrow bathed in a green arrow, knocking Wendy away from Max, while Elesis came up with her sword.

"Sonic Wave!" Elesis pivoted on her foot, swinging her sword and releasing a pink wave of energy at Wendy, who finally fell, now unconscious. "Alright!" Elesis cheered, pumping her free fist. Lire dropped to her knees, breathing a sigh of relief.

* * *

"The three of you did a great job," a woman with blonde hair was saying. She was dressed in knight armor, her right hand resting on a saber stuck into the ground.

"Well, to be honest, Knight Master," Lire spoke up, "we did have some help."

"Oh?" Knight Master asked. The three girls pointed at Max, who was looking at a mounted claymore. "…So I'm not the only one who sees him."

"I'm not a ghost!" Max snapped. "Oh…sorry…"

"…Right…and what is your name?"

"Maxwell. But just Max is preferable."

"Ah. I see," Knight Master replied. "Well…seeing as how you helped these three in their trial, I have no choice but to extend membership as a knight of the Grand Chase to you, as well as assigning you to their team." Max's eyes wandered to the group of girls, sweatdropping as Lire tried to get Arme and Elesis to stop whatever argument they had started.

"Um…can I get a transfer?" he asked.

* * *

"So…what are we doing here?" Max asked. They were outside of a city, walking along the outer walls of it.

"There's been a problem with orcs and goblins attacking humans lately," Lire replied.

"And an orc looks like?"

"Like a bigger version of a goblin, but without a cap, sharper teeth, and a bigger club," Arme replied.

"These orcs are so troublesome," a voice said ahead of them. They looked up to a higher wall to see a man with a sword staring at the orcs and goblins. His hair was black and spiked, while around his shoulders was a dark grey jacket with a couple purple markings on it, black gloves with blue markings on his hands, his shirt and pants following a similar theme to the gloves, while his sword also held blue markings.

"Wait…is that the leader of the orcs?" Elesis shouted, Max sweatdropping.

"Doesn't really look like one," Max said, while the man turned to look at the group of four.

"Hm? Sorry, you say something?" the man asked.

"Who are you?" Elesis shouted, while Max and Lire shook their heads. The man just smirked.

"Name's Sieghart," he replied.

"Sieghart," Lire repeated. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

"Because that's my ancestor's name," Elesis replied through gritted teeth, Sieghart's ears perking.

"Ah? I thought you felt familiar," he said, smiling. "Well, I guess I'll leave these orcs to you. Oh, and if you see the Grand Chase, tell them I'll be waiting on the Xenia Continent." With that, he jumped off the wall.

"Hey, wait!" Max called, but to no avail. "And he's gone."

"Well, there's no helping it now," Arme said, shrugging. "By the way…what can you do?" Lire and Elesis turned their heads to look at Max, curious like Arme.

"Well…um…I can tap into my Zone Energy…if I actually had any right now," Max replied. "I don't know why, but for some reason, I can't feel my Zone Energy. But I can still absorb it from other things…"

"So, you're basically useless," Elesis said, Max stiffening.

"Well…I guess," Max sighed. "But these monsters and their bosses have very little Zone Energy in them. I just can't sustain it for very long."

"Well, what about us?" Lire asked. Max looked at the three, his eyes thoughtful.

"Well…maybe. You certainly have more Zone Energy than those monsters," Max said. "And I'd only need to take a fraction from each of you to be…somewhat combat ready. If you don't mind, of course." Elesis sighed.

"If it's the only way you'll be able to help us, then go ahead," Elesis said. "But don't try anything funny!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Max said. "So…who's first?" The three remained quiet. After a bit, Elesis exhaled heavily.

"Fine, I'll be first," she said. "Do…whatever it is you have to do."

"Right," Max said, extending his left hand towards her. Flame Zone Energy began to seep into his hand, connected to Elesis. He stopped after a couple of seconds. "Hm. Well, that wasn't too ba-FUCK!" Max keeled forward. "GAH, THAT BURNS!"

"Are you okay?" Lire asked, concerned, while Arme watched with mild interest. Max soon stopped, standing back up, flexing his hand.

"Not a pleasant experience," he replied. "Never expected that…Elesis, your Flame Zone Energy…almost rivals Blaze's heat. _Almost_." Max looked from Arme to Lire and back again. "Though now I'm almost scared to borrow anymore Zone Energy…from anyone…"

"Well, can you work with that bit?" Lire asked, Max thinking it over before shaking his head.

"Don't think so," he replied.

"Well…I'll be next then." Max nodded, extending his hand towards Lire, bracing for the pain. But none came. A relaxed expression fell on his face as a dark green Zone Energy flowed from Lire to him.

"Very…soothing," Max said. "I've never felt a Zone Energy like this before." Max stopped after a few seconds, as he had done with Elesis. "Well, Arme, that just leaves you." Arme shrugged as Max borrowed a little energy from her. "…Huh…just your average Wisdom Zone Energy."

"Oi! Are you the ones messing with my warriors?" a voice bellowed, just as Arme was about to ask what he meant by Wisdom Zone Energy. The group turned to look at a very large orc, this one with a chiseled build, wearing armor on his shoulders, a helmet, and holding a large hammer over his shoulder.

"An orc warrior…great, " Lire groaned.

"Why don't you try me on for size?" the orc warrior bellowed, walking towards them.

"You girls might wanna move behind me," Max said, holding up his hand, building a ball of Flame Zone Energy. He let it loose as the girls stepped behind him. When the ball hit the orc warrior, it exploded, flames shooting out, engulfing the warrior, who bellowed in rage and pain. Max staggered a bit, holding his head. "Whoa. Okay, apparently, if I do that, I lose whatever Zone Energy I have. I just used up about…actually, I used up all of the energy I borrowed from Elesis."

"So, does that mean it's gone for good?" Arme asked.

"Not quite. See, Zone Energy can actually restore over time, except in certain cases. Right now, my own Zone Energy can't restore itself because, for some reason unknown to myself, I have no Zone Energy of my own. But your Zone Energy will definitely restore. By tomorrow, or maybe even within the next half hour, you should be back to full power."

"So, what, you get a certain number of shots?" Elesis asked. Max nodded.

"Basically. But…I wonder if there's another way to make use of this Zone Energy," Max said, his arms crossed. "…Anyways, let's get back to Knight Master and let her know we've accomplished the mission here. I'll figure out what to do with this Zone Energy while we have some R and R."

"Assuming Knight Master lets us," Lire said, Arme sighing.

"A rest sounds really good, actually," Arme said. "Maybe we can talk her into it."

* * *

"Good job with the wall, knights," Knight Master said, greeting the group of four as they walked into the headquarters of the Grand Chase. "We are beginning to receive reports of orcs and goblins alike fleeing the walls. How did you do it so quickly?" Max held up his wrapped hand, while the girls all pointed at it. "Um…explain?"

"Absorbed a little Zone Energy from each of them, used all of the Flame Zone Energy I got from Elesis to shoot the orc warrior, and…well, this happened," Max said. "But it's very good fortune that I apparently had the necessary items on my person to salve and wrap my hand. Otherwise, it could have gotten bad." Max scratched the back of his head as he leaned against the wall, falling through. "Right. Intangible," came his voice from the other side of the wall.

"Hmm…Elesis, Lire, Arme," Knight Master said, turning to the three. "There have recently been reports about a Harpie Queen attacking the beach goers of Kerrie Beach. If you three could go check that out, I would greatly appreciate it. I would like Max to stay here for a while longer, until his hand is healed. Oh, and once you're done at Kerrie Beach, feel free to take a couple of days off there. Afterwards, I want you to begin heading towards Gaikoz's castle. We'll need to get it into our hands if we are to make our way to the Bermesiah Continent."

"Yes, ma'am," Lire said as she followed Elesis and Arme out the door. Once they were gone, Knight Master turned her attention to Max, who was now standing up.

"Follow me," she said, walking through the Grand Chase headquarters. They soon came to a door, through which she proceeded, Max following, jumping as the door suddenly slammed shut. Max looked around the area, a clearing in some woods. There was a fallen tree that looked like it was still alive against all odds. In the very center of the clearing was a wall. There were no other items.

"What…is this?" Max asked, looking at Knight Master.

"The training grounds of all Weaponizers and Guardians," she replied, turning to him. "My family has passed down the secrets of the training of Weaponizers and Guardians through the generations." Max's jaw had dropped, while Knight Master smiled. "Yes, I had a feeling that you would know what I meant by that. The fact that you can absorb others' Zone Energy is proof enough that you are a Weaponizer." She gestured to the wall before Max could respond. "That wall is the only thing that's been needed for training, both of Weaponizers and Guardians. However, Guardians normally have a second training level involving dummies, but it is doubtful that you would need it." She went over to the fallen tree, sitting down. "Now then, what you will have to do is climb that wall. Have fun." Max looked from her to the wall.

"You're…kidding, of course," Max said, a pleading smile on his face.

"No," Knight Master replied, her face serious. Max put his face between his hands, sitting down.

"Then we better get comfortable." After a few hours, Max was still staring at the wall, thinking, while Knight Master was whistling to herself as she whittled at a branch she had picked up earlier. "Wait a second…" Max stood up, looking at the wall. "Maybe…that's how dad did it." He looked at his hand, closing his eyes. Knight Master looked up as a sort of grappling hook shape began to appear in his hand, made of Arme's Wisdom Zone Energy. Max opened his eyes, looking at it. He then smirked at Knight Master. "This is what I had to do, right?" Max tossed the hook up, Zone Energy trailing it, connected to his palm. Once it cleared the top, Max gave it a little tug, stopping the rope of energy, also pulling the hook down onto the wall. He began to scale it and soon reached the top, dropping down on the other side as the rope and hook dissipated, flowing back into him. "Sweet. It's reusable."

"Very good," Knight Master said. "And how did you come to that conclusion so quickly?"

"Well…"

-Flashback starts here and-

"_Alright, Max," a younger James Escal was saying to a six year old Max. "This is something that you'll learn once you're older," he said. He pointed at a free standing training dummy. "Now, watch closely." Max watched as his father extended his hand towards the training dummy, pulling back. Max's eyes were filled with awe as the dummy came towards his father._

-ends here-

"My dad was showing me some stuff I would get to learn when I got older," Max said. "I'm pretty sure one of them was that rope thing. And the other was something he called the Escal Taijutsu." Knight Master's ears perked a bit at that.

"Did you say Escal?" she asked, standing up quickly.

"Er, yeah," Max replied. "My last name is Escal."

"I…see," she said. "And this…Escal Taijutsu. Did it involve mid-air combat?"

"Well, not quite," Max said. "It's nothing _but_ mid-air combat, with three basic ground moves used to launch the opponent into the air. But I could never understand how my dad was able to change his directions in mid-air. But now…I guess it makes sense now. Why?"

"One minute," Knight Master said. She walked into the woods. Max heard some grunting after a moment or two, quickly followed by Knight Master dragging in a free standing training dummy, very similar to the one his father had used. "Demonstrate," she said, Max doing a doubletake at the request.

"What? How?" he asked, nearly shouting.

"Just do it," she replied. "That's all there is to it."

"But…but," Max said. Max sat down hard, sighing. "And once I figure that out, then what?"

"Then you will track down your team and help them to take Gaikoz's castle."

* * *

"Wah! Get it off, get it off!" Elesis yelled, running around, her arms flailing.

"Ryan, I thought we talked about these pranks of yours," Lire said, sighing. Beside her was a teen with pointed ears like her. His skin was tanned, his hair an orange color, while his clothes were green, a large axe resting against his shoulder. He was rubbing the back of his head, looking down.

"Sorry," Ryan said. "Didn't realize she was that scared of spiders. But at least it's rubber."

"Things sure are lively now," Arme said, watching Elesis run back and forth. Ryan sighed, walked forward and plucking the rubber spider off of Elesis's head.

"Sorry," he said, tossing it over his shoulder.

"Jerk," Elesis mumbled, smacking Ryan in the back of his head.

"Yeah, I deserved that," he said.

"Well, if we can get back to the predicament at hand," Lire said, pointing at what looked like very large bees with brownish fur.

"Um…what are they?" Elesis asked.

"Those are Drillmon."

"Hmm…I wonder how they taste," Arme pondered, while the rest of the group took two steps away from the purple-haired mage. "What? Was it something I said?"

"Hey, who's that?" Elesis asked, pointing at a boy with blue hair. He was holding a sword in his hand, the blade white, while his outfit was mostly blue, a blue cloak fluttering in the wind from his shoulders.

"Hm? Ah, someone who can help me," the boy said, waving to them. "Hullo? I'm sorry, but may I ask for your help?"

"Who are you?" Elesis called back.

"I am Ronan, a spell knight of the Kanavan Guard," was his reply. "I must get through this gorge to reach Gaikoz's castle, but I can't just let these fiends continue attacking the nearby town. Perhaps you could handle this problem?"

"What do you think?" Lire asked her companions.

"Well, we're heading the same way as him," Arme pointed out.

"True, but we're also Grand Chase knights," Lire replied. "It's our duty to help those who are in trouble, regardless of our current mission."

"Then let's do it," Ryan said, brandishing his axe. "Alright," he called over to Ronan. "We'll handle things here. You go on ahead."

Ronan sighed, nodding his head in relief. "Thank you. I wish you the best of luck," he called back. "Oh, before I go, allow me to leave you with a little help." He held up his hand, his sword now pointing at the ground. "Holy Bless!" A circle of blue light appeared around him, while around Elesis, Lire, Arme, and Ryan, blue swords began to float around them. "That should make things a little easier." And with that, Ronan was gone, running past the Drillmon.

"Oh, wow," Ryan said. "I feel…really powerful right now."

"Holy Bless," Lire said, tapping her chin, her arms crossed. "I think that's a power enhancing spell."

"Sweet," Ryan grinned. "That just means we can pound more of these guys before we get tired, right?"

* * *

"Come on, come on," Max said, jumping after the training dummy. But he fell back down, panting. "Out of…Zone Energy…"

"Hm. Three days and you're just now running out," Knight Master said. "Alright then. I give you permission."

"Huh?"

"This tree. I give you permission to use the Zone Energy in this tree," she replied. "Every generation in my family has literally beaten their Zone Energy into this tree from the time they became a trainer to the time they died. Roughly anywhere from sixty to eighty years apiece."

"Wha? What the hell?" Max said as he held his hand out to the tree. "There's…so much! There's Zone Energy I've never even felt before!" His eyes narrowed as he began to sift through the individual energies. "And…I can have as much as I need?" Knight Master nodded. "Alright then…I'll begin to master the Escal Taijutsu with this!"

* * *

"So, tomorrow we face Gaikoz," Arme said, the group sitting around a fire.

"Yeah. Hard to believe it's already been a week and four days since we left the Grand Chase headquarters," Lire replied. "But Max still hasn't shown up. Are you sure we shouldn't wait a bit longer for him?"

"No," Elesis said. "We've gotten this far without his help. We can do this."

"Besides, he's useless without that Zone Energy thingamajig he was talking about," Arme added. Lire sighed, nodding.

"I guess you have a point there," she said.

"Well, I don't know who this Max guy is, but he sounds interesting," Ryan spoke up. The three girls nodded.

"You could say that," Arme said. "Scared the crap out of the goblins and orcs."

"Ah. That explains why they kept running away from you three in the forest," Ryan said, thinking back to his first meeting with the three.

"Anyways, we sho- LOOK OUT!" Lire shouted, shooting at something behind Ryan. He jumped forward and turned around to see a skeleton with a katana and hat, pulling an arrow out of its eye socket.

"Oh, shit! Ghost bladers! We're closer to the castle than we thought!"

* * *

"Man, at this rate, I won't catch up to them before they reach the castle," Max said, firing off Sea Zone Energy at a mini stone golem. "Alright, almost there." He ran for a few minutes, coming to the smoldering remains of a campfire. "Damn. Must have just missed them." He looked around, suddenly stopping as he saw some of Lire's arrows. "Oh, this doesn't bode well for them." He continued forward, stopping as he came to a group of ghost bladers. "Alright, I really haven't got the time for this," Max said as he ran forward to meet them. One of them swung down and caught him in the shoulder, surprising Max. "Shit. Looks like these guys _can _hit me. I'll bet their boss can, too." Max jumped back a bit. "Alright, then. You guys brought this on yourselves."

* * *

"Damn it, quit moving around!" Elesis growled, swinging at a man wearing samurai armor, easily three times their size, who continued to disappear in smoke.

"Elesis, behind you!" Ronan yelled, tackling her out of the way of their opponent's blade.

"Gaikoz sure is a hard ghost to fight," Ryan panted, dodging the rocks Gaikoz threw up with his sword.

"Those who interfere with my plans and those of Lady Kaze'aze shall perish," Gaikoz said, raising his sword over Ronan and Elesis, the two tangled from Ronan's earlier save.

"I don't think so!" Max exclaimed, his foot smashing into Gaikoz's gut, sending the ghost swordsman back.

"Max!" Lire, Arme, and Elesis all exclaimed, both surprised and relieved that he was there.

"Hey, girls," Max said. "Sorry I took so long. But I got stuck at that Forbidden Barrows place. Yeah, you missed a Lich."

"Not the time," Elesis said, a tick mark pumping on her forehead.

"Right, sorry," Max said, rubbing the back of his head. He turned to look at Gaikoz, who was picking himself up. "Howdy. I noticed that you were just playing with my friends, but it looks like you got a little rough. How about you let them rest and I'll play with you for bit." Max dodged as Gaikoz appeared behind him, swinging his sword down. "Fast, huh?"

"You will perish for interfering in my plans," Gaikoz said.

"Yeah, no," Max replied. "You know, I'm not normally one for making up moves on the fly, but I think I can make an exception." He jumped up, coming face level with Gaikoz. "Ice Axe!" His left foot swung through the air, making contact with Gaikoz's right shoulder, which froze, all the way to his hand. "Jet Kick!" His body's momentum suddenly changed as his right foot swung around to shatter the ice and also make contact with Gaikoz's face, sending the swordsman flying through the air. "Oh, no you don't!" Max threw a rope of Zone Energy at Gaikoz. "I'm not done with you!" He yanked, pulling himself closer to Gaikoz and vice versa, kicking straight up, his momentum changing again. Gaikoz was sent straight up, and Max threw another rope, this one used to pull himself higher than Gaikoz. "Lesson number 53 of Escal Taijutsu! Always climb whenever possible!" Max created two ropes, one for each hand, throwing them at the ground, one on either side of Gaikoz. "Ground Jet!" Max yanked with all his might, changing all of his momentum into a straight downward force, his feet landing in Gaikoz's gut. The momentum of the kick sent them into the ground, making a large crater, Max jumping out of said crater. He looked back to see some very shocked faces. "…Too much?"

"Uh…uh…"

"Oh, crap, I think I just broke Elesis's brain," Max said, sighing.

"Ghost bladers!" Elesis yelled, pointing behind Max. Max turned around, while Lire, Arme, Ryan, Ronan, and Elesis took up positions behind him.

"Oh…you guys again," Max said. His pupils began to glow red and he held his hand out towards them. "You really wanna do this again?" The skeletons began to shake in fear as Max took a step closer. "…Boo…" And with that, the skeletons ran away, many screaming.

"Uh…you…when…EXPLAIN PLEASE!" Elesis shouted, while Ryan and Ronan plugged their ears.

"Not so loud," they both groaned.

* * *

"And that's about the time I got here," Max finished. "Those Paradom thingies were such a pain in the ass to fight."

"Wait…you said thingies…as in multiple," Lire said.

"Yeah. I had about three to five of them at once to fight. The minnies just kept getting in the way," Max said. "Will, J, and Sasuke would have loved to take those things apart. I'll bet Will could even fix up the old defense system if he could get his hands on even one of them. Of course, he'd have to be careful not to destroy it when fighting," Max said thoughtfully, the five knights sweatdropping.

"You seem so casual about it," Elesis said.

"Well, yeah. Those things were so easy," Max said. "Even with my body wounded, I could have gotten through them in about two minutes. In fact, most of team would be able to do the same, though Sonic X might take a minute."

"Your team must be insanely strong," Ronan said as Ryan ate a hunk of meat.

"I'd like to meet these guys sometime," Ryan said.

"Well, first chance I get if I ever get back to my body is to either bring them here or bring you there," Max said.

"Wow! Another world!" Elesis said. "Promise?"

"On my honor as a Guardian," Max said, smiling. He stopped when everyone looked at him, their eyes shocked. "What?"

"Max…your body," Ryan said, pointing. Max looked down to see his legs doing an imitation of a netnavi derezzing.

"What the hell?" He looked around the group as his body continued to disappear bit by bit. He then sighed, smiling. "Maybe my time is up in this Zone." He gave them a thumbs up. "But I promise, I will visit again. And Ryan, stay away from those cactuses, alright?" Ryan nodded, laughing. And that was the last sound Max heard.

* * *

"Wha?" Max sat up, his eyes snapping open. "Where…what happened?" He looked around to see he was in one of the infirmary beds back at the HQ. "What…"

"Oh, you're awake," Mikoto said, looking up from a clipboard. "You had your team worried for a while there." Mikoto put the board down, walking around to Max's side, picking up his wrist. "Hm. Pulse is perfect. Pupils are dilating properly," he continued as he held a light up to Max's eyes. "Everything seems to be okay. Though I'm rather surprised, considering that you haven't been put on an IV at all in the past two weeks."

"Uh…two…right, right, two weeks there is the same as two weeks here," Max said to himself.

"Uh, sorry? Didn't quite catch that."

"Oh, it's nothing," Max said, looking at his fist. _I can still feel that Zone Energy…so maybe it wasn't a dream,_ he thought to himself. _Guess I better stop by there sometime soon to see them again._ "I was just talking to myself," Max said out loud. "So…I'm pretty sure I'm at HQ, but, uh…I don't recognize you."

"Oh, apologies. I'm Mikoto Aoune-Blaze. Your daughter ran into me while at the hospital in search of doctors for this team of yours," Mikoto said, extending his hand. Max shook it, nodding.

"Ah. So, you came to help out. Well, thanks. I'm not sure how the fight ended, but the last thing I remember is how beat up everyone else was," Max said. "Speaking of which, how is everyone else?"

"They're all okay. Er, J, I believe, was in critical for a couple of days. A man named Cossak came by and helped with him. I don't know if I've ever seen a netnavi so torn up before."

"You need to meet Beamer when he's pissed, then," Max said, sweatdropping. "I don't think the poor guy's out of rehab yet."

"Er, yes, perhaps some other time," Mikoto said. He glanced at the clock on the wall. "Ah. Sorry, but I must be going now. Other matters to attend to."

"Of course. Hey, can I get out of this bed?" Max asked.

"Well, I don't see why not. Your injuries healed very quickly while you were unconscious and everything else seems to be working properly. But if you begin to feel light-headed or your legs begin to ache, then you should rest as soon as possible."

"Alright," Max nodded. "Thanks again."

* * *

**You already know who owns Mikoto. I don't own any of the characters of Grand Chase, which would be the characters introduced in this chapter. Jump to Cybernetic Blue Blur: Battle! if you want to see what's been happening while Max was in a coma. Please Review.**


	113. Special Intermission: The April Fools

**Special Intermission: The April Fools**

"Nooooo!"

"What's going on! Is Scourge here?" Sonic X asked as everyone ran into the rec room.

"Worse! We missed April Fools Day!" Shinobi cried as Naruto pointed at a calendar in sadness.

"Honestly?" Sasuke sweatdropped.

"What do you mean 'honestly?'" Naruto and Shinobi screamed.

"It's just April Fools Day," Hub blinked.

"Just…? Just April Fools Day? Baka-baka-baka!" the two snapped at Hub.

"It's only the greatest day next to Halloween and Christmas!" Shinobi barked.

"Yeah, yeah!" Naruto nodded.

"You're overreacting. It's just one day," Meiru rolled her eyes as Ryuu nodded, sitting on all fours beside her.

"Any…" Naruto held back a snort of laughter, "…luck with getting that pill to work?"

"…Shut up," Meiru growled before flicking a wall with her left pinky, making it collapse, "Or else this is what will happen to your lower jaw."

"…Okay…" Sasuke sweatdropped.

"Dang it, Meiru! I just had that wall fixed when Holo-P got Shinobi!" Max complained.

"On it," Ed, Scar, and Al sighed as they began to use Alchemy to repair the hole.

"I need some coffee…" Shadow muttered as everyone began to leave the two ninjas alone.

"You know, this is actually the first time those two missed an April Fools Day," Netto frowned.

"Do you think that it will cause something bad to happen?" Sasuke pondered.

"Maybe, Niisan, maybe," Netto replied, "Meiru-chan, Ryuu-san, be careful around Naruto and Shinobi."

"Hai," Meiru nodded before Ryuu pulled her off, "Sorry! Have to go see what Ryuu found!"

"I can guess what he found and it's on you!" Kyuubi grinned before ducking a kitchen sink, "Is Haruka here?"

"Hide the weapons!" Sasuke screamed.

"I swear…" Meiru muttered as she pocketed a kitchen sink she had pulled out of her Hammerspace before Ryuu resumed taking her elsewhere.

"He-he-he-he-he-he…" Naruto snickered as he drew up plans.

"Heh-heh-heh-heh…" Shinobi chuckled as he prepped the supplies.

"Time for…" Naruto began.

"April Fools!" Shinobi finished.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha..." the two of them chuckled together as they stepped forward to complete their plans.

"You think everyone was too hard on the two, Turbo?" Rayne asked.

"Maybe," her AM-Ian partner replied, "They have yet to miss an April Fools Day from what Naruto's siblings told us. It must be horrible for them."

"Hey. Why don't we make them some good ramen?" Rayne asked.

"I agree," Turbo nodded.

It was then Rayne tripped a wire. The two screamed as a giant pie landed on them. The two poked their heads out of the pie and shook off the cream on their faces. The two turned to each other and screamed, seeing their faces were covered in clown paint. A paper landed on Rayne's face.

"'April Fools?'" Rayne read, "Shinobi! Naru-Baka!"

"Forget the ramen! Revenge!" Turbo screamed…tripping another wire above him by accident and made a pie hit him in the face, "Oh come on…"

"Is it coconut? I just love coconut," Rayne grinned.

"Shut up."

Shinobi and Naruto snickered as Ryuu walked around a corner, slumped. He hated when Meiru vanished somewhere. They grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him to them.

"Easy there, Ryuu," Naruto whispered as he covered the half-dragon's mouth.

"Yosh. Wanna help us out?" Shinobi asked, earning a nod from Ryuu after a few moments, "Excellent. Now then, what we're going to do, we'll leave out Meiru, Roll, Cyber, and Maylu, okay?"

"Meiru!" Ryuu grinned with a nod.

"I still can't believe the only words you can say are still 'Maylu,' 'Curry,' 'Sonic,' and 'Meiru,'" Naruto muttered, "Okay, here's what we need you to do…"

Toriko hummed to himself as Beamer served him another Flamer. Toriko's shoulder was tapped. While he turned to look at who tapped him, Ryuu injected something into the pizza and hid. Toriko shrugged as he looked back at his meal. He ate the whole thing in one bite before screaming and running to the bathroom. Ryuu poked his head out from under the table as Naruto and Shinobi poked out from under a table C.C. was sitting at before she had the same reaction from her extra-extra-extra cheese pizza.

"Told you that concentrated liquid laxative would come in handy," Shinobi grinned as Kage laughed, falling over and out from under Toriko's table.

"Excuse me…But did I just hear you four tampered with my pizza?"

"Uh oh…" Naruto and Shinobi paled as they saw Beamer glaring down at them, "Run!"

Shadow looked through a pile of files. Each one was on the members of Team DaiRyuusei and what the Zone Watchers had recorded of them. It seemed that there was a pattern in the beginning of the moment they left a world in their Zone; someone was kidnapped on that world a few minutes afterwards.

"So, at first, the Absolute Hunters simply followed around Team DaiRyuusei and kidnapped the Smashers and Assists picked there," Viral frowned, "It's possible this was before Mana appeared in their ranks with his cronies."

"We just checked where Hub recalled where the Absolute Hunters' base was. I can't believe it was at Mount Fuji in the world Ryuu and Sonic X left nearly five years ago to begin training on other worlds," Jing noted.

"The whole place was cleaned out except for one room. It was the late-Chaud Blaze's room," Kir added, "It was…disturbing to say the least."

"Disturbing? Disturbing like dead bodies?" Scar asked.

It was then that a pink Bomb-Omb landed before them all. The five screamed before the Bomb-Omb exploded, coating them all in pink paint. Shadow's left eye twitched, knowing just who was responsible. A note, depicting a Chibi-Naruto and a Chibi-Shinobi holding a banner that read 'April Fools!' with a Chibi Ryuu sitting between them, having chibi dragon appendages and wagging his tail happily.

"We shouldn't have let them be…" Shadow growled.

"Okay, I'll tell them," Kyuubi sighed as he hung the phone up, "Naruto! Shinobi! Kage! Ryuu! Get you bums down here this instant!"

Shinobi's voice gave off a Peter Griffin laugh. Kyuubi frowned as he entered the rec room.

"I am serious, guys. Beamer, Toriko, and C.C. are livid at you three, C.C. especially," Kyuubi warned, "I know you're in here somewhere."

"But where?" Naruto's voice asked.

"Guys, I swear if you prank me, C.C. will be the least of your worries," Kyuubi warned.

"You've got to find us first, old fart. Where could we be" Shinobi's voice grinned.

"Well, there's a Kwan-set Hut I've never seen in this room before. I've gotta figure you're in there."

"How do you know, Kyuubi? We could be in that New York Style Magazine Kiosk," Naruto's voice replied.

"Naruto, this all looks very expensive."

"Yes, you might say it was…_shockingly_ expensive," Naruto's voice snickered.

"I'm going to try the Kwan-set Hut," Kyuubi stated before Ryuu emerged from the closet and got Kyuubi in the bum with a bug zapper, making him go through the roof as the others came out, laughing.

"We were in the bathroom the whole time, Kyuubi!" Naruto gloated, "With Ryuu in the closet with our Bug Zapper."

"The hut and the kiosk? Decoys, Kyuubi, decoys!" Shinobi gloated.

"April Fools!" the two gloated before they went off with Ryuu and a laughing Kage.

"…You're going to pummel me now, aren't you, Miss. Sakurai?" Kyuubi's muffled voice emerged from the roof when a pink gloved fist slammed his head into the ground, "…Yep…"

"Hentai!" Cyber barked before covering the hole with a rug to resume getting dressed.

"Okay, this has gone long enough!" Will snapped, his hair a vivid shade of sapphire.

Agreements echoed across the room. Hub had a bruise on his head when he chased a laser pointer's 'dot' into a wall multiple times, Mirajane had her clothes dyed yellow-and she hated wearing yellow-, all but Komatsu's best knife were bent, Rayne and Turbo had pie cream on their clothing and bodies, Ruka, Inuyasha, Wulf, and Rockman's hair were all messed up, Megaman was wearing his bed's blanket to avoid letting people see the pink dress that was in his closet after his shower, the only piece of clothing in his room, Chaud's hair had been dyed pink just like Lan and Netto's had, Tails had his namesakes tied up in a bow, Eggman was growing grass on the top of his head, Greymon's mouth had been glued shut by fake pretzel logs along with all the other Digimon except DarkKnightmon, who was in a clown costume, Nene's lab coat was doodled all over, small sparks came off many of the others from being Bug Zapped, Omega-Xis and WarRock were wearing baby outfits with Lyra and Harp being tarred and feathered, Misora and Sonia literally had pink skin, Geo and Subaru were glued together, Max's jacket had become a vivid shade of pink, X was stuck to Will for some reason while Will had multiple frying pans on his head with an anvil for added measure, Zero's hair was done in multiple bows, Pandora and Ash wore barrels with heavy blushes, Ace currently had blue skin, Axl grumbled as a pink-haired Ash and pink dress-wearing Ashe pulled on the glued water guns resembling his normal blasters, Ed and Al grumbled as they tried to pull the gum out of Cheetor's fur while he did the same with them (Ed's hair in his case), Sasuke ignored the fact his hair was shaped like a chicken's head, Julie muttered about 'freezing them forever' as she scratched herself due to the itching powder in her clothes, J was in a black duck costume since he was glued into it, and a blushing, heavily-bruised Megaman was currently looking away from a heavily-blushing Roll since he had fallen into the bathtub when she was in it from the prankers making a hole above it and hiding it under a rug before he stepped on the hole and fell through. In fact, the only ones that were not pranked were those not mentioned (except for Roll, which was a 2-for-1 deal for the prankers).

"I demand their heads on pikes!" C.C. growled, a dark aura radiating off her with the bird-sigil appearing on her forehead, "They will pay for the precious being ruined!"

"Ain't no one gonna be hurtin' my plushy!" Meiru snapped, her shadow reshaping to resemble Obelisk the Tormentor with glowing red eyes in it as it glared down at the female immortal.

"I say we neuter them all…except Ryuu, of course," Misora giggled nervously as the shadow began to glare at her.

"No survivors…" Kyuubi growled as he juggled a three-pronged kunai with malicious intent.

"All in favor of killing them?" Meiru asked, earning raised hands from everyone but those not-pranked, "What is wrong with you all? It's just a prank."

"I hate pranks…" Netto seethed.

"Unless we perform them," Lan added, getting a nod from Netto.

"Then why not prank them back?" Maylu asked.

_"Momma wight! Momma wight!"_ Victini agreed in Maylu's lap, _"Pwank! Pwank!"_

"Now, now everyone, why don't we all just _calm_ down, take a few deep breaths, and have a nice sit-down while we talk through a more sensible course of action and I light some jasmine-scented relax_ation_ candles," Onii-San pleaded for Naruto and Shinobi's safety as he set out enough chairs for everyone, then proceded to light some jasmine-scented candles.

"Fine," all those pranked grumbled before sitting on their given chairs.

***BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT***

At that moment everyone leapt out of their chairs to find a deflated whoopie cushion in their seats. The next moment they all turned to Onii-San with narrowed eyes.

"Onii-San...!" everyone growled with narrowed eyes, but stopped when said combat teacher pulled out a whoopie cushion too.

"Okay. Now is everyone in favor on hunting them?" Nazo asked. Having not been made of actual matter but of EM Waves, he didn't "set off" the whoopie cushion.

"Nope," Meiru replied, "I'll hunt down the two pranksters, but not Ryuu-kun."

"Is this because of your nightly excursions?" Onii-San asked before Meiru held up an entire kitchen above her head, "Okay! Okay! I get it! Don't kill me! Kill Nazo instead!"

"Hey…"

"Now let's go hunting!" Onii-San declared as he blew a bugle and donning an Elmer Fudd outfit, "Be vewy, vewy quiet. We'we hunting pwankews. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha."

"So…it's come down to this, eh?" Shinobi smirked before dispelling himself to let the original know of the plans.

"Why are we wearing these?" Tails asked, wearing an Elmer Fudd outfit much like everyone else there.

"Onii-San's idea," Misora replied, "He says because it's after Easter."

"Shh! I found Shinobi's tracks," Kyuubi sushed as he pointed at a trail of pranking materials.

"Good job," Rockman nodded before going down on all fours and began to sniff the tracks, "Oh yeah. That's them all right."

With that, everyone ran down the trail of pranking materials. Soon, they came upon a rabbit hole. Beside it was a mailbox reading 'Prank Hole.'

"Okay! We know you're in there! Come out there with your pranks up!" Eggman ordered as he shoved a gun down the hole.

The gun was pulled out of his hands and into the hole. The hole then spat it back out, bent into a bow. Eggman's left eye twitched. He pulled out a stick of dynamite, lit it, and threw it down the hole, using Toriko as a cover for it.

"Why me?" Toriko demanded until he shot up into the air, Ryuu's right index finger pointed upwards where Toriko's right bum cheek was, "Eeyow!"

The dynamite shot up into the air and landed in Yuck's hands. Yuck scowled before the dynamite exploded. The smoke cleared and a singed Yuck expelled a long trail of smoke before collapsing. Shinobi poked his head out from a tree-hole away from the others before using a henge to look like Bugs Bunny.

"Eh? What's up, doc?" Shinobi asked as he munched on a carrot while in a rabbit outfit.

"We're after Shinobi, Naruto, Kage, and Ryuu. Mainly the first three," Lan replied.

"Oh? Was one of them part of another shadow?"

"Yeah."

"Another was a NetNavi?"

"Yep."

"And one was a ninja while the other acted like a semi-animal?"

"Exactly!"

"Nope. Never heard of them," Shinobi shrugged before walking off.

"Aw man…" Netto slumped.

"Matte. Shinobi!" Sasuke barked as he threw a kunai at the 'rabbit'.

"Yipe," Shinobi gulped before jumping out of the hole before diving back into it, just barely having it slice into his rabbit tail.

"Get back here!" Eggman snapped as he aimed a bazooka into the hole and fired, blowing up the tree and turning it into nothing but woodchips. "There. I'm feeling much better."

"Eh…I don't think so, doc," Naruto grinned as he popped up behind Eggman and gave him a wet willy.

"Why you…!" Eggman growled before Max and Sasuke tackled him, trying to get Naruto before he jumped onto a tree branch with a laughing Shinobi and Kage beside him.

"After them!" everyone barked.

Onii-San collapsed, laughing, as he watched the chase and pranks on a TV. Beside him, Ryuu was sleeping in Meiru's lap, letting her run a hand through his hair. Nazo sighed as he watched Kage-having turned into a black and yellow creature with an extremely long tail-use his tail to tie up Will, J, and Subaru before hitting them with seltzer.

"So this was _your_ prank?" Meiru asked.

"You betcha!" Onii-San grinned, "Those guys were all too easy to fool. But, uh, how'd you know Ryuu was still in here?"

"Easy; he never leaves the place unless I'm not here," Meiru explained, "He's still running on instinct, remember?"

"Yep. But weren't you here when they went out to prank Toriko and C.C. at Beamer's?"

"No. I was getting something private," Meiru replied, blushing a bit.

"Oh, I see. My wife doesn't like to talk about that time of the month either," Onii-San grinned, earning a ladle to the face.

"But I still don't get how they got you," Meiru frowned. "I'd think with everything you could do, you'd be the _last _person they'd prank."

"Oh, they didn't get me. Those whoopee cushions were all _my_ idea," Onii-San grinned like a madman. "I just needed to add fuel to the fire to get this prank rolling."

"…For some reason, I want to hit you with a frying pan," Meiru scowled.

"A frying pan? Are you trying to kill me?" Onii-San exclaimed, "You know frying pans are worse than a sword. Just ask Flynn Rider."

"…I'm not even going to respond to that comment."

"You just did," Nazo noted, earning him a kitchen sink to the face before his head popped out of the pipe connected to the sink. "Good night, folks."

"You know, you could've just let that pass through you," Onii-San stated from his chair.

"Shut up," Nazo grunted as he allowed the sink to pass through his ethereal body.

* * *

**This chapter was written by Gammatron as part of a deal we made about a year ago. Sorry it's a little late.**


	114. A Second Tournament Invitation

**A Second Tournament Invitation**

"Door," Will called from the lab as the doorbell rang. He, J, and Sasuke were currently trying to meld two very unstable pieces of equipment together, while Eggman and Tails hid behind a transparent blast shield.

"Explain to me again why Sasuke and I can't hide behind that thing with Eggy and Tails," J said.

"Because I'm not going to die alone," Will said matter-of-factly.

"If you are trying to instill confidence in J and myself, then you are doing a very poor job," Sasuke said. Max shook his head as he walked past the lab, heading to the door to open it.

"Can we please go more than two days without an explosion?" Kassie asked as she passed Max walking into the lab with drinks for the scientists. Max opened the door, J's reply lost as he stared at a person who looked very similar to Ayame Sohma from Fruits Basket, save that this one wore a white and silver version of his outfit, had golden eyes, and had only his right arm.

"Ah, Max, just the person I wanted to talk to," the person said, Max stepping back.

"Um…"

"You don't recognize me, do you?" Max shook his head. "Oh, right, I never showed you this form." The person snapped their fingers, transforming into Master Hand, before Master Hand snapped himself and quickly turned back to the human form.

"Master Hand," Max said. "You know, I really should be more surprised, but after all the crap that's happened since first meeting you, very few things surprise me." Max stepped to the side, gesturing for Master Hand to come inside.

* * *

"Alright, you have the entire team," Max said.

"Both of them," Ruka added. Both teams were now seated in the main living room, Master Hand at the head of the room.

"I have come with an invitation," Master Hand said.

"For another tournament?" Tenshi Zero asked.

"Yes, Zero. A tournament. But, unlike Smash Tournaments in years past, this one shall be a single elimination style tournament, the first Smash Tournament of its kind," Master Hand replied. "Because of this, however, we must shorten the list of fighters attending. And six people from each of the two teams gathered here are on it." Master Hand looked at both teams. "From Maxwell's team, Maxwell Escal, Tenshi Zero, Grey, William Star, Lan Hikari cross-fused with Megaman, and Geo Stelar competing. Do you six accept?"

"I never pass off a good fight," Tenshi Zero replied.

"We're always ready," Lan and Megaman said together.

"I'm all for it," Will said, Grey and Geo nodding their agreement, while Max simply said yes.

"Alright then. And from Team DaiRyuusei, Ryuu Hikari, Hub Hikari, Misora, Cyber, Rayne Adamant, and Toriko," Master Hand listed.

"Kick bum!" Ryuu roared.

"Oh yeah!" Hub grinned as his body flared with his flames for a few seconds.

-Excellent- Model D growled -Woman, you better not admit defeat until there is no other option besides the end!-

"Yeah!" Rayne whooped as she did a flip.

"Guess we're going to be fighting, Cyber-chan," Meiru giggled.

"Hai," Cyber nodded before looking over at Roll, "We're going to have a break from training for this."

"Oh, thank Arceus!" Roll exclaimed in relief.

"Is it really that bad?" Sonic X asked.

"You tied me to a tree branch and set a rope you had tied onto it on fire and made me have to dislocate my left shoulder to get out," Roll deadpanned.

"Hey, you got out before it was halfway there," Sonic X replied, "You did a lot better than me. Took me five times getting set on fire before I got it."

"Twice," Cyber addedm making everyone slowly stare at them.

"What?" both asked.

"Ryuu talk. Talk Shifu," Ryuu frowned.

"Not like that, you're not," Lan sweatdropped.

"Oh my..." Master Hand gasped, "Is everything all right with our half-dragon here?"

"...Iie, Master Hand," Meiru replied, "This man, DaiRyuuseiKiller, he...he used something called 'Geass' on him and it's...broken his mind."

"It has? Mewtwo," Master Hand called as the Ultimate Pokemon Clone appeared.

_"You called?"_

"I need a mind scan on our friend here."

_"Very well,"_ Mewtwo nodded before placing a hand on Ryuu's forehead before moving it away after a few minutes, _"It's completely shattered in nearly all but his memories, vocal patterns-though they are still recovering-and his body movements. However, anything related to magic or spirits have all but been destroyed and irreparable."_

"So even if he recovers, he won't be completely recovered," Netto frowned.

_"Correct. I will be taking my leave. Mystogan and I are needed at the Fairy Tail Guild to deliver the Starters for the new members,"_ Mewtwo nodded before teleporting away.

"Ryuu-kun..." Meiru whispered as Ryuu looked down at the floor when he began to grin.

"No worry! Ryuu not! Ryuu excited! Ryuu fight! Ryuu win! For Meiru!" Ryuu declared.

"It won't be that easy, child," Master Hand chuckled, "You're fighting Smash Veterans as well as those asked on Maxwell's team along with your own."

"By any chance, have you managed to get that Temporal Trophy of yours working yet?" Meiru asked.

"Well, actually, Crazy Hand just figured it out. Amazing at what glue can do," Master Hand chuckled.

* * *

Lockdown sneezed. Rampage looked up from the large plate of lobsters he was eating in Beast Mode to look up at him.

"Lockdown okay, kani?" Rampage asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Think I caught something that's messing with my pipes," Lockdown replied.

"Okay, kani," Rampage nodded before consuming his lobsters.

* * *

"Are you sure you can do this?" Will asked as Max was finishing packing his bag. "You just came out of a two week coma, Max. We still aren't entirely sure that you're fully recovered."

"I'm fine," Max replied. "Mikoto gave me a clean bill of health."

"But does Mikoto know that you're about to participate in a Smash Tournament?"

"Does Mikoto even know about the Smash Tournament?" Max asked in turn.

"I'll just go pack my stuff," Will said, walking out of the room. Max shook his head, grinning.

In other parts of the HQ, everyone was packing items that they would need while at the tournament, while those invited were adding weapons and armor to their list of necessities. "Shit. Where did I put that saber?" Tenshi Zero asked himself as he dug through the armory near his room, throwing out other weapons while he searched for his trademark sword. He heard a thunk and turned around to see Hub was the unfortunate landing platform for a rocket launcher. "Whoops. Sorry, Hub." He then went back to looking for his weapon, while Hub lay there unconscious.

"Ten minutes and you're getting left behind," J called down the hallways, making sure everyone could hear him. Ten minutes later, everyone but Shoutmon and Greymon was in front of the HQ.

"Where are those two?" Tails pondered.

* * *

"We were sailing along..." Shoutmon sang drunkedly as he and Greymon stumbled around on a mountain of beer cans in the hole.

"On moonlight ba~ay!"

"We could hear teh voices singing!"

"They seem to say~!" Greymon slurred.

* * *

Max and J trying to figure out the best way to get them there. Right now, J was pointing out the obvious fact that Max's sword so far could only move ten people at max, while the teleporter could only do twelve at most at a time before it needed a cool down. Leaving the Zone Transfer. "It's the only other option we have," J said, Max nodding in agreement after a bit.

"But this is gonna hurt like _haran_," Max said. Max would now switch his curses to Mando'a whenever one or both of Cyber's twins were around, but he just knew that one day, he would have to explain to Cyber what those words meant. And he wasn't looking forward to that day.

"Max, if there were any other option, then I would love to hear it…no, seriously, any other option? Please!" Max shook his head and J sighed. "_Shab_." J turned to address Ryuu's team. "Alright, we now have our way of getting there…but before we go…anyone have a fear of heights?" Team DaiRyuusei simply stared in confusion. "Right. Max?"

"Zone Transfer!" both of them declared, the usual light filling the area before both teams were gone. When they appeared above Smash Manor, Will grudgingly handed ten bucks to Sasuke as they began to fall the two hundred and sixteen yards that Sasuke had predicted to the decimal.

* * *

"I think they're here," Blaze said to Master Hand, in human form, moving his pawn to take one of Master Hand's own pawns, while the ground rumbled for a second as if something very large had landed just outside the mansion. "Pyre, would you go check for us?"

"Certainly, councilor," Pyre said, stepping back into the shadows briefly. When he came back into view, he was laughing. "Th-they are c-certainly here, councilor," Pyre said as he continued to laugh.

"It would seem they have made an entrance," Master Hand said.

"In truth, I would have been disappointed if they had not arrived in 'style'," Blaze said. He stood up, knocking his king down. "So, shall we greet them?" Blaze asked Master Hand, who also stood up, nodding.

* * *

"Ryuu-kun, as much as I love your head being there, not in front of others, okay?" Meiru asked, earning a sad nod from Ryuu.

"And _that_ is one of the rules; No intercourse during the tournament," Master Hand chuckled as he and Blaze walked down the stairs.

"Oh my...Aren't these two precious," Blaze smiled softly as he tickled the infant twins' chins, earning giggles from the two.

"Just don't curse or I'll kill you," Cyber threatened with a smile on her face and a cheery disposition, making Blaze slowly move away from her.

"It's a pleasure to have you all here once again," Master Hand smiled softly, "Now then, please follow me. I have something you'll all want to see."

"Um...Isn't this where we normally go when we're heading for the Virtual Teleporter?" Misora asked as they followed the reality-bending figure before them.

"Yes, but that's the surprise," Master Hand chuckled.

With that, they entered the room. Nearly everyone collapsed in shock and awe. What was once a mere chamber for teleporting to Stages had become a mssive coliseum. The stands were equipped with tables that would instantly teleport a meal to those watching. The floor also had a special circuit-pattern on it.

"I thank you and Ryuu for the idea, Maxwell," Master Hand smiled softly, "You both complained once about the problem of simply watching the fights on the TV. So, I began to work on this. I do have to thank Engine 9, Engine Jumbowhale, for delivering so many parts I needed from Engine World to get this ready."

"So now we can watch this up close," Will noted.

"Indeed. The coliseum floats up to a safe distance while the floor transforms into the Stage. The Stages are more massive and complex than before. Furthermore, the ones who are in the stand will be those who have a ticket for them, and the Smashers and Assists."

"Really?" Cyber gasped.

"Indeed. Furthermore, since this is the first of its kind, I've asked for new Assists to try this. I believe six certain ninjas in your group know of five, Maxwell," Master Hand smirked.

"Them?" Shinobi screamed.

"Yo," a man waved to Shinobi, smiling. The man wore a heavy red coat with gold buttons on either side; under it was a blue undershirt with red highlights and a heavy, golden necklace with the numeral XXXV emblazoned upon it. He also donned blue sailor's pants which were held up with a golden-buckled belt, and jet-black leather boots. His hair was black, short and spiky, and his eyes were sparkling with a light of excitement and caution. Behind the man were four others, all waving at the six ninjas. One was a man roughly the first man's age. His black hair was done in a shoulder-length ponytail. He wore a blue jacket that was laden with zippers that partially covered a black t-shirt. He also wore white cargo pants, complete with simple grey boots. The next was a female brunette with shoulder-length hair. She wore a striped shirt overlain with a yellow jacket with black checkered pants and brown leather boots, complete with a few rings and a golden locket. The blond-haired man beside her was younger than the two other men, maybe about a graduate of high school. He wore a dark green jacket with elaborate gold markings which hid a plaid green shirt. Along with his gold necktie, he also sported olive-green jeans and white sneakers. The last of them was a girl with her long, black hair ending at her stomach. She wore a pink overcoat; she also donned a white t-shirt with a simple beige blouse and light brown, fur-lined boots. Overall, it seemed she was more conservative when it came to clothing choice.

"Friends of yours?" Max asked, Shinobi glaring at him. Max held his hands up in mock surrender. "Honest question, Shinobi. Honest question."

"Shinobi, why don't you go and hit that tree while I introduce everyone," Kyuubi offered, Shinobi walking away. "Max, this is Captain Marvelous, Joe, Luka, Doc, and Ahim," he said, pointing at them in the order that Max had seen them, starting with the man in red, followed by the man in blue, the girl in yellow, the man in green, and the girl in pink. Max shook the hand of each in turn.

"Max," he said as his own introduction. "So, you're the guys that gave them so much trouble. Wish I could have been awake to see it."

"Oh, you were the one we saw sleeping," Luka said, Max rubbing the back of his head.

"Uh, sure, let's go with that," he said, chuckling, though both teams had no idea why he was chuckling, save for Max himself. He still hadn't told anyone about his experiences with Grand Chase, in large part because he hadn't gotten around to it. Yet.

"Well, now that those introductions are out of the way, please come this way," Master Hand said, turning around before turning back. "Er, sorry, perhaps I should phrase that better. Smashers, please follow me. Guests and Assists, if you will follow Councilor Blaze and Pyre, they will show you to where you shall be staying." The teams split up accordingly, those actually fighting following Master Hand, everyone else following Blaze and Pyre.

* * *

"Alright, here we are," Blaze said, stopping in front of a large hotel called the Raichu Bros. Hotel. At least, that's what the sign in front said.

"Hey, I remember this place," Sonic X said, walking into the front door. Everyone followed, save for Shadow, who was pulled to the side by Blaze.

"What?" Shadow asked as Blaze pulled him around the corner.

"There's someone I want you to meet," Blaze said, walking behind the hotel. Shadow followed and stopped at what he saw. It was, surprisingly, one may even say shockingly, an aged version of himself, the red turning gray. The double looked up, nodding to Blaze.

"Councilor," he said, his voice a slightly lower than Shadow's own.

"Shadow, this is Olo," Blaze said, gesturing to the aged version of Shadow. "Olo, this is the one that I told you about. The one who you wanted to see."

"Ah, this is him," Olo said, standing up and walking over to Shadow, walking around him. "Hmmm…he's strong, granted. But I could easily take him."

"As if," Shadow snorted, crossing his arms.

"Oh?" Olo said, taking a step back. "My, my, old but spritely. Very good combination."

"Olo…Olo," Shadow said as he suddenly remembered something. "This is the guy you told me about," he addressed Blaze. "The one who had something for me."

"If you'll accept it, of course," Olo said. "A gift that caught the attention of the Hands. They wanted to make me a Smasher, but I felt it wrong to fight with such an ability. So they agreed to allow me to participate as an Assist."

"Ability?" Shadow asked. Olo smirked, snapping his fingers. And Shadow's eyes widened. Olo was now holding a small black hole, just hovering above his thumb.

"A technique that I must find an appropriate successor to," Olo said. "To control and create one of the most powerful natural forces. To bend them to your will."

"Interesting," Shadow said. "It is definitely…surprising." Shadow held out his hand. "But now that I've seen it, I think I can do it." He snapped his fingers, his eyes closed, a smug smile on his face. That expression broke when Olo laughed.

"Honestly, the youth of today," he said. "Boy, you cannot just learn it like that. It takes years," Olo said. Shadow looked at his empty hand, a tick mark on his forehead. He began to snap quickly. "Keep trying. I'm sure you'll eventually make some sparks for a fire," Olo chuckled, Shadow stopping.

"Hmm. It seems I still have some things to learn," Shadow said. "And this…technique…it is what you wanted to give me?"

"At first, yes. But after that display, I'm going to have to make sure you are actually worthy of it," Olo said, walking to a tent and stepping inside. "Anyways, I must rest now. Come back tomorrow if you wish to learn the history of this technique," Olo said from inside, a hand popping out to wave Blaze and Shadow away.

* * *

"Eh? You live in a part of your mecha?" Maylu asked.

"Hai. GokaiGalleon," Ahim replied, "It's really nice. But Master Hand won't let us stay there for the tournament."

-Minna!- a voice cried out before a robotic maroon and gold parrot flew through the entrance and onto Marvelous's shoulder -Why did you leave me on the GokaiGalleon?-

"Gomen, Navi-chan," Ahim apologized as two Raichus ran up, wearing blue Japanese jackets.

"Rai-rai-raichu!" the Raichu with its head having messy hair declared, earning a bop on teh back of the head by the other.

"My apologies about my little brother, Rai," the other Raichu bowed, "He's an idiot."

"Aw, Hiten..." Rai whined.

"Hey there, Rai, Hiten," Sonic X greeted.

"Sonic-sempai!" the two cheered.

"Some of your best rooms, if you please," Sonic X grinned, "All on my tab."

"Eh?" the five pirates pondered.

"You got it!" Hiten grinned before whistling, "Oh, Bellhops!"

"Hai, Goyou de!" a group of voices roared before Machamps, Blazikens, Mienshao, Scrafty, Sawk, Throh, Conkeldurr, Hitmontop, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Emboar, Medicham, Heracross, and Infernape wearing Bellhop hats ran in, took the bags everyone had, and went off.

"...The hell was that?" Joe asked, earning a frying pan to the head by Sonic X, "Oi! What the hell?"

"Don't curse around my kids," Sonic X replied as he held up the baby carrier holding Jazz and Volt, "Bad enough Will got Volt to start, but I'm not letting my baby girl have that in her little vocabulary."

"Fuck!" Volt giggled.

"Ya see? I hate Will right now..." Sonic X muttered as a few Blaziken in bellhop hats walked up.

"Please follow us to your rooms, Goyou de," the tallest Blaziken bowed.

"You ever get the feeling you just want to snap at a Sushi Seller?" those who had a Model A asked.

"So, Master Hand-dono, who else is here to fight?" Cyber asked.

"Let me think," Master Hand said, tapping his chin. "Ah, right. We have Samus Aran, Captain Falcon, Link, Lucario, Mewtwo, and…oh, dear, it would seem that I forgot about little Chu-chan."

"Well, we're meeting up later, so we'll be sure to let Chu-chan know," Will said.

"Link, get back here!" Everyone jumped out of the way as Link ran past with Samus on his tail, an angry expression on her face. "Link!"

"Make way!" Link yelled as he ran for all he was worth, sliding under Crazy Hand, who had just come floating in, while Samus simply barreled past, knocking Crazy Hand back out of the room.

"Two of the six," Max said. "Make that three. Here comes Lucario."

"Oi, Lucario," Lan called, waving to the blue pokemon, who came over. "What's up with Link and Samus?"

"Link dinged her ship," Lucario said. "Training accident, he says."

"How long ago?" Misora asked.

"About…two, I think."

"Minutes?"

"Hours," Lucario replied. "I'm just trying to do Damage Control. Oh, and have you seen my son? He's in trouble."

"Did you catch him kissing a Azurill?"

"No, a female Marill."

"So she evolved?" Misora asked, "That's great news!"

"He's too young to date!" Lucario snapped before dashing off after the two when Mewtwo and Chu appeared.

"Seems we made it. That Ahim wanted to use me as a model for a dress she was buying with this Pikachu!" Mewtwo complained.

"Well, it appears you've evolved, Chu," Master Hand chuckled.

"Yep!" Chu giggled before jumping into Meiru's hair, "Ah...I just love the scent of strawberries your hair has..."

"Not again..." Meiru sighed before giving a sly smirk, "Chu-chan, if you make it to the Top Four, I'll let you stay in my hair for a year and not complain."

"Eh? R-Really?"

"Hai. But if you don't, you can't go into my hair for a month."

"Deal!"

"Good...Now get out!" Meiru snapped as she pulled the Pikachu out of her hair and dashed behind Ryuu once she placed her friend down on a nearby table.

"Aw..." Chu whined.

* * *

Blaze walked back into the hotel, Shadow in tow, when he heard an interesting conversation just behind him. "Cooper," came a female's voice, her accent one of a latino. "What is that in your hand?"

"What do you…huh…how did that get there?" a male's voice replied. Blaze turned around to see a raccoon wearing a blue outfit and holding a large hooked cane, a blue hat on his head, standing next to a fox wearing a yellow jacket, blue jeans, a blue shirt that revealed her midriff, and yellow gloves. The raccoon was currently holding Blaze's wallet.

"Don't you try to weasel out of this," the fox said.

"Carmelita, I swear, my hands did it of their own accord," the raccoon replied.

"Sly," Carmelita said, putting some force behind her words and drawing an overly large red pistol with a yellow star emblazoned on the side.

"Okay, okay, I'm giving it back!" the raccoon, Sly Cooper, yelped, raising his hands in surrender before turning to Blaze, now noticing that he had been caught. "Um…you…dropped this?" he offered weakly, holding Blaze's wallet out to the Zone Watcher. Blaze just took the wallet and put it back.

"Inspector Fox," he said, nodding to Carmelita Fox, who put her shock pistol away. "A pleasure to see you again."

"You as well, Councilor Blaze," Carmelita replied. "I apologize for Sly's actions."

"I'm assuming this is Sly Cooper, the master thief." Blaze offered his hand to Sly, who shook it. "A pleasure to finally meet you. I assume the rest of your gang is here somewhere."

"They're around," Sly said, nodding.

"You two seem to be doing okay considering where you are," Blaze noted. Sly shrugged.

"Eh. I've been against voodoo, vampire crickets, and black magic," he said. "This is simple compared to that crap."

"I suppose it would be," Blaze nodded. "Anyways, while it was nice meeting you, I have someone I need to meet," Blaze said as he noted the time. He nodded to Shadow, Sly, and Carmelita in turn. "If you'll excuse me." And he walked off.

"So," Sly said to Shadow, "you a fan of poker?"

"Who said 'poker'?" Luka asked as she poked her head out of the building with Joe.

* * *

"So, Uncle Shinobi, where are going to, exactly?" Julie asked as she walked with the Konoha ninja gang, having overheard Shinobi when he was talking about the best restaurants in town. She had opted to follow him. Shinobi was about to reply when he was knocked over by someone Max had met during his two week period with the Grand Chase. It was Ryan, who was currently running from Elesis, dropping his axe where he had fallen.

"Oh, shit!" Ryan yelped, jumping up and running behind Julie and Kyuubi. "Please help!" he exclaimed as Elesis slowed down, glaring at Ryan.

"Pardon me, madam, but why are you attempting to inflict injury upon this man?" Sasuke asked.

"Translation: Why are you trying to beat up the dude?" Shinobi translated.

"Hey, did you use some sort of technique that turns you into a naked female around her?" Naruto asked.

"No, worse," Ryan squeaked from behind his hiding spot. "Elesis, we can talk this out, right?" he chuckled nervously, grabbing Naruto and setting him beside Julie. "I mean, it's not like anyone else was around or anything." This time, he grabbed Rockman, placing him on the other side of Kyuubi. "After all, it could have been worse," he said, his voice squeaking once more.

"Ryan," Elesis growled, a fiery aura surrounding her, while Kyuubi, Rockman, and Naruto all gulped. Julie simply stepped out of the way as Elesis swung her sword and bowled the four over. She stomped up to Ryan, grabbing his collar, and yanking him closer. "You tell _anyone_ and I will kill you," she hissed, Ryan nodding and gulping.

"Y-yes, ma'am," he replied shakily as Elesis threw him back down. She then turned around and bowed to Julie, Sasuke, Shinobi, and Netto.

"I apologize for what you had to see and for the disruption this may have caused," she said, standing up straight and smiling.

'_S-scary,'_ the four sweatdropped.

"Hi," Julie said, walking up to Elesis, returning the smile. "I'm Julie."

"Elesis," was the reply. "So, you an…um…crap, what did that floating hand call it?"

"Assist? Or Smasher?" Sasuke offered.

"Uh, the first one," Elesis said.

"Neither," Julie said. "My dad's a Smasher, so I came to watch him."

"What about those six?" Elesis asked, pointing at the Konoha ninja.

"Um…I'm not actually sure," Julie replied.

"Spectators," they all replied.

* * *

"Ha! Three kings!" Shadow smirked.

"Four Tens," Joe smirked.

"Full House," Sly smirked as he was about to take the pile of cash when Luka stopped him.

"Uh-uh-uh, Sly-boy," Luka smirked, "Royal Flush."

"What?" everyone but Joe exclaimed.

"I told you we'd lose," Joe sighed as Luka put the money into a sack.

"Then why did you join us?" Shadow asked, earning silence from Joe, "I thought s...Snake, come out of that hat."

"Huh?" Sly pondered before Snake popped out of his hat.

"Huh...You've gotten better since last time," Snake noted as he hopped off Sly's head and put the hat back on.

"You here to watch?" Shadow asked.

"Actually, I've been placed as a temporary Assist," Snake replied.

"Who is this guy?" Luka asked.

"Meet Solid Snake. A professional spy and assassin. He also has knowledge on anyone he meets thanks to three close partners," Shadow explained.

"..." Snake groaned.

* * *

"Hey, guys," Tenshi Zero said as he and Will talked over to meet Ultimate X and J. "How are your rooms?"

"Nice," J replied. "You?"

"Dude, it's Smash Manor," Will said. "It can't possibly get any better."

"So, what are you guys up to?" Tenshi Zero asked.

"Well, we were going to meet some of the other Assists and spectators, but, uh…we seem to have gotten lost," J replied. "Yeah, does anyone want to explain how we completely missed the fucking town during our last stay here?"

"Wait, there's a town here?" Will and Tenshi Zero asked at the same time.

"Guys…look around you," J said. "There are stores everywhere, restaurants, cafés, you name it, it's probably here."

"Huh…really need to quit spacing out like that," Tenshi Zero said. J looked at Ultimate X.

"He's learned to tune certain things out on missions, which normally involved a city or town for him," Ultimate X explained.

"Bon-bon," a man asked from behind them. They all turned around and stared at what was most certainly not a bon-bon.

**BOOM!**

"What happened?" Will groaned as he pulled his head out of a wall.

"I was just handing you a Bon-Bon," the voice replied.

Max turned to see a tall figure, roughly a few inches taller than Toriko. He was well built and wore a blue shirt with a collar. Hair was on his strong arms and semi-bare chest. He wore black pants with the bottoms torn with brown sandal-like shoes. He wore a pair of blue-tinted sunglasses and a large, yellow afro.

"Who...are you?" Will asked.

"BoBoBo-Bo Bo-BoBoBo! But just call me BoBoBo," the man replied.

"Uh...Okay, BoBoBo-san..."

"Who told you my name?" BoBoBo demanded.

"Eh? You just did!" Will barked, "Hold on, where are the guys?"

"Yuck! This candy's horrible!"

Will turned to see a Sonic-sized orange sphere. Littering the sphere were various orange spikes with long, thin, white arms and legs, ending in either gloves or blue running shoes. It had yellow eyebrows and blue eyes. It was also munching on a Life-Sized Trophy of Tenshi Zero. Will had to admit that the Trophy had a good position for Tenshi Zero's coolness factor. Beside the sphere was a blue man...made of jelly. Seriously, he was made of blue, expired jelly. He had green eyes and was trying to boil two Life-Sized Trophies of J and Ultimate X.

"An orange ball...and a jelly-made man..." Will blinked, "Hold on. I think Sonic X-san told me about you three..."

"Hush up, boy, and help us cook these turkeys!" BoBoBo snapped as he threw the Tenshi Zero Trophy at Will's face.

It was then that Will's hands touched the Trophy's Base. The Trophy glowed before transforming into Tenshi Zero. He quickly got up and helped up Will.

"What just happened? Who are these three?" the Reploid asked.

"Help!" J screamed in the pot.

"Shut up, Turkey!" the orange ball snapped as he bopped J on the head.

"How did you guys get in there?" Tenshi Zero demanded before kicking away the two strange beings and BoBoBo before slicing open the pot.

"It burns..." J whined.

"Hey! Where'd our Turkeys go?" the orange ball asked as he looked around.

"Minna!" a voice called before Taiki and Sonic X ran up.

"Huh? BoBoBo? Don Patch? Jelly Jiggler?" Sonic X pondered, "What are you guys doing here?"

"Well, we were going to eat these three delicious Turkeys we found after I gave that guy over there a Bon-Bon..." BoBoBo began.

"It was a grenade!"

"...But we're also here to fight as temporary Assists," BoBoBo continued.

"Great..." Sonic X sweatdropped, "Guys, these are BoBoBo, the orange ball is Don Patch, and the expired jelly is Jelly Jiggler."

"I'm not expired! I just...haven't been in a fridge for a bit, that's all," the jelly man argued.

"Okay...Ew?" Will sweatdropped.

* * *

"Alright, did Sonic X say we go left or right?" Grey asked, while Gray was turning the map every which way. The two were now lost and had lost sight of Ash and Ashe. "Model A?" There was no answer. Gray looked at his Zone Double.

"Model Axl?" Gray asked. No answer.

"Ah, shit," both said.

"Yo, Grey!" a voice yelled. Both of them turned to see ZS-Zero with Ciel and the four Generals, Alouette holding Ciel's hand. "So, you're here, too."

"ZS!" Grey exclaimed, high-fiving the reploid. "Harpuia, Leviathan, Phantom, and Fefnir, too?"

"How's it goin', kid?" Fefnir asked. They then noticed Gray.

"Guys, this is Gray," Grey said.

"Um…but…how do you…" Leviathan asked.

"Mine is spelled with an 'e', his is spelled with an 'a'," Grey replied.

"But…that still…" Harpuia began. "…You know what, the less I think about it, the better," he said, ZS laughing.

"So, is the rest of your team here?" Phantom asked. "I have yet to meet them."

"Yeah, they're around," Grey replied. "Here, there…pretty much everywhere. And now that we're on the subject of locations, have you seen Model A or another biometal resembling Model A floating around?" The four Generals shook their heads, ZS shrugged, but Ciel and Alouette nodded. "Really? Where?" Alouette pointed to the left.

"We saw them turn a corner," Ciel said. "They were following Ashe and…well, Ashe."

"Ah, that would be Ash," Gray answered.

"Do I even dare ask how you tell them apart when calling their names?" Phantom asked.

* * *

"Hmm..." Cyber sighed, holding Volt while Jazz was with her father, listening to a young man around 22 playing a violin, on the other side of Smash Town.

"Ano...Sensei, what are you looking for?" Roll asked.

"I'm looking for somewhere I can develop this film," Cyber replied as she stopped, the Zone Double bumping into her, "And I think I just found one."

"Nani? 'Hikari Studio?'" Roll read.

The two were standing before a semi-modern Japanese building. It had various plants growing in the front, shaped like the original Smashers. Above the gates were the words 'Hikari Studio' upon a sign. The two quickly entered. At the counter was a girl in her late teens with long, black hair. She wore a green shirt with a white skirt and black knee-length socks.

"Excuse me, but I need some film developed," Cyber smiled as she placed the film on the counter.

"Hai," the girl nodded before seeing Volt, "Aw...Kawaii..."

"Why thank you," Cyber giggled.

"Grandfather, we have a customer. And for once, they're not mistaking us for a coffee shop!" the girl called.

A door opened and an elder walked in. He seemed fit for his age with shoulder-length, white hair being held by a brown-wood headband. He wore a brown vest over a wood-colored pair of dress pants and a white button shirt. He adjusted his glasses with a soft, caring, fatherly smile.

"Hai, Natsumi-chan. But they can still have a drink while they wait. Tea or coffee?" the man asked.

"Grandfather..." the girl sighed as a tiny, mechanical, snow-white and silver bat with yellow optics and a yellow heart on the forehead flapped down to her shoulder.

"Ee-chan is truly kindhearted, right?" the bat giggled.

"Kivala-chan, not now..." the girl sighed as she shook her head.

* * *

"It's kinda weird not seeing Mario or Luigi in Smash Town," Sonic X wistfully examined as he carried Jazz in his arms, letting the little five-month-old look around with awe.

"A-ba!" Jazz cooed as she pointed at a large crowd.

"Huh? What is it, Jazzy?" Sonic X asked before looking over at the crowd, "You wanna see what's going on?"

The two went over to the crowd as Sonic X put Jazz on his left shoulder. Sonic X jumped onto a streetlight to get a better view over the crowd and awed. There, he saw an adult male-sized, humanoid great-white shark wearing black and blue, Chinese fighting outfit and blue and gold armor. He had out two swords and was swinging them around, almost like he was using them in rowing a boat, as he stood before a large fish, seaweed, and rice. Sonic X watched as the shark-man assaulted the three ingredients with his blades. Within minutes, the shark-man had made enough sushi for everyone there to have five pieces each.

"Ta-da! This is my Sharkin technique!" the shark-man declared as he posed with his swords as the crowd applauded, "Please, enjoy the sushi everyone!"

"A-baba-ba!" Jazz babbled excitedly as she pointed at the shark-man.

"You must have been amazed about what that guy just did, huh Jazzy?" Sonic X chuckled as the crowd began to disperse, "Excuse me, sir!"

"Huh? Oh, a man and his child? Please, there's enough for you two as well!" the shark-man grinned as he motioned to the last ten pieces of sushi at the table.

"Thank you, but my daughter and I were curious about what you were using," Sonic X chuckled.

"Oh? That was GekiJyu Shark-Ken. There is Sharkin in training! GekiJyu Shark-Ken Master Sharkie Chan!" the shark-man introduced himself.

"My name is Sonic X Hikari. This is my adorable baby girl, Jazz Snowstorm Hikari," Sonic X introduced as Jazz was holding her hands out to the swords.

"Uh-uh-uh, little girl," Sharkie chuckled as he put the blades away, "You're much too young to have something like those."

"She's actually the reason I wanted to talk with you. She saw the crowd earlier and pointed it out to me," Sonic X explained as he pointed over at the streetlight he had stood upon, "We spent the entire time up there, watching your moves. It was as if you were a raging shark with an unbreakable body."

"Oh...I'm getting complimented on my GekiJyuKen..." Sharkie sniffled a bit as large tears welled up on his eyes.

"Just what is GekiJyuKen, Sharkie Chan-san?" Sonic X asked, "It looked like something my late grandfather used."

"Huh? Well then...Free lesson!" Sharkie grinned before putting the ten pieces of sushi into a bento for the two before taking Sonic X's free hand and dragging him off, "To the nearest river!"

"Eh? ...Eh?" Sonic X pondered.

"Trust me. This will be Sharkin!" Sharkie declared.

"Sharkin!" Jazz squealed in joy.

"Oh! Her first word..." Sonic X gasped, "Her kaa-chan is going to be so excited to hear it's not a curse word. Uh...is 'Sharkin' a curse word?"

"Nope!" Sharkie grinned, "Now where's the nearest river...?"

"Outside of the East end of town five meters to the east and then twelve meters southeast," Sonic X replied, "I've been here long enough to know the area."

"Great! This will be Sharkin!"

"Sharkin!"

"Your daughter make me want to cry happily," Sharkie sniffled as the tears began to form once more, the trio unaware of Master Hand poking his head out from a corner.

"Ah...I knew it was a good idea," Master Hand smiled softly as the retreating trio, Sonic X giving Sharkie a tissue to blow on/dry his tears.

* * *

"Daxter, you better know where you're going," a man said. He was dressed in blue, a large ring strapped across his chest, his yellow hair spiked, with green outlines closer to his scalp, wearing heavy boots. His red scarf was pulled down, revealing a green goatee, while a pair of goggles were on top of his head. He was currently addressing a small orange creature that looked to be a mix between an otter and weasel.

"Trust me, Jak," Daxter, the small creature said, "I've been here before. But this time, it wasn't an accident." After a few minutes of Daxter looking around, Jak finally decided to speak up once more.

"You got lost, didn't you?"

"No!" Daxter snapped back. "I just…um…"

"That's it, I'm going back to the hotel," Jak said, walking back the way they had come. But when he turned around, he accidentally knocked into a boy with brown, spiked hair, wearing clothes with chains, the cloths mostly gray, and wearing yellow sneakers. "Whoops. Sorry, kid," Jak said, helping him up.

"Nah, my fault," the teenager replied. "I don't suppose you've seen a child sized duck and a man sized dog walking around."

"No, can't say that I have," Jak replied.

"Aw man..." the teen sighed, "Then what about two chipmunks, one with a chocolate-colored nose and one with a big red nose?"

"Nope!" Daxter replied.

"Crud..." the teen sighed.

* * *

"Is she okay?" Shakie asked as Jazz cried in Sonic X's arms, the two walking up to the river with Caliburn out, covering his ears.

"Hai, hai. It's almost her nap time and she acts like this around that time," Sonic X explained before sighing, "It was so much easier to get her to sleep when Ryuu had his voice..."

"Huh? What happened?"

"A little accident, Sharkie-san," Sonic X replied, "It's left his brain a bit jumbled up, so he can only speak two words in a single sentence."

"Well, what did he do to get her to nap?" Sharkie asked.

"Well, I think he sang. I never did hear the lyrics, though..." Sonic X sighed.

"Neither did I," Caliburn nodded, "We were both normally practicing, were we not, Knave?"

"One, don't call me that. Two, yep."

"Ohh...Poor little girl," Sharkie sniffled, "Now I'm going to cry because she's upset."

"No. Please, don't. Sharkie-san, do you know any lullabies?"

"Sorry, no..." Sharkie sniffled.

It was then the two heard a whistle. The two poked their heads out of a nearby bush to see Ryuu at the lake with Kage. Ryuu was the one whistling as Kage was now taking the form of a humanoid, dog wearing a strange green hat, dark-red vest, orange sweater-shirt, and blue, baggy pants. He was currently fishing.

"Oh...That's the song," Sonic X gasped as he noticed Jazz's crying had softened.

"Ah! I know this song! It's from this old American movie. I think it was called...'Tarzan,'" Sharkie explained, "It's called 'You'll be in my heart.'"

"That's the song? Huh, that's one of the lyric scripts Ryuu collected at the Wastelands," Sonic X noted as he pulled out a stack of papers, "Mind helping me find the sheet?"

"No problem!" Sharkie replied as they went away from Ryuu and Kage, unaware of the grin Ryuu was giving as he whistled.

"Aw-yuck, gawrsh, ya think they noticed us noticifying them?" Kage asked, earning a shake of the head from Ryuu before he continued his whistling as Kage caught his underwear by the hook and accidentally gave himself a wedgie, "Ya-hoo-hoo-hooey~!"

* * *

"Oh...It must be time for a little nap," the grandfather chuckled as he saw Volt fidgeting about in Cyber's arms.

"Hai. At least he doesn't cry like his twin sister," Cyber noted, "Ano...Do you mind if I sing a little lullaby a friend of mine taught me?"

"Oh, go right on ahead," the grandfather chuckled as he took the empty cups and snake plates back into the kitchen area of the structure before going off to develop the film, "A little music is always good for life."

"Ano...I thought Ryuu was the only one who knew their lullaby," Roll recalled.

"He was... until I _asked_ Kage-chan to teach me," Cyber giggled.

"Ah...Nice job," Roll giggled.

* * *

"Found it!" Sharkie cheered as he handed the paper to Sonic X.

"Thank you," Sonic X nodded before looking it over, "Okay... Wow. No wonder they're so quiet in their naps. The lyrics are just perfect."

Cyber: **Come stop your crying, it will be all right  
Just take my hand, hold it tight  
I will protect you from all around you  
I will be here don't you cry**

Sonic X:** For one so small, you seem so strong  
My arms will hold you keep you safe and warm  
This bond between us cant be broken  
I will be here don't you cry**

Both: **And you'll be in my heart  
Yes, you'll be in my heart  
From this day on  
Now and forever more  
You'll be in my heart  
No matter what they say  
You'll be here in my heart  
Always**

Sonic X: **Why can't they understand the way we feel  
They just don't trust what they can't explain  
**Cyber: **I know we're different but deep inside us  
We're not that different at all**

Both: **And you'll be in my heart  
Yes, you'll be in my heart  
From this day on  
Now and forever more  
You'll be in my heart  
No matter what they say  
You'll be here in my heart  
Always**

Cyber: **Don't listen to them, cause what do they know  
We need each other, to have and to hold  
They'll see in time, I know**

Sonic X: **When destiny calls you, you must be strong  
I may not be with you, but you gotta hold on  
They'll see in time, I know**

Both: **We'll show them together cuz...**

**You'll be in my heart**  
**I believe, youll be in my heart**  
**I'll be there from this day on**  
**Now and forever more**

**You'll be in my heart**  
**No matter what they say**  
**You'll be here in my heart always**

**Always**  
**I'll be with you**  
**I'll be there for you always**  
**Always and always**  
Cyber: **Just look over your shoulder**  
Sonic X: **Just look over your shoulder**  
Both: **Just look over your shoulder**  
**I'll be there always**

Sharkie Chan sniffled as he dried his eyes while Sonic X gently held a sleeping Jazz in his arms, "That... was... so beautiful. Too Sharkkin to be Sharkkin."

"Thanks, Sharkie-san," Sonic X chuckled.

"You know what? Forget my training. I know someone a _whole_ lot better than me for you," Sharkie grinned before turning to a tree, "You heard it, right?"

A figure emerged from the tree, upside-down. Sonic X noted that he was hanging from the lowest tree branch by the top of his feet, both in silk slipper-shoes. He wore silk Chinese fighting/dancing robes and a white mask with red paint. He took it off to reveal a bat face with slicked back, black hair.

"Yes. You have an impressive technique and a gentle heart," the batman said as he dropped down on his feet gracefully, closing the two wooden folding fans in his hands, "In a trance there is training. Mastering reason GekiJyu Bat-Ken. Bat Li."

"Bat... Li?" Sonic X and Caliburn repeated.

"Hai! Come, come, come!" Sharkie grinned as he dragged Caliburn to the lake, "You are still training with me!"

* * *

Max was walking past a restaurant, but stopped as he heard cheering inside. He walked in, stopping beside a turtle in a wheelchair wearing glasses and a tie. "What's going on?" he asked. The turtle pointed at the table in the center. Max saw Bud and a pink hippo with a blue shirt, a scarf, gloves, and goggles eating.

"My friend, Murray, and that kid, Bud, are having an eating contest," the turtle said. Max sighed.

"That's Bud for ya," Max said, looking down at the turtle. "If my friend started it, I apologize."

"No, no, it's alright," the turtle replied.

"I'm Max."

"Bentley." They both turned back to watch the two eat. "So, tell me, how is your friend able to eat so much? He's not very…big."

"Fast metabolism," Max said. "Ever since he finished his training, his metabolism hasn't slowed down at all. If anything, it's gotten a little faster."

"Interesting," Bentley said. "So, are you an Assist?"

"Smasher," Max replied. "Bud's a spectator, I think."

"Ah," Bentley said. "Hmm….I wonder where Sly and Carmelita went off to…"

"Playing poker, last I saw him," Blaze said from behind Max. He looked at Max. "Max, I need you to come with me for a bit. Palkia-dono has requested your presence while explaining some…pressing circumstances to Master Hand."

"Oh. Sure," Max said, turning around. "See you around, I guess," he said to Bentley.

* * *

_"A rogue Zone Watcher?"_

_"H-Hai..." _Palkia nodded, frightened of the tone his mother just gave him, _"It was about thirty-possibly forty-years ago. He was...special. He actually had the ability to look ahead in time in glimpses. However, his Space was stronger than his Time, so I had him. He was known as 'Prophet' in the Watchers and by my brothers, our three sisters, and Mother. It was around that time, he saw something...Something that not even Mother or my brother saw. The End of Existence. However, he believed it is because of a Kamen Rider called 'Decade,' not the Absolute Hunters."_

"So what happened after that vision?" Blaze asked.

_"I came to the Zone Watchers HQ that day. I tried to talk him out of it and..."_ Palkia looked down at the ground in shame, _"I nearly died."_

"Wh-what?" Max paled.

_"Max, Disciple of Grandfather Kyurem, it is true. He...He snapped because of that vision. None of us knew that he had actually been secretly training in Time along with his Space. He called forth a group of Kamen Riders, each one at Kamen Rider Evolution Extreme," _Palkia explained before pulling off his left 'arm,' revealing that the entire limb was just a mere replacement for a missing one, _"Those Kamen Riders...They had powers I've only seen Mother have. Even today, my limb has never been able to gain its Space back."_

"And you believe he's here?" Master Hand asked as Arceus began to unleashed her killing intent on a nearby statue since her true target was not there.

_"I don't _think_, I _know._ He is after Kamen Rider Decade, hellbent on killing the poor child. Decade is here in Smash World. I managed to alter the path Decade's normal way of travelling had to come to Smash World. I plan to capture that man and doing what I should have done the moment I found out he could have those visions,"_ Palkia replied as the statue actually ran away from the furious mother_._

* * *

"Lan!"

Ryuu poked up from his plate of chicken curry. He quickly turned his head to the voice and saw a familiar figure run up. It was a humanoid black mouse with a peach face. He wore a black suit with the white button shirt under it having the top three buttons undone.

"Mickey!" Ryuu grinned as he fived the mouse.

"Hello," an old, wise voice greeted.

Ryuu, Kage, and Mickey gulped before they slowly turned around. Before them was a tall man with a long, silver beard and balding head, the top of the balding hidden under a splendid blue hat with gold stars and a moon on it. He also wore light-blue robes.

"Yensid-san..." Ryuu gulped.

"A pleasure to meet you once more, young one," Yensid nodded before handing Mickey a paintbrush, the tip dripping Paint and Thinner just once, "I believe you will be needing this, my young Apprentice."

"Oh! Uh...Th-Thanks, Master Yensid..." Mickey gulped as he received the Brush before turning to Ryuu while Yensid walked off, his hands in the opposite sleeves, "Lan, look, Master Hand told me about what happened. Just take your time and I'm sure you'll be back to speaking in no time!"

"Ih!" Kage nodded, getting bit of an uneasy look from the mouse.

"No worry. Kage good. Kage silly," Ryuu snickered.

"Mickey!"

Ryuu and Kage looked over Mickey's shoulder as he turned to the voice's direction. Two figures ran up. One was a tall, anthromorphic dog with black fur and a peach face. He wore a mixture of orange, green, brown, and deep red. He had on bits of silver knight armor and an ornate shield, having the familiar gold shape of Mickey's head on it. The other was an anthromorphic white duck with an orange bill and feet. He wore a blue jacket/shirt with a blue wizard's hat on it.

"Hey! So this is where ya went off to, Mick!" the dog grinned.

"Animatronic?" Ryuu asked.

"Naw. They're the real deal this time. Donald, Goofy, this is Lan Hikari. He's going by 'Ryuu' for the moment, though. With him is his...shadow, Kage. Ryuu, Kage, these are the actual Donald Duck and Goofy."

"A-yuk! Hello!" Goofy, the dog, smiled as he shook their hands.

"You're the one who doesn't know Disney?" Donald asked.

"...Duck speak? Speak what?" Ryuu tilted his head.

"Why you..." Donald began.

"Count to ten, Donald," Mickey intervened.

"One, two, three, four, five..." Donald began before he snapped and began to jump up and down angrily on the spot.

"Kage don't. Don't get," Ryuu tilted his head before Kage changed into a Kage-version of Donald and began to mock his rant.

"Gawrsh, Re-You, your shadow's doin' a great job!" Goofy laughed.

"It 'Ryuu.' Not 'Re-You.'"

* * *

"How did we end up in a corn maze?" the teen snapped.

"I don't know," Daxter shrugged.

"You led us in here," Jak sighed.

"Well...Throw me up," Daxter ordered.

"What?" the teen exclaimed.

"Sora, trust me. It'll work!" Daxter grinned before Jak began to toss him into the air, "Corn! Corn! More corn! kid being thrown up as well! Urp! I'm gonna be sick! Bleargh!"

"Daxter!" Jak screamed as he began to chase the small creature around, puke on his body.

"It was an accident! Help!" Daxter screamed.

**"Hey, hey, you're lost, too?"**

"...What?"

The trio turned to see five figures. One resembled a red Oni with black markings on his armor, red horns, and a peace-themed belt. Another resembled a shell-less, blue turtle humanoid with orange eyes barely visible on his face. The third was a muscular bear-like humanoid in gold and black with a black mask on his head, revealing his gold mouth. The forth resembled a mix of a hiphop artist and a mysterious stranger in purple and black while being a dragon-like humanoid. The last of them stood regal and elegant as a swan-themed humanoid. He was pristine white and gold with feathers and blue eyes. Strangely enough, feathers floated down around him.

**"Tch. Kozō (Brat), this is your fault!"** the red Oni snapped as he punted teh dragon in the rear.

**"Ite! Momotaros is being mean again!"** the dragon cried as he ran around in a circle, the Oni chasing him.

**"You forgot the honorable, Kozō!"** the Oni snapped.

**"Sempai, chasing after Ryutaros seems like a bad idea right now. Right, Kintaros?"** the blue turtle asked.

**"Zzz..."** the bear snored while standing up.

**"I do apologize for my 'family.' I am Sieg,"** the bird bowed formally, **"The others are Momotaros, Kintaros, Urataros, and Ryutaros."**

**"Hiya!" **Ryutaros waved before getting punted again by Momotaros.

**"Kozō! I'll beat you with my hissatsu attack! Ikuze! Ikuze! Ikuze!"** Momotaros snapped as he pulled out a red and silver sword.

* * *

"So, Julie, who's your dad?" Elesis asked as she took a seat at the table beside the girl. Shinobi had led them all to a buffet restaurant. The males were still getting food, Naruto practically fainting when he had seen the restaurant had a buffet for ramen.

"Max," Julie replied, poking at her steak. "Hmmm…I'm not sure they cooked this all the way through," she said as it started crawling. Elesis took her knife and stabbed it.

"Because they didn't," Elesis said.

"Um…suddenly, I'm not so sure about eating here," Julie sweatdropped.

"You have to ask them to cook those particular steaks well," Shinobi said as he sat down.

"Oh…I'll be right back," Julie said as she got up and took the steak to the grill.

"Hmmm…funny that we know a Max," Elesis was saying to Ryan as he sat down.

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked.

"Well, Julie said her dad's name is Max."

"You're not thinking…"

"No. The Max we knew was, what, nineteen at most? Besides, he was a ghost," Elesis said, waving her hand as she dismissed the thought.

"Really?" Naruto asked, slurping up some ramen.

"Our Max is nineteen as well," Sasuke stated. "When did you first meet your Max?"

"About…two weeks and three days ago," Ryan answered.

"Well, that can't be right," Shinobi said. "Our Max has been in a coma for two weeks. He just woke up a couple of days ago."

"Then there's definitely no way we're talking about the same Max," Elesis said. "Although…wait…if your Max is nineteen…how old is Julie?"

"Sixteen now," Netto answered before filling his mouth with curry.

"Then…how is that even possible?" Elesis gasped.

"Before you freak out, there is something you should know about Julie," Rockman spoke up. "She's from the future, about twenty to twenty-three years. Which actually puts her father's real age at thirty-nine to forty-two years old in her time."

"Oohh….okay," Elesis said, shrugging.

"Excuse me, I want to file a complaint," Julie said.

"Hm?"

A man turned around. His light-brown/dark-brown hair was set up in a small hairstyle Julie was unfamiliar with. He wore a chef's outfit and a strange camera. It was rectangular and shaped like a block. The outside was black was teh face was magenta.

"This steak is under-cooked."

"Oh?" the man pondered before jabbing the steak with a knife, "Huh...You're right. Oi! who's on steak duty?"

"Here!" an Electabuzz replied.

"Not enough cooking!" the man ordered.

"Uht! S-Sorry, Head Chef Tsukasa-san," the Electabuzz apologized.

"Maa..." the man sighed before turning to Julie and took a picture, "So...You're from the Nevermore?"

Julie's eyes widened in shock. Tsukasa gave a sly smile at that.

"So...I was right."

"Wh-Who are you...?"

"I'm just a passing-through Kamen Rider," Tsukasa replied as he held up a card with the image of a magenta and black masked figure, "Remember that."

_'D-Decade...'_ Julie thought with a gulp when a thumb jabbed itself into Tsukasa's neck, causing him to start laughing uncontrollably.

"So this is where you went!" the girl from the photo shop scowled, Kivala on her shoulder.

"N-Natsumikan...You're evil..." Tsukasa laughed as he held where she had jabbed her thumb.

_'...This is Decade?'_ Julie thought with a sweatdrop.

* * *

"Help!" a near-adult cried out as he was lost in the corn field.

He had messy black hair and onyx eyes. He wore a yellow jacket/shirt with white designs on the front and a pair of jeans. He went around a corner and bumped into Jak.

"Another guy got lost?" Daxter groaned.

"A-A talking ferret?" the teen gawked.

"I am not a ferret!" Daxter screamed.

"So who are you?" Jak asked as he helped the teen up.

"Yusuke Onodera. Man...Eijiro-san asked me to get him some corn, I find a corn field, and now I get lost..." the teen sighed.

**"Welcome to the boat, kid,"** Momotaros snorted.

"Eh? M-Momotaros?"

**"Eh? How do you know who I am? Did you escape from the destroyed Sands of Time on a DenLiner?"** Momotaros asked.

"N-Nani? Destroyed Sands of Time?"

"What's a 'DenLiner?'" Sora asked.

**"Well, it appears we are at a problematic point,"** Urataros noted as he calmly walked up to Yusuke, **"Yusuke-san, I do believe that Momotaros is not the one you know of."**

"...Eh?" Yusuke pondered as Daxter and Momotaros began to growl in annoyance.

**"We're never going to get out of this place!"** both screamed before crying.

"Nakeru? Nakeru ze!" Kintaros declared.

* * *

Max walked down the street, hands in his pockets, looking at the sidewalk. He bumped into someone, knocking them down. "Ah, sorry," Max said, extending his hand towards the person. His eyes widened as he felt something as their hand touched his. _Zone Energy…lots of it…who…is this?_ The man stood up, brushing himself off.

"No worries," the man said. "No harm has come to either of us." He is a man of Japanese descent in his mid-thirties or early-forties with his short, black hair hidden under a brown barrel hat. He wears brown pants under a large, brown trench coat and glasses.

"Ah, of course," Max said, taking a step back. _This man…something feels off about him…_

"So, you're Maxwell Escal," the man said, Max doing a double take.

"How did you?"

"Know? Well, that name is becoming quite well known in many Zones," the man chuckled. "Many people whisper your name now, as the one who defeated Kalar the first time and who's freed many Zones from under his grasp."

"Well…you know my name, but I don't know yours," Max said.

"Nik," the man replied. Nik extended his hand and Max shook it, this time opening up a little bit, trying to get a better feel of this man.

_No doubt about it, this guy's powerful,_ Max thought to himself as they released their hands. "So, why are you here?" Max asked.

"Hmm…I suppose you could say I'm investigating," Nik replied with a small smile.

"Oh? Murder? Robbery? What?"

"A dangerous man," Nik replied. "I'm afraid, however, that I cannot tell you anything else, as that could put me in dangerous position later on." Nik then began to walk away. "Well, if you're here, then I assume that you're a Smasher. Good luck in your fights," Nik called over his shoulder. Max stood there for a few seconds before turning around and walking back to Smash Manor. He looked up as the sun was beginning to set.

* * *

"How are we still stuck here?" Daxter whined.

"To make matters worse, the sun's beginning to set," Jak pointed out. "Oi, Sora," he said, addressing the first teen he and Daxter had met, "if I can get you on my shoulders, think you might be able to see the exit?"

"Well, it's worth a shot," Sora said.

**"Yosh! Ikuze! Ikuze! Ikuze!" **Momotaros declared as he picked up Sora and put him on Jak's shoulders.

**"Do you see anything? Perhaps a pretty woman I may reel in?"**

**"Shut up, you perverted Kame-Yaro!"** Momotaros snapped at Urataros.

**"Zzz..."** Kintaros snored as he was preforming pushups.

"He exercises in his sleep..." Yusuke gawked.

"Uh...No. I don't see anything like that," Sora replied with a sweatdrop, "Not even an exit... Ah! I see smoke!"

**"Oh! A party!"** Ryuutaros cheered, **"Where is it?"**

"That way!" Sora replied as he pointed to the east.

The group began to run off towards the east. Everyone started to see the smoke going into the air as they approached the area. The group got into a clearing outside the cornfield and the five humanoid beings skidded to a halt. Before them all was a massive train. It was coated in rust in various areas with multitudes of dents and holes lining the sides.

"Is that...DenLiner?" Yusuke pondered.

**"I see...We were reeled back to our lost home..."** Urataros noted calmly.

"Lost home?" Sora repeated.

**"Yes. Though it was...mediocre in some cases, it truly was home,"** Sieg agreed before taking note of something on the ground.

**"What is it?"** Ryutaros asked as he saw Sieg picking something up.

**"The little master's..."** Sieg replied, unable to completely finish it.

With that, he held up four items. One was a small device resembling a PDA in red, yellow, white, blue, and purple. The screen was cracked and it seemed dented in some places. The other was a flip-out, black-metal pass. It was actually the only thing that was undamaged in the area. The third item was a necklace. On the end were three items; a green and black 'W,' a gold shooting star, and a silver DenLiner. The last item was a star-colored fedora, scuffed up and having a small rip in some places on the rim. He slowly handed the items to each of the other four like him.

**"Damn it!"** Momotaros screamed as he kicked the side of the DenLiner, **"The kid...The kid..."**

**"He...He's actually gone..."** Urataros whispered as Kintaros sobbed loudly, blowing into a large amount of tissue like a blowhorn.

**"Nii-san's...Nii-san's..."** Ryutaros sniffled, **"No! No! No! No! He can't be! He just can't!"**

**"Face it, brat! He died! He's gone! Damn you, kid!"** Momotaros screamed as he banged his fists on the DenLiner.

"I...I think we're intruding on a moment..." Jak whispered.

The two teens near him nodded. The four slowly started to step away from the four when Sieg stopped them. They looked up to the birdman's face, seeing the small tear falling from his face.

**"Please...Just give us a few moments. Once we calm down, I'm sure we can get this running,"** Sieg noted, motioning to DenLiner.

"Hai..." Yusuke nodded.

**"So this is where you went!"** a voice snapped before Kivala flew up, her cheeks puffed out in annoyance.

"K-Kivala?" Yusuke pondered.

"Huh? Hey, who's the metal rat with wings?" Daxter asked.

**"Rat with wings?"** Kivala snapped before tackling Daxter off Jak's shoulder, **"I am Kivala-Bat! i am not a 'rat with wings,' you ferret face!"**

**"Ferret face?"** Momotaros repeated, calming down, before turning to Daxter, **"Pft...! Bwahahaha! He does look like he's got a ferret's face!"**

**"Palkia-san, I found him!"** Kivala called before the Legendary Pokemon appeared.

_"Excellent work, K...A rusted DenLiner?"_ Palkia pondered as he noticed the rusted, damaged machine and then the five humanoid beings, _"And five Imagin. Tell me, what time do you come from?"_

**"Yikes! It's Palkia!"** Ryutaros yelped as he ran behind Sieg, **"Help! I don't want my Space to be erased!"**

_"Uh...I wasn't going to do that,"_ Palkia sweatdropped, _"Just when are you from? I can feel the Zone you're from, just not the time."_

**"Um...What is today's date?"** Sieg asked before Palkia gave his reply, **"We're from about a year from now."**

_"What?"_ Palkia screamed, his jaw dropping to the ground, before he picked up the DenLiner, _"Oh man...This is...Tell me, are you from the Nevermore?"_

**"Nevermore? What the hell are you talking about?"** Momotaros snapped.

_"Then...Then it's true...There's a chance that the Nevermore will not happen,"_ Palkia whispered before looking back at them all, _"Come, come. We need to go to the Smash Manor. Kaa-san will just _love_ hearing that five lives survived the True Timeline before it's alteration into the Nevermore."_

"True Timeline? What is that pink dino talking about?" Daxter complained before the group vanished.

* * *

Ryuu and Hub purred into the laps of Meiru and Mirajane, the two half-dragon twins loving the scratching their heads were getting from them as they were just outside the dining hall for dinner where they would meet the other competitors and the Assists. Nearby, Cyber, Caliburn, Caliwave, Carn, and Sonic X were talking with Bat Li and Sharkie Chan, the bat bowing as he handed Sonic X a decorated box with Caliburn getting one from Sharkie Chan. Ryuu stopped purring when he felt weight added onto his left leg. He looked down and blinked. It as a little girl, around five years old. She wore a little, pink and yellow dress with her strawberry blond hair ending at her shoulders and curled at the ends and on the ends of the hair of her forehead. She nuzzled into his leg before looking up at the teen/near-adult, her blue eyes filled with a slight happiness. Nearby, Sonic X and Cyber barely dodged a set of strikes from two covered figured before five more joined in.

"Heh. I thought that they were going to do this," Onii-San chuckled as he popped between the two girls, startling them and nearly ending with Onii-San getting killed by a glare from Hub, "Now don't be like that, dunce. I brought ya something."

"Ha! Found ya!" Natsu shouted as he tackled Hub into a small fight cloud.

"Aye!" Happy cheered as he flew over to Mirajane and gave her a hug.

"Happy? How are you and Natsu here?" Mirajane asked as she returned the hug.

"Onii-San brought us here with some weird people," Happy replied.

"You're the weird one, ya winged cat!" the smallest of the cloaked figures snapped, letting Sonic X catch the guy in his right hand and took the cloak off, revealing a green mantis with a mustache.

"Mantis-Nii-san?" Sonic X pondered before jumping over two and taking their cloaks off, revealing a orange/yellow monkey in red silk pants and a crane wearing a hat, "Monkey-Nii-san? Crane-Nii-san?"

"Aw great...You dudes ruined it!" the largest of them complained before taking his cloak off, revealing a panda in orange and red, stitched pants.

"Po?" Cyber pondered as the three removed their cloaks, revealing a green viper with petals on the back of her head, a muscular snow leopard in red and black silk pants, and a female tiger in red and black silk pants, silk slippers, and a red and gold silk Chinese shirt, "Viper? Tai Lung? Tigress?"

"I see that you haven't been taking your training lightly," Tai Lung noted as he patted Cyber's shoulder, "Good for you, sister."

"S-Sister?"

"You're married to Sonic, right?" Viper asked, "Plus, you have twins. That reminds me, where are they? I want to see my niece and nephew."

"Yeah," Monkey grinned before taking out a pair of rattles, "I even made them some gifts."

"Here," Caliwave replied as she gently handed the baby twins to Cyber before collapsing, "I refuse to hold onto them both for more then ten minutes ever again!"

"I am glad to see you've gained strength, my son."

Sonic X turned his head downwards. There, he saw a red panda with a graying ponytail and mustache. He wore a red Chinese silk robe with a green and gold sash. He was holding onto a wooden staff twice his height. Sonic X gave a soft smile before nodding.

"Thank you, Father Shifu," Sonic X bowed.

"Who you?" Ryuu pondered as the girl had moved from his leg to his left arm.

"Kyohaku!" the girl replied with a big smile, "Nii-san!"

"Eh? Nii-san? Nii-san Ryuu?" Ryuu pondered as he looked at the girl and then at Meiru, "Koishii, tatsukete..."

"I'm not sure, Ryuu-kun," Meiru replied before turning her head to glare at a short, old man in a blue jester's outfit, "Master Makarov."

"Yo!" the man replied with a big grin, "Came here to see my heir fight."

"I'm still debating on it!" Hub snapped as he punted Natsu away.

"H-Hub...?"

Hub and Ryuu blinked at the shocked voice. Slowly, the two turned to the front door. There stood a familiar woman to Ryuu, but now having a strange weapon on her back resembling a mix between a gun and a sword. She had a hand over her mouth in shock at the two teen/near-adult twins, mainly at the Darkness Dragon Slayer.

"K-Kaa-chan..." Ryuu gasped.

"M-Mom?" Hub gawked.

"Allow me," Onii-San grinned before punting Ryuu and Hub a few feet away from Haruka's feet, Nazo currently placing Kyohaku down beside Meiru.

"Dang you, Onii-San!" Hub snapped before looking up at Haruka's face, the tears welling up on her face dripping near them.

"Kaa-chan... Hub. Nii-san...Kaa-chan," Ryuu reintroduced before the mother pulled them both into a deep hug.

"You're alive...You're both alive..." Haruka whispered as she held them close, tears falling down her face gently.

"M-Mom..." Hub sniffled before the twins hugged their mother.

"What's with him?" Natsu snorted as Juvia walked up.

"You forget, Natsu, that Hub hasn't seen his birth mother since he was a little baby," Juvia explained.

"What?" Natsu gawked, "But she's too young to be their mom!"

"Magic?" Makarov pondered.

"Nope. Hikari females seem to hardly age from what I can guess," Onii-San guessed.

"Kaa-chan? Who she?" Ryuu asked after a few moments, pointing at Kyohaku.

"Um...Well...Hub, Lan, sweeties, this is your little sister, Kyohaku. I...adopted her a few months ago," Haruka explained.

"Eh? Sister?" the twins gawked.

"Nii-sans!" Kyohaku cheered as she tackled the two over, giggling.

"Can't breath...!" Hub and Ryuu coughed as Max and Blaze walked in.

"Makarov? So good to see you again, my old friend!" Blaze greeted as he approached the dwarf of a man, earning a grin from the Guildmaster.

"Um...Why is Lan's mother here?" Max whispered.

"That's Ryuu-kun and Hub-kun's mother," Meiru explained.

"Huh...That's pretty interesting," Max nodded before seeing Tigress, Tai Lung, Monkey, Viper, Mantis, Crane, and Shifu with Sonic X and Roll, "The Furious Five, Shifu, the Dragon Warrior...and Tai Lung? I thought he was a bad guy."

"Wuxi Finger Hold," Meiru replied, "They're Sonic X and Cyber-chan's family. Well, just Sonic X-san's family until the wedding."

"We still need to find a pastor," Mirajane reminded.

"Don't remind me..." Meiru sighed, "We just had to agree to taking care of everything, didn't we?"

"Hai. But don't forget we got Sari and Bumblebee in it as well," Mirajane giggled.

"Right..." Max noted, keeping the information about needing a pastor for later, as Haruka managed to get Kyohaku to stop hugging her big brothers' necks to let them breathe before pulling the three into a big hug, "...And who's the little girl?"

"Kyohaku, I think. She apparently their little sister," Meiru replied.

_'Kyohaku?'_ Max thought before turning to the little girl, his eyes widening in shock, _'Wh-What? But she's...!'_

_"Attention, everyone!"_ Arceus's voice declared, _"But may all the participants and the Assists please enter the Dining Hall, if you please?"_

"Let's get going," Mirajane noted as she fixed a button on her dress that read 'Assist: Mirajane of Fairy Tail.'

"Hai," Meiru nodded.

"...Mom...I..." Hub began before Haruka hugged him.

"Go," Haruka whispered, "We can talk later, okay?"

"Hai...Mom," Hub nodded before kissing her cheek and went into the Dining Hall with Ryuu following after pecking Haruka's other cheek and patting Kyohaku's head.

"To the hotel," Shifu ordered as the Furious Five left, letting Po and Tai Lung walk into the Dining Hall after Meiru, Cyber, Mirajane, and Max.

"Aw man..." Natsu sighed before Juvia walked into the Dining Hall.

"Maybe next time," Makarov spoke before the two went to their hotel.

"Sharkkin!" Jazz cheered as Sonic X walked out with the twins in his arms and the two Jyuken users at his sides.

"You are corrupting the next generation, Sharkie Chan..." Bat Li muttered.

"I like it!" Sharkie argued, "Hey, hey, you want to meet the others?"

"There are more of you?" Caliburn asked in his Sword Form.

"Hai! We're all looking at the tournament because the lady asked us to!" Sharkie replied with a grin.

"Sharkkin!"

"Oh, I'm so happy..." Sharkie sniffled as he blew into a tissue.

* * *

**And now we come to a second Smash Arc. Sorry for no opening, for those who like the idea. But I'm working on one. Or at least trying to.**


	115. The Tournament Begins

**Your Party Time! (Party Time!) Ah Yeah! (Ah Yeah!) **

**Time to party time! (Party Time!) Ah Yeah! (Yeah!)**

***A shot of Ryuu trading punches with Captain Falcon flashes onscreen, followed by a shot of Hub blocking a kick from Snake, and finally a shot of Max dodging a shot from Samus before a picture of Smash Manor with both teams in front appears, the camera zooming out in time to the bass's beat***

**Bomb** **a Head! (Bomb a Head!) Bomb a Head! (Bullseye!) moedasu youna atsuitamashii** (My hot soul is catching fire)

**Bomb a Head! (Bullseye!) Bomb a Head! (Bullseye!) muchashite shitta hondou no ore wo** (By being rash, only then did I know)

***The camera switches to a sword fight between Tenshi Zero and Link, sparks appearing as their swords clashed, followed by Beamer slamming his fist into the ground while Mewtwo dodged, retaliating with a Shadow Ball aimed at Grey, who changes to Beast Drive, slashing as the camera angle changes to a close up of his face***

**Bomb bomb bomb a head  
bom-bom-bom a head  
Bomb bomb bomb a head  
bom-bom-bom a head**

***The scene changes to Kurai Akuma watching Rampage dance, with Kalar, Lockdown, and Wario in the backdown, shaking their heads***

**Everytime odoru yumega odoru kyou toiu rizumu de **(Everytime I dance, my dreams dance on a rhythm called "today")

Everytime sakebu kokoro sakebu asu wo misutenaito Let's Go!

(Everytime I shout, my heart shouts, "Don't give up tomorrow." Let's go!)

***The scene shifts to Toriko dodging a strike from Lucario's Force Palm, before switching to a fight between Will, Misora, and Lan, Will currently in his Combat System Armor, holding back Misora's sword with his right, Lan's CyberSword with his left, before pushing them off, his armor transforming, the camera zooming in to show his eyes, before zooming back out to reveal Geo facing Chu-chan***

**Roji ni korogaru daiyamondo migaku yuuki ga takara mon da **(If you rub and polish a diamond from the bare earth it will turn into courage. Drenched in sweat,lost in town)**  
Ase mamire gai ni magire mazu ha koyoi dansu mo iinjyani?** (Let's start with an evening dance,isn't that okay?)**  
In the Night! Yeah! Feel so Good! binbinbaban tori zumu sanda** (into the night! yeah! feel so good! Strong Bang Bang! on this Sunday)**  
Kureiji to yobarerya soremo Good! aiyori guru-vu no My Life** (If people say I'm crazy it's all good!  
I'll take groovy my life over love)

***The camera now shows Rayne in Wave Change fighting Captain Falcon, dodging kicks and punches, throwing in a couple of kicks, when both are suddenly knocked over by a strong wind, the camera revealing Arme to be the source of the wind as she brandishes her staff in victory. The scene once more changes to show all of the Smashers about to clash before going black***

**Everytime Love U itsudemo want U aitai omoi ga** (Everytime Love You I'll Always Want U  
The desire to see you**)  
Everytime miss U mitsukete kiss U tsunoru yoru ha tsurai kakikesu tameno Dance 2 Dance!** (Everytime Miss U, I'll find and Kiss U Lonely nights are painful, so I'm dancing to overcome that. Dance 2 Dance!)

**Bomb a Head!**

***The camera now changes to show each Smasher individually in their own picture, fading out as the title Return to the Zones appears***

* * *

"Everyone, please enjoy the meal!" Rayne and Komatsu beamed with formal bows.

All around the large dining table, the various Smashers and Assists began to drool or look in surprise at the cuisine. Greymon and Shoutmon sat beside their Generals, the two Digimon having a hangover as their Generals removed the cuffs. Komatsu left for the kitchen as Rayne sat down beside Mirajane. Ryuu let out a small gasp for air before diving back into his curry as Meiru ate a salad. DaiRyuuseiKnight simply sat as Will was grabbing anything he could. Lucario was nursing a bump on his head as he chewed on a chocolate bone while Mewtwo used telekinesis to use a spoon to eat his plate of rice topped with a strange purple curry. Hub grinned as he gulped down another plate of curry as Mirajane giggled before eating a bite of her chicken souffle. Tsukasa sat with Yusuke, talking with Sora, Daxter, and Jak. Mickey just laughed as Kage began to do imitations of Peg Leg Pete, the mouse sitting beside Ryuu. BoBoBo roared as he slugged Don Patch away from his plate of Jelly Jiggler...until Jelly socked him in the nose and got ripped apart by wet cats from his afro. Snake poked his head out from nearby, writing something down. Marvelous sat beside a man with red/brown hair, a silver open jacket over a red plaid shirt, black pants with silver boots, and a silver and black plaid scarf. The guy was shaking with excitement at the sight of everyone before Marvelous caught Sly's hand trying to pick his pocket. Sly and Marvelous looked at each other and gave smirks.

"S'good! S'good!" the man exclaimed as he ate a plate of meat.

"That's Galrara Gator meat you got there," Rayne grinned, "Oi, Mavelous. Who is he?"

"GokaiSilver, also known as Ikari Gai," Marvelous replied before whapping the guy on teh back of the head, "Baka. Enough chit-chat."

"Hai!" Gai nodded before grinned, "But I can't! This is s'good! Nearly as s'good as becoming a Gokaiger! Ah! It's him...!"

"Him who?" Marvelous asked before Gai pointed at a man in a red jacket with a black claw-like marking on it and black pants, eating a plate of sushi.

"He's..." Gai began before his voice was drowned out by the other conversations, leaving Marvelous the only one to hear him.

Nearby, a cloaked figure munched on a chicken leg the size of his chair. For some reason, Cyber felt the figure was looking at her at times. Toriko was surrounded by plates to the point that everyone could only see his hands and mouth. Max laughed with Po and Tai Lung when they saw Hub and Ryuu tugging on the same horse-sized lobster filled with curry before their girlfriends bopped them good before Max looked at Ryan and Elesis, talking with Misora, Harp, and Model D. WarRock and Geo laughed nearby as Cyber told them about an event that happened to Subaru and Omega-Xis in Smash Manor. A gong rumbled, getting everyone's attention. Master Hand walked out, followed by Crazy Hand. Behind them, Arceus and her three sons emerged. Many were shocked at seeing the Pokemon Gods before them.

_"Greetings, one and all. Welcome to the Smash Tournament. I hope all of you have enjoyed your stay here."_

**"She didn't get lost in the corn field..."** Momotaros muttered to Urataros.

_"Now then, I wish you all luck in this tournament. Master Hand, if you would?"_

"But of course, your highness," Master Hand bowed before turning to everyone, "First, let us give a round of applause to our Smashers for this tournament. To begin...Mewtwo!"

Mewtwo nodded as nearly everyone began to applaud.

"Lucario!"

Lucario bowed before resuming his meal.

"Pichu, who has recently evolved!"

Chu waved before resuming her longing look at Meiru's hair.

"Link!"

Link brandished his Master Sword and gave a few swings before sheathing it and resuming to sit.

"Samus Aran!"

Samus snorted at Link before giving a salute before sitting.

"Captain Falcon!"

Captain Falcon flexed a bit before sitting down.

"Maxwell Escal, Disciple of Kyurem the Balance."

Max nodded with a wave.

"Hub Hikari, Disciple of Zekrom the Yin."

Hub let out a blast of black flames from his mouth before giving a large grin and heartfelt waves.

"Ryuu Hikari, Disciple of Reshiram the Yang, and his shadow, Kage."

Ryuu gave an ear-splitting grin while Kage flexed. It was amusing to see Kage flex to many of the applauding.

"Cyber and Meiru Sakurai."

Cyber giggled as she waved while Meiru bowed.

"Lan Hikari and Megaman."

Lan and Megaman gave waves to everyone.

"Geo Stellar and WarRock."

WarRock grumbled, still hating his temporary name, as Geo gave a sheepish wave and smile.

"Misora Strumm, Harp, and Model D."

Model D roared in anticipation as Harp bowed. Misora just giggled before waving.

"Grey."

Grey bowed as Model A spun about.

"William Star."

Will nodded to everyone.

"Tenshi Zero."

Tenshi Zero snorted and just saluted.

"Rayne Adamant and Turbo."

"Oh yeah!" Rayne whopped.

"Oi..." Turbo sighed as he palmed his masked face.

"And Toriko!"

"Huh?" Toriko pondered, looking up from his current plate.

"You eighteen-since I count teams as one Smasher-will be competing against one another. If there is a glitch in the systems and you sustain injury, I have just hired a temporary doctor. May I introduce to you all..." Master Hand explained before moving out of the way to reveal an annoyed Mikoto, "...Mikoto Aoune-Blaze."

"Aw crud..." Max muttered.

"As much as I am upset with a few of my patients being here when I didn't give them a complete bill of health, I will allow it," Mikoto stated, scowling at Ryuu and Max in particular, "Master Hand."

"Thank you. Now then, I will now introduce the Assists. The first five are the Imagin Momotaros, Urataros, Kintaros, Ryutaros, and Sieg."

Momotaros flexed as Ryutaros waved happily. Urataros and Sieg bowed with Urataros winking at the women in the room. Kintaros fell out of his chair, snoring and earning sweatdrops from everyone.

"Jak and Daxter."

Jak waved as Daxter flexed. Daxter was just as funny as Kage was when he was flexing.

"Sora, Wielder of the Keyblade."

Sora scratched the back of his head sheepishly with a grin on his face.

"DaiRyuuseiKnight."

DaiRyuuseiKnight gave a simple nod before resuming reading a book.

"Mickey Mouse."

Mickey waved as Ryuu patted his back with a massive grin.

"Gai Ikari."

"Yosh!" Gai cheered.

"Captain Marvelous."

Marvelous snorted and gave a nod.

"BoBoBo, Don Patch, and Jelly Jiggler."

The trio were currently howling at the moon in fiddle-playing cat costumes before BoBoBo kicked Don Patch, who was in a cow costume, over it. It was then he and Jelly ran off, dressed as a dish and a spoon.

"...Right...Ahem. Tsukasa."

Tsukasa nodded with a small wave.

"Yusuke."

"Oh! Uh...Konnichiwa?" Yusuke sheepishly chuckled.

"Shoutmon and Taiki Kudo."

Shoutmon grumbled as he waved them off as Taiki bowed.

"Greymon and Chaud Blaze."

Chaud bowed while Greymon just growled before eating his pretzel sticks.

"Sly."

Sly smirked as he gave a wave.

"Solid Snake."

Snake nodded from his seat before a cart went by him. Almost everyone was startled to see he had vanished into thin air once it passed.

"A last minute entry, Beamer," Master Hand announced, Max, Tenshi Zero, Rayne, Grey, and Will all nearly choked on their food as Beamer stood up near the back of the room, nodding his head and then sitting back down. "From the Grand Chase, we have Elesis, Ryan, Arme, Lire, and Ronan," Master Hand said. Elesis and Ryan stood and waved. "Um…where are the other three?"

"They are finishing up a mission back home," Ryan said. "They'll be here tomorrow, I think."

"Ah. Alright then. Next we have..." Master Hand began as the cloaked figure removed his outfit, revealing... "Scourge."

"Scourge?" those who had fought the former hedgehog gasped.

"He asked," Master Hand replied.

_"Yes. I was actually surprised that he did that,"_ Arceus noted before some of the members began to try and voice an argument_._

"Enough! He merely asked to join to test his skills. If it is just that, then I have no arguments with him being here. As long as he remembers that he is being watched constantly for any plots, I have no qualms with him being here," Master Hand declared with a stern voice and look, "Understand?"

Many of the participants gulped. Many of them could feel the power he was releasing. He calmed down after a few tense moments.

"Now then. There is the last one. His name is Kando Jan. Jan?"

"Zzz..." the man snored softly, a few piles of plates surrounding him.

"Aw...He's asleep, the little dickens," Crazy Hand cooed.

_'He doesn't seem like much...'_ Snake thought before looking over at Ryuu, currently choking a bit on his curry until he drank a cup of water and began to resume eating, _'Then again...That's what I thought of the kid there. Better talk with the Colonel about this...'_

"Oh dear..." Master Hand sweatdropped.

"..." Mikoto and Scourge glanced at the sleeping man, the former hedgehog wondering just why the guy was picked while the human couldn't help but give a ghost of a smirk.

**"Oi...He's just as bad as the Kuma-Yaro over here,"** Momotaros noted before seeing Kintaros was still asleep, **"Oi! This isn't Winter, you Kuma-Yaro!"**

**"Kuma-Chan sleeping is boring,"** Ryutaros noted, **"Nee, nee! When do we get to fight?"**

"Soon, Ryutaros, soon," Master Hand chuckled, "Now then, please continue with your meals. Tomorrow, we will explain the rules of the Tournament and who will be fighting whom."

_"Heh-heh. Nakeru,"_ Dialga whispered.

**"Zzz...Nakeru?"** Kintaros snorted before standing up, **"Nakeru ze!"**

**"Oi...What gives you the damned idea you can sleep until someone mentions crying, you Kuma-Yaro?"** Momotaros snapped as he tried to tackle the Bear Imagin.

"Huh...Yusuke, you came with them, right?" Tsukasa asked, pointing at the Imagin as Sieg merely chatted with Harp as the other two were trying to stop Momotaros from trying to choke and shake Kintaros, who had fallen asleep once more.

"Hai."

"Did they mention Ryotaro at all?"

"No. They didn't mention him. They're from another Zone where they have a different Singularity Point from what I can tell," Yusuke replied.

"Hm..." Tsukasa nodded as he glanced at Urataros, who was looking down at something in his left hand and then glancing over near Misora, Model D, Harp, WarRock, Lan, Geo, Meiru, Mirajane, Hub, Megaman, Cyber, and Ryuu before going back to his hand.

* * *

**"Kisama...Why did you volunteer us to take him to the hotel?"** Momotaros snapped as he and Kintaros carried the snoring Jan.

**"I wish to speak with the other Saito-Sempai of this Zone, Sempai,"** Urataros replied.

**"Damn Kame-Yaro..."** Momotaros growled, **"We just saw him back there at the feast!"**

**"Yes, but we were eating, were we not, Red Friend Number One?"** Sieg noted.

**"Don't call me that, you Tori-Yaro!"** Momotaros snapped before slapping teh snoring Kintaros on the back of the head, **"Kuma! Don't go sleeping! It's not winter yet!"**

"Nani?"

The five Imagin stopped and looked down. There, they saw Jan was looking up at them. Within seconds, Jan got out of he arms of the two Imagin and moved away from them.

"...Nani? Tori..." points at Sieg "...Kame..." Urataros "...Ryuu..." Ryuutaros "...Kuma..." Kintaros "...Ano...Oh! Baka-Oni!"

**"Nani?"**

**"Nee, nee. Momotaros is a stupid Oni!"** Ryutaros laughed.

**"Hanatare Kozo...You need a spanking! A **_**big**_** spanking! Iie...You're grounded! Grounded!"**

"Are you guys Jyuken users?" Jan asked with a grin.

**"...Jyuken?"** Momotaros and Urataros repeated.

"A technique for learning the Beast's power."

A triangle went off. The Imagin and Jan slowly turned to see a figure nearby. It was a humanoid cat, roughly the height of a young adult. His fur was a mix of light orange/yellow and cream. He wore a red baggy jumpsuit with blue adornments and sashes on it. In his paws were a triangle and a metal stick.

"Oh! Neko!" Jan grinned as he ran over and began to scratch him under the chin.

"Oh! You have a nice technique as usual, Jan..." the cat purred as his tail went silly.

**"Wai! It's a big cat!"** Ryutaros awed as he went over and began to pet the cat as well.

"Oh! Two with a nice technique..." the cat purred.

"And...Go!" Sharkie declared as he fired a toy pistol.

Sonic X grinned as he took up a spoon. Across from him, an adult-sized gorilla in a red Hawaiian shirt and pants with glasses held up two spoons. Between them was a large plate of rice with a flag bearing a tiger's face in the center. Sonic X took a spoonful and ate it before pressing a dual-timer beside him. Jazz and Volt were fast asleep in their carriage nearby, being watched by Bat Li and an adult female-sized penguin wearing a white and yellow snow-sports outfit. An adult-sized humanoid elephant wearing green and gold Chinese robes was laughing nearby with a humanoid adult-sized antelope wearing a blue and orange jacket and jeans with black, finger-less gloves. The cat and Jan walked in, followed closely by the Imagin, just as Sonic X had taken another turn, leaving only a three-thirds left.

**"It's like seeing the Owner again..."** Urataros whispered as he saw the two in their competition.

"You're actually doing much better than the last one who challenged me, Sonic X," the gorilla stated.

"Arigatou, Gorie Yen-san," Sonic X smiled softly as Gorie Yen took a spoonful and ate the rice.

"Yay! Go, Blue-san!" the elephant cheered.

"My money's on Gorie Yen!" the antelope declared.

"Hush! The little cuties are asleep, Bion Biao," the penguin scolded.

"Sorry, Michelle Peng," the antelope apologized with a roll of his eyes.

**"Wai! They're talking animals!"** Ryutaros cheered.

"Hello," the cat waved.

"Nee, nee. Sha Fu, look! Bat Li's pupil is going up against Gorie Yen," Sharkie Chan spoke as he pointed at the two, the plate now half-empty.

"Oh, so it seems," the cat noted.

**"Babies?"** Kintaros pondered, **"Oh! Jazz and Volt!"**

**"Nani?"** Momotaros gasped.

"Shh. They are resting peacefully," Bat Li shushed.

**"Oh. Sorry,"** Momotaros apologized.

"May I know why you know my kids?" Sonic X asked before taking his turn.

**"It's because we're from Rayne Adamant and Turbo's Zone,"** Urataros replied, **"Roughly a year from now."**

"So...You're from the Nevermore?"

**"Actually, Sir Saito, we are from a year from now literally,"** Sieg corrected, making Sonic X turn to them.

"Eh?" Sonic X pondered before turning back to take his turn.

**"I think Dialga said that we were from the 'True Timeline,'"** Urataros recalled, causing Sonic X to start choking on his rice.

"Ah! Choking!" Sharkie Chan gasped.

"I'm on it," the elephant declared before pulling out a metal sphere the size of a watermelon attached to a chain and whacked Sonic X on the back, making him swallow, "Did it~"

**"Wai! That was sugei!"** Ryutaros cheered softly.

**"I was hoping to ask you some questions on Geo Stellar, Saito-sempai,"** Urataros said as he sat near the former hedgehog.

"Depends on which Geo you're talking about. I know only two while Rayne's mentioned the third," Sonic X replied, "And what's with the Saito-sempai? That's Hub, Ryuu's bro. I'm the reincarnation of Sonic the Hedgehog."

**"Then may I call you 'Sonic-sempai?'"**

"Go with that," Sonic X replied with a mouth full of rice.

* * *

"Nani? Hub, that. What that?" Ryuu asked.

"Hm? This?" Hub asked, "Well...It _was_ this weird...cellphone, I think Lockdown called it...But now look at it."

Hub held up an object. It was a rectangle-shaped object with an opening on the left, short side. The front had four 'fangs' on the corners. He drew a card and showed it to Ryuu, Lan, and Megaman. It resembled a multicolored vortex that was primarily light-blue, blue, and indigo.

"Why do you think it changed?" Megaman asked.

"Because it sucked, that's why," Hub snorted, "I've changed into the weird armor it gave me dozens of times when I was training and I kept losing with it! It completely blocked off all my powers! Piece of junk..."

"Hold on, Hub," Lan argued, "Sure, something may be a piece of junk at first, but you just have to give it some time. Dad always tells me 'good things come to those who wait.' Oop! G-Gomen..."

"It okay..." Ryuu sighed as he and Hub slumped.

_*SKREEEEEEEE*_

"Ah!" Hub shouted as he covered his ears.

"Nani? Hub...okay?" Ryuu pondered as Kage whimpered beside him.

"F-Fine..." Hub grunted before he started to pant, dropping his hands away from his ears, _'Wh...what in Bahamut's name was that?'_

* * *

"Yay! He's nearly beaten him!" the elephant gasped.

"Hai, Elehung Gambou," Sharkie agreed.

"He's doing kageki nikiniki," Jan grinned, practically bouncing in his seat.

"Yes. He's actually gotten down to the last grains," Sha Fu agreed.

**"Go, Hedgehog-chan!"** Ryutaros cheered as quietly as he could.

**"You can do it. You can do it. You can do it,"** everyone cheered silently.

Gorie and Sonic X were staring at each other intently. The tension emanating from the two was so strong that even the chanting was nearly breaking it. It was Gorie Yen's turn with only a small amount of rice keeping the flag up left.

"Well? Let's see what your heart tells," Gorie spoke, "But first; a question. What is it you wish to do with power?"

"Huh? Well, that's easy. I don't want power unless it's to protect," Sonic X replied, "If I had to give up all my powers, heck, even my _speed_, in order to protect everyone, then I would do it countless times over."

"...I see," Gorie Yen noted before he tapped the base with his spoon, trying to get a bit of rice, and made it fall over, "Oh look. It seems the flag fell over."

"...Nani?" Sonic X gawked.

"He...He lost?" Michelle gawked.

"I...don't believe it," Elehung collapsed.

**"Yay! Hedgehog-chan won!"** Ryutaros cheered quietly.

"Oh..." Sonic X exhaled a relieved sigh, "Thank you for both the meal and the battle, Gorie Yen-shifu. However, I need to go to mine and my children's room. Until next time. Ja ne."

"Ja ne," nearly everyone waved as Sonic X picked up the baby carrier with the sleeping twins and walked out.

**"Matte, Sonic-sempai,"** Urataros spoke as he and the Imagin followed.

"...You certainly picked an interesting student, Bat Li," Gorie Yen noted.

"Yes. But what truly has me interested in how he was able to learn GekiJyu Bat Ken at his speed," Bat Li replied before turning to Jan, "Jan, did you see anyone interesting at the feast?"

"Hai! There were gougou and meramera and even kageki nikiniki characters there!" Jan grinned before one appeared in his head, "Ah! I found someone!"

"Who?"

"A _chou_ kageki nikiniki person!" Jan grinned as he got up, "Yosh! When I see him again, I'm teaching him!"

"Oh, splendid! In life there is training. Teaching others is a type of training as well," Sha Fu smiled before ringing his triangle once.

"Yosh! Demo...Oh! I need to find my meramera students here!" Jan grinned before running off.

"He has to students here?" Sharkie asked.

"Hai," Sha Fu nodded as he drank a saucer of milk, "They're kaizoku, you know."

"Family (GammaTron Note: Kaizoku = Pirate. Kazoku = Family)?" Elehung asked.

* * *

"Yo," Beamer said as he walked up to Max and Tenshi Zero. "'Sup, fellas?"

"Other than you showing up, nothing much," Tenshi Zero said. "How'd you end up here?"

"I don't actually know," Beamer said, scratching his head. "A letter showed up on my doorstep just this morning, stamped with Palkia-dono's seal. I open it up and next thing I know, I'm sucked into a Zone Portal and dropped off in front of an exact replica of my restaurant back in the Prime. So, when I'm not called in for a match, I'll be at the restaurant in this Zone serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

"What about the one back home?" Max asked. Beamer began to whimper, his shoulders slumped.

"I'm hoping that Meda will be able to hold down the fort," he whined. "Last time I was gone for more than a week, I came back to a restaurant on fire."

"I remember that," Tenshi Zero said, nodding, Max looking between the two. "You were still missing at the time," Tenshi Zero explained.

"Ah. Well, how did you end up as an Assist?" Max asked, looking back at Beamer.

"Master Hand and Crazy Hand both approached me about it the second I arrived here," Beamer replied. He then shuddered. "That Crazy Hand is a piece of work. He said something about how this was like an experience he had and I-"

"Saw it," Tenshi Zero and Max said at the same time.

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"It's a power he has," Max said. "A very disturbing power."

"I'm still repressing that memory," Tenshi Zero said.

"What memory?"

"Exactly."

* * *

"Ah, Tsukasa, Yusuke, welcome back!" the elderly man smiled as the two walked into Hikari Studios.

"How was the feast?" Natsumi asked.

"Sugei! There was so much food!" Yusuke grinned before he started to drool, "Oh...That Jeweled Meat was delicious."

"Hai. Everyone who ate it began to glow like jewels in direct sunlight," Tsukasa agreed.

"Did you learn anything about this world?" Natsumi asked.

"A bit," Tsukasa replied, "Apparently, this world hosts tournaments with the participants coming from multiple worlds. This is also one of many versions of this world, yet the one that is connected to multiple Zones as well."

"What about your cards?" Yusuke pondered.

Tsukasa frowned before taking out a silver and magenta rectangle device. He opened it and pulled out a set of cards. Roughly three-fourths of the cards were all filled in, each one either depicting the head of a figure in a mask, a weapon, or a gold symbol. The remaining cards were all blank.

"Nothing so far. But I think if Yusuke and I stay in that tournament, we'll be able to discover what their powers are," Tsukasa replied before Natsumi jabbed him in the neck with her thumb, causing him to collapse once more, laughing.

"Baka! We're not here to fight!" Natsumi frowned.

"Perhaps we are," Kivala argued with a giggle, "Smash World is the World of Fighting. This Smash Tournament is almost like the Rider War from the Ryuki no Seikai."

"Another Rider War?" Yusuke and Natsumi gulped.

* * *

"You? How dare you..." Lucario growled.

"Uh-uh-uh, mutt. One wrong move and I won't be held responsible for the...accident."

"You...You..."

"If you go up against Lan Hikari and Megaman, you are to lose first. If you don't, then..."

"..."

"Heh-heh-heh. I'll take off now. Don't worry, the threat will be taken care of. Ja ne."

_'How...? How could this have happened?'_ Lucario thought as the figure left.

* * *

"What's up, boss?" Lockdown asked as he drove into the garage of Kalar's headquarters.

"I have some favors I need to call in," Kalar said. "And I need you to find these people for me."

"Any particular reason?"

"Yes. The Smash Tournament is starting once more and I would like to…have a hand in it once more," Kalar replied. "First, I need you to find Wario. He should be somewhere around the Manor."

"That fat moron?"

"Yes. He's had some experience with these tournaments. And he just happens to owe me a rather hefty sum."

"Alright," Lockdown said, backing up.

"Oh, and Lockdown. While you're out, I need you to pick up some rope and a vat of Mountain Dew."

"Why?" Lockdown asked suspiciously.

"Oh, you'll see once you bring back Wario and those two items," Kalar assured Lockdown. "You'll see. Oh…one last thing. If you run into this man," Kalar said, tossing a picture onto Lockdown's windshield, "tell him Kalar wants that favor."

"Uh, boss…I can't see him," Lockdown said.

"Trust me. You will know it's him when you see him. Just make sure you look at the picture often," Kalar said.

* * *

_*SKREEEEEEEEEE*_

"Stop it!" Hub growled as he grabbed his ears once more before glaring at the bathroom mirror, "Kuso...! What part of stop that annoying ringing aren't you getting? Yamiryu no Tekkken!"

Outside the bathroom, Ryuu, Megaman, Kage, and Lan were all playing 'Uno.' Kage laughed when he put his last card on the pile, earning groans from the other three. The four nearly fell off the bed when the room rumbled. The bathroom door opened and Hub stomped out, grumbling as smoke followed him. He stomped out of the room and went out of Smash Manor. The trio slowly looked from the door to the bathroom.

"...You think he ate something he shouldn't have at the feast?" Megaman asked after a few minutes.

"Nii-san stinky," Ryuu stuck his tongue out before Lan, covering his mouth and nose with a pajama sleeve, went in and then back out.

"The jerk blew up the mirror!" Lan snapped.

Outside Smash Manor, Hub grumbled as he stomped towards the small pond in the natural garden. He looked down at his reflection and frowned. He dusted off the dirt and broken glass from his outfit.

_*SKREEEEEEEEEE*_

"Damn you!" Hub screamed as he glared at the water's reflective surface, "Why? Why are you tormenting me with that ringing?"

**"Do you want to know?"**

"...Nani?"

Hub looked around before looking down at the reflective surface once more. The ringing began to wail louder to his ears when he looked down. He gasped when he saw a dragon's hand grasping his body. He looked at himself to see no hand on him. But his reflection said he did. A giant dragon hand ripped out of the reflective surface, grabbed Hub, and pulled him into it. Unaware to Hub, the card holder began to glow as he was pulled in.

* * *

Sonic X, Gai, and Marvelous yawned as they entered the hotel's dining room for breakfast. Sonic X was the first to get his breakfast of a bowl of cereal, two waffles, and a cup of orange juice before sitting down at a rectangular table where the Furious Five, Po, Tai Lung, Haruka, Kyohaku, and Shifu were sitting. Seconds later, the Imagin were near him, Urataros and Sieg holding the twins and feeding them their normal bottles.

**"It is rather weird to have these two drink Eggnog,"** Urataros noted, **"As I recalled, Silva was the child who would only drink this instead of formula in our Zone."**

"Brother, would you mind introducing us to your..." Tigress began before looking at the Imagin, "...Friends?"

"Huh? Oh, these are Momonoji, Kamenoji, Sieg-sama, Kintaros, and Ryuuta."

**"Oi! Don't go calling me the Kuma-Yaro's nickname!"** Momotaros snapped as he banged the table, causing him to hit the end of his spoon, and send the pile of oatmeal it had on his face.

**"Wai!"** Ryutaros laughed while the twins began to giggle and point at the Imagin, many of the other holding their laughs in rather badly.

**"Why you..."** Momotaros began before Sonic X cleared his throat and pointed at Carn, currently being used to cut the waffles, **"...Never mind."**

"...What? Will got my little boy cursing, so I don't want my little hime-chan learning it," Sonic X frowned at seeing the looks he got from the martial artists and mother of his NetOp/friend.

**"I will make sure she does not, Lord Sonic," **Sieg replied.

"Oi..." Sonic X groaned before glaring at Carn and Caliburn, the two in their other forms and about to get their own meals, "You just had to mention you're weapons of King Arthur and that I am him around these guys."

"Think of it as a learning experience," Caliburn smirked before, nearby, Sha Fu rang his triangle and hid it.

* * *

"Mo..." Ryuu began as Hub walked into the Dining Hall.

"Don't talk to me. I had a bad night last night," Hub growled as he sat down beside his twin before Lucario walked in, his head and shoulder down.

"Lucario, are you okay?" Lan asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Yeah... I'm...I'm fine. Good," Lucario replied before walking down to the other end of the table and began to just move his food around.

"Lucario sad?" Ryuu pondered as Kage began to swipe the food off Ryuu's plate, "Hey!"

"Blarg!" Kage coughed up a clump of all of Ryuu's food before offering it to Ryuu.

"Ew...!" Ryuu exclaiemd as he moved behind Hub, who pushed him away with a tired growl.

"So, Samus, are you ready for this?" Captain Falcon smirked.

"But of course. I've been upgrading everything in my suit for this along with my normal abilities," Samus smirked as she ate an apple.

"Morning..." Max groaned as he walked in and sat beside Link.

"Are you feeling okay?" Link asked.

"Yeah. Just had a bit of a late night. That's all," Max replied with a yawn, _'Dewlorean Nevermore...Why did he say that?'_

"Good morning to you all," Master Hand greeted as he walked in with all the Assists, albeit with some sleeping while standing, "Before the tournament begins, I would like to tell you all how the first round will be working. Does anyone here know of the 'Rider War?'"

"Rider War?" Misora and Geo repeated.

"The Rider War is a war between multiple Kamen Riders, all fighting to the death," Tsukasa explained, "The first Rider War took place with 13 different Kamen Riders. Ryuki, Ryuga, Knight, Scissor, Femme, Tiger, Verde, Odin, Zolda, Gai, Imperer, Raia, and Ohja. There was also Alternative and Alternative Zero, but did not count due to them being created after the first 13 Advent Decks were made and the Rider War started. At the end, the world was restart with the Rider War never started and the Kamen Riders all losing their memories with the lives lost due to the Rider War revived. The second Rider War was not limited to those 13, but _every single_ Kamen Rider on a single world in their Zone. A new Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider Kiva-La, ended up killing the third-to-last Kamen Rider before everyone was revived by her memories along with the second-to-last Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider Kabuto's, memories."

"Excellent job, Tsukasa," Master Hand nodded, "The first round will be like those."

"What?" everyone screamed.

"But not exactly like that. Unlike the two Rider Wars, this will be a Stamina Battle with three opponents for each fight. Within those areas, there will be ten Trophies, each one being an Assist in their Trophy Forms. The three fighters are to, first, find the Trophies and awaken the Assists within. Then, they will aid you in battle against your fellow Smashers. Each Assist will be holding an item on their body that, when broken, will revert them to Trophy Form and prevent their reactivation for the rest of that battle."

**"Eh? You mean we have to wait?"** Momotaros demanded.

"Yes, Momotaros. There will also be _one_ Temporal Trophy that will summon a fighter from another time. Now then...Today's battle will be Grey..."

"I'll do my best!"

"...Captain Falcon..."

"Ha! Show me your moves!"

"...And Ryuu Hikari."

"Eh? Me?"

"And the Assists will be as followed; Momotaros..."

**"Ha! I'm first!"**

"...Tsukasa..."

"Huh? I guess I'm up."

"...Yusuke..."

"Eh? M-Me?"

"...Kando Jan..."

"Sugei! Sugei!" Jan cheered, "This is going to be nikiniki!"

"...Mickey Mouse..."

"Me? Well, hot dog!"

"...Solid Snake..."

"Tch. Pain in the ass..." the spy muttered.

"…Elesis…"

"Aw, sweet!" Elesis cheered.

"…Beamer…"

"Time to crack some skulls," Beamer said, punching his right hand.

"You get the feeling he's enjoying this a little too much?" Grey whispered to Captain Falcon.

"…Sly…"

Sly merely rubbed his hands together, Carmelita slapping the back of his head.

"…and last, but not least, Dark Jak…"

"Oh, man," Jak groaned, while everyone else was confused.

"Now then, as for the terrain for today. The location will be a replication of the Satellite Area. Ryuu, I believe you know the most about this place since you lived there for two years," Master Hand noted.

"Hai!" Ryuu nodded.

**"Heh. I'm not sure who's a better pick for me..."** Momotaros pondered.

**"Nee, nee. Momo is being a baka again."**

**"Nani? Kozo...You're grounded!"** Momotaros roared as he tried to tackle the child-sized dancing dragon, ho danced off while laughing.

"The battle will begin at Noon. You have until then to prepare," Master Hand advised, "Also, Ryuu, Kage, I need you two in my office. There is someone who wants to see you. Hub, Haruka-sama has also asked me to inform you that she wants to see you. She is waiting outside with your sister. Sieg, I can ask you to watch the girl if Haruka asks?"

**"But of course,"** Sieg replied, **"Haruka-sama is a queen, after all."**

"Good. Remember, everyone; Noon," Master Hand reminded before everyone walked off, Ryuu following Master Hand, "I thank you again for meeting this person."

"Hai! Ryuu glad. You relieved."

"Yes, I am relieved you're doing this. This person I want you to meet is an old friend of Onii-San's as I recall."  
"Onii-San's nakama? Ryuu can't. Can't wait. Wanna meet! Meet nakama!" Ryuu grinned as Master Hand chuckled.  
"Hai, hai...Demo..." Master Hand began before he suddenly knocked Ryuu out, "...He would rather meet you in your mind."

* * *

"Alright, I got the fat bastard for you," Lockdown said, depositing a tied up Wario in front of Kalar. "Oh, and I think I found the guy you were looking for boss." A man stepped from behind Lockdown's leg. His hair was pure white, his eyes closed, his facial features and physical build suggesting a man in his early thirties. On his back was a single katana with what looked to be a trigger attached to the handle. The only other distinguishing feature of the man was that he was wrapped in a cloak that covered his entire body.

"Ah. Kurai," Kalar said, while Kurai stepped forward. "It's been a while."

"Yes," the man said.

"Still a man of many words," Kalar said.

"…"

Kalar sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "And you wonder why you don't have many friends."

"The robot mentioned a favor."

"Yes," Kalar said. "Do you know about the Smash Tournaments?" Kurai nodded. "I want you to go there. I will be sending you with this man here," Kalar pointed at Wario, "and will try to get you in touch with two of my…ex-employees."

"Ex-employees?" Lockdown repeated.

"Yes. Though they will work for me easily enough once more. Between Master Hand and myself, they know who they should fear more," Kalar said, his tone darkened.

"When do I leave?" Kurai asked.

"Once I am done with Wario," Kalar said, picking up Wario and taking him into the building, passing Rampage. "Lockdown, bring the vat. Rampage, I would like you to stay here and entertain Kurai for me."

"Okay, kani," Rampage replied, watching as Lockdown followed Kalar into the building before looking at Kurai. "Do you like any card games, kani?"

* * *

"Alright, kid, Ryuuki..."

"Stop calling me that!" DaiRyuuseiKnight yelled.

"...And I talked it over and have decided that there will be some special conditions for you during this tournament," Ultima said, "When you get back to your room, open this envelope," he said, handing Max a sealed envelope. "And when you read it, you will follow it to the letter. Got it?"

"Uh, sure," Max said. He took the envelope from Ultima, looking between Ultima and DaiRyuuseiKnight. "This isn't gonna be like that training exercise last month, is it?"

"I thought we all agreed we wouldn't bring that up!" Ultima and DaiRyuuseiKnight snapped at Max.

"But what about Dai? She saw it all," Max pointed out, Ultima and DaiRyuuseiKnight turning pale.

"Shit," they both said, Ultima running off to find Dai, DaiRyuuseiKnight floating behind him, trying to catch up. Max shrugged before walking to his room and closing the door behind him, opening the envelope.

"Aw, man," Max groaned, banging his head on the desk as he began reading the list. "They're trying to get me _killed_!"

* * *

"...I nearly gave up hope so many times," Haruka spoke as she and Hub sat at an outdoor cafe, Sieg teaching the five-year-old girl how to drink tea like royalty as Kintaros sat nearby, sound asleep, "The nightmares...They wouldn't stop when you went missing..."

"Nightmares?"

"Hai. Of you...you being killed and I unable to save you," Haruka sniffled.

"Mama..." Hub whispered as he got out of his seat and hugged her, "Mama...You have no idea how much your words mean to me."

Haruka's eyes widened as Hub held her tighter.

"All I wanted-all I ever wanted-was to see you, to be able to talk to you, to know that you still cared for me," Hub continued.

"Hub...My baby boy..." Haruka cried softly into Hub's open vest, "Iie...My strong dragon son."

"Mama...My mother..." Hub sniffled as he cried.

"Uncie Sieg, why Mommy and Hub-Nii cwying?" Kyohaku asked.

**"They've been separated for oh so long, little one. Even longer than since you other brother went off on his journey,"** Sieg explained while giving a gentle smile, **"It is truly precious, seeing something so wonderful as this. To see a son finally reunited with his mother after being gone for so long. I believe you wish to know more about your brothers, yes?"**

"Uh-huh, Uncie Sieg."

**"Then you will have your chance, my little niece,"** Sieg replied as he patted Kyohaku in a princely manner.

-ATTENTION! ATTENTION ALL SMASHERS, ASSISTS, AND THOSE WITH A TICKET! THE FIRST ROUND IS ABOUT TO BEGIN! PLEASE REPORT TO SMASH MANOR AT ONCE!-

"Seems we have to go," Hub smiled sorrowfully.

"Yes, it seems so. Let's go cheer your Nii-chan on, Hub," Haruka smiled softly.

"Hai, Mama," Hub nodded, "Tori-sama, Nee-chan, we're going."

**"My name is Sieg! Why do you not call me by m...?"** the Swan Imagin corrected.

**"This fool!"** Kintaros snapped as he karate chopped Sieg on the head, making the Swan Imagin squawk and collapse, causing Haruka, Kyohaku, and Hub to start laughing as, unaware to them, Ultima and DaiRyuuseiKnight-using Dai's body once more-watched.

"Memory is time. And that is what supports people. They no longer need to rely on anyone else's memory. The memory of the time they spent together supports their existence," DaiRyuuseiKnight spoke.

* * *

**I own Kurai Akuma. Please Review.**


	116. Ryuu vs Grey vs Captain Falcon

**Your Party Time! (Party Time!) Ah Yeah! (Ah Yeah!) **

**Time to party time! (Party Time!) Ah Yeah! (Yeah!)**

***A shot of Ryuu trading punches with Captain Falcon flashes onscreen, followed by a shot of Hub blocking a kick from Snake, and finally a shot of Max dodging a shot from Samus before a picture of Smash Manor with both teams in front appears, the camera zooming out in time to the bass's beat***

**Bomb** **a Head! (Bomb a Head!) Bomb a Head! (Bullseye!) moedasu youna atsuitamashii** (My hot soul is catching fire)

**Bomb a Head! (Bullseye!) Bomb a Head! (Bullseye!) muchashite shitta hondou no ore wo** (By being rash, only then did I know)

***The camera switches to a sword fight between Tenshi Zero and Link, sparks appearing as their swords clashed, followed by Beamer slamming his fist into the ground while Mewtwo dodged, retaliating with a Shadow Ball aimed at Grey, who changes to Beast Drive, slashing as the camera angle changes to a close up of his face***

**Bomb bomb bomb a head  
bom-bom-bom a head  
Bomb bomb bomb a head  
bom-bom-bom a head**

***The scene changes to Kurai Akuma watching Rampage dance, with Kalar, Lockdown, and Wario in the backdown, shaking their heads***

**Everytime odoru yumega odoru kyou toiu rizumu de **(Everytime I dance, my dreams dance on a rhythm called "today")

Everytime sakebu kokoro sakebu asu wo misutenaito Let's Go!

(Everytime I shout, my heart shouts, "Don't give up tomorrow." Let's go!)

***The scene shifts to Toriko dodging a strike from Lucario's Force Palm, before switching to a fight between Will, Misora, and Lan, Will currently in his Combat System Armor, holding back Misora's sword with his right, Lan's CyberSword with his left, before pushing them off, his armor transforming, the camera zooming in to show his eyes, before zooming back out to reveal Geo facing Chu-chan***

**Roji ni korogaru daiyamondo migaku yuuki ga takara mon da **(If you rub and polish a diamond from the bare earth it will turn into courage. Drenched in sweat,lost in town)**  
Ase mamire gai ni magire mazu ha koyoi dansu mo iinjyani?** (Let's start with an evening dance,isn't that okay?)**  
In the Night! Yeah! Feel so Good! binbinbaban tori zumu sanda** (into the night! yeah! feel so good! Strong Bang Bang! on this Sunday)**  
Kureiji to yobarerya soremo Good! aiyori guru-vu no My Life** (If people say I'm crazy it's all good!  
I'll take groovy my life over love)

***The camera now shows Rayne in Wave Change fighting Captain Falcon, dodging kicks and punches, throwing in a couple of kicks, when both are suddenly knocked over by a strong wind, the camera revealing Arme to be the source of the wind as she brandishes her staff in victory. The scene once more changes to show all of the Smashers about to clash before going black***

**Everytime Love U itsudemo want U aitai omoi ga** (Everytime Love You I'll Always Want U  
The desire to see you**)  
Everytime miss U mitsukete kiss U tsunoru yoru ha tsurai kakikesu tameno Dance 2 Dance!** (Everytime Miss U, I'll find and Kiss U Lonely nights are painful, so I'm dancing to overcome that. Dance 2 Dance!)

**Bomb a Head!**

***The camera now changes to show each Smasher individually in their own picture, fading out as the title Return to the Zones appears***

* * *

**First Match: Ryuu vs Grey vs Captain Falcon**

Max looked around as people began filling in seats around the arena, while those participating in the first round were chatting amongst themselves. He saw Grey was already in armor, going straight to Beast Drive, in conversation with Captain Falcon and Ryuu.

"Max!" Max looked up to see Bentley waving at him. He walked up the steps, stopping at the row Bentley was in to see Carmelita and Murray sitting beside Bentley.

"Hey, Bentley," Max said, shaking hands with the turtle. "Excited to see Sly in the first match?"

"Actually, I'm more excited about this first line-up," Bentley replied. "I've been doing research on each of the Smashers and I'm surprised at some of the backgrounds they have. I'm anticipating that the Captain Falcon will be the first one out in this round."

"What makes you say that?" Max asked, tilting his head.

"Why tell when I can just show?" Bentley asked, smirking. "In fact, how about a friendly little bet?"

"All betting will be handled through the booth, please," a voice said from an intercom, startling Max.

"Cameo?" Max asked.

"Who…oh…oh, no…oh, dear Arceus, anyone but you!" the voice screamed from the intercom beside Bentley's wheelchair.

* * *

"Nervous?" Captain Falcon asked, looking between Lan and Grey.

"A little," Grey nodded, his tail twitching back and forth. "I've been in a match before, but it was a three on three with Kassie and sis on my side. This will be my first solo match. And it's a free-for-all, to boot."

"No way! Not nervous!" Ryuu exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "Ryuu can't! Can't wait! To start!"

Captain Falcon smiled at Ryuu's eagerness.

"I like your style, kid," Captain Falcon laughed.

_"Attention,"_ Arceus said, all heads turning to look at the Pokemon. _"The match will begin in one minute. If everyone would please find a seat as our Smashers make their final preparations."_

* * *

"Ooh...This is gonna be exciting..." Hub grinned as he sat at a table with his mother, Kyohaku, and Mirajane with the kung fu masters living with Haruka and Kyohaku sitting at tables near them.

"Hub-kun, please calm down," Mirajane giggled.

"Hai, Mirajane-tenshi!"

"Mirajane-tenshi?" Haruka repeated.

"Hai! Mama, this is the woman of my life, the tenshi sent from heaven, Mirajane," Hub introduced.

"H-Hub-kun..." Mirajane blushed before bowing to Haruka, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Hikari. Your son is a wonderful man and a powerful dragon as well."

"Oh my...Both my sons are dating," Haruka gasped before Monkey tapped her with Shifu's cane, "Ite...Thank you, Monkey. I nearly acted like my mother and pulled out a fan so I could start declaring how manly my sons are."

"Grandma did that?" Hub asked before turning towards the Kensei, minus Sharkie and Elehung, sat down near them with the Imagin.

"Hello," Shafu greeted.

"Hello," Shifu bowed, being the one sitting next to the cat, _'His aura is strong, that I can tell. Yet...It feels beyond what I have felt before, that I know.'_

"We got the snacks!" Sharkie grinned as he and Elehung ran over with their arms loaded with popcorn, soda, candy, tea, and sushi.

"Hai! Oh, here you go," Elehung said as he handed everyone around the Kensei a confection.

"Oh! Thank you," Haruka bowed.

"Oh! A Yuki-Onna!" Elehung gasped.

"Nani? But I'm not a snow woman."

"Oops! Sorry, but your beauty was equal to one!" Elehung replied.

"Erohung!"

Two fists got the elephant in the back of the head, knocking him out. Two women blew their fists. The first woman had shoulder-length black hair and wore a black business suit. The other woman had her long hair tid in a ponytail. She wore a yellow and black version of Jan's outfit. Nearby, a man with messy black hair, a growing beard, and wearing a white and orange tracksuit was bowing to the Kensei along with a man with short black hair and a purple and black version of Jan's outfit. With them was another black-haired man in a blue version of the outfit.

"Ah. I'm glad you all came," Shafu smiled.

"Hai, Shafu-sensei," the long-haired female nodded.

"Yosh! We wouldn't miss Jan's fight for the world!" the tracksuit-wearing man grinned.

"Man...This is going to be boring," the purple-wearing man snorted.

"Gou-niisan..." the blue-wearing man sighed.

"These are our students; Ran Uzaki of GekiJyu Cheetah Ken, Retsu Fukami of GekiJyu Jaguar Ken, Gou Fukami of GekiJyu Wolf Ken, and Kin Hisatsu of GekiJyu Rhino Ken," Shafu introduced, "And, the nice lady here, is Miki Masaki, the high executive of SCRTCH."

"Scratch?" Tigress repeated.

"Yes. It is where we live and train together," Bat Li explained, "It is also where the majority of sports and exercise equipment are made and distributed across the world."

"It's very nice to meet you all," Miki bowed with Retsu and Ran.

* * *

"Yatta! This is going to be nikiniki!" Jan declared.

"Nikiniki?" Ryuu repeated.

"Hai!" Jan grinned.

"Oh...Hai! It Nikiniki!" Ryuu grinned, "Kageki nikiniki!"

"Yosh!" Jan cheered as he put his hand on Ryuu's shoulder.

* * *

"Now then, for the referee! GekiJyu Fly Ken Master Bae!" Master Hand declared.

"Hooray!" a Chihuahua-sized fly in a referee's outfit and mini glasses, its mouth resembling a mike, cheered, "I am GekiJyu Fly Ken Master Bae! As you all know, this is a Free-For-All One-On-One-On-One battle! Around the Stage, there will be ten, yes _ten_, Assist Trophies and _one_ Temporal Trophy! The fighters summoned by these Trophies will stay in the match until you strike a device that is on them! The moment that device is broken, they will be ejected! This will be a stamina battle, with everyone set up at 300HP. The battle will last until only one remains! If you don't fight, you will not survive!"

_"Let the first match...Begin!"_ Arceus declared as her three sons let out a roar.

The seats shook before they began to rise up into the air. The sections split up into four floating seating areas as the ground let out a white light. The light engulfed the participants and just barely missed the floating seating areas. The light solidified into a solid, translucent dome. Within the dome was the entire island of Satellite, surrounded by the waters it was always around. Many of the spectators felt their eyes widen at the ruined place. It was as if it were a mere shadow of itself. To Yen Sid, who sat near Goofy, Pluto, and Donald, it reminded him of the Wastelands created by a certain mouse before it was restored by the mouse, his half-dragon companion, a certain rabbit, and a Gremlin. Screens began to appear around the dome, showing various areas of the stage.

**"Go, Sempai!"** Urataros cheered as Ryutaros waved a flag with a peach on it.

"Go, Jan!" Ran cheered.

"Yatta! There goes my first student!" Sharkie cheered as he waved a flag with a red tiger on it.

* * *

Ryuu and Kage looked around. Kage had never been to the Satellite while Ryuu had lived in it for two years. He subconsciously rubbed his forehead, right where his tattoo once was. It had dissipated when his arm had been completely revived. Ryuu sat up before Kage began to follow him. A glint nearby caught Ryuu's eye. He went over to it and awed. It was an Trophy, depicting Jan in a fighting pose. To Ryuu, it felt like he was looking at a tiger about to pounce. Kage went over and tapped the base, letting it flash a little, revealing Jan yawning as he stretched. He looked over and grinned at seeing Ryuu.

"Yosh! You found me!" Jan grinned, "Yatta. Now I can ask you! Oi! Can you be my student?"

"...Nani?" Ryuu blinked.

"Hai! I want to teach you GekiJyuKen!" Jan grinned.

"Iie," Ryuu replied as he walked off with Kage.

"Ah! Matte!" Jan yelped as he followed them, "This isn't going as I planned."

* * *

"...He's a bit of an idiot at times, isn't he?" Viper asked.

"How'd you know?"

"Ran, I've got five male brothers who do that all the time," Viper replied.

"Yep. ...Hey!" Monkey, Crane, Mantis, Po, and Tai Lung snapped.

"He was raised by tigers, so that is an excuse," Gorie stated, earning looks from those not knowing about Jan.

"Mobian or actual tigers?" Tigress asked.

"Actual ones."

* * *

Grey walked around, all of his senses alert as he searched for the trophies. He wasn't at all familiar with the city, so he was taking it slow for now. Gregar was walking beside him, though only Grey could actually see him. Because he was in Beast Drive, Gregar couldn't take a physical form. "Oi, kid, I see something shiny over there," Gregar said, walking towards a pile of rubble. Grey followed, finding a trophy of Beamer, his trench coat looking like it was flapping about.

"Good job, Gregar," Grey said, touching the trophy, the trophy flashing a bit before Beamer appeared, stretching his arms.

"Man, it is stuffy in there," Beamer said, joints popping as he continued to move his limbs. He then noticed Grey standing next to him. "Oh, good. Someone I recognize. Would hate to have to send you to the infirmary," Beamer grinned, while Grey gulped.

"Haha, yeah, good thing," Grey laughed nervously.

"Well, don't just stand there, let's try and find some of the others," Beamer said, walking down an alley. Grey heard him trip over something, followed by whatever Beamer had tripped on flying at Grey's head. Grey ducked, fighting the instinct to leap at Beamer, knowing that if it had hit him, it was unintentional. "Who the fuck put that there?" Beamer growled, stomping out of the alley.

"Beamer…you just found another trophy," Grey said, walking over to the trophy. This one was of Sly, who was crouched down, his cane held just behind his back. Grey touched it and Sly appeared, rubbing his head.

"Alright, who's the wise guy that threw me?" Sly asked, wincing as he touched the bump on his head.

* * *

"Come on..." Jan whined.

"Iie," Ryuu stated once more, the trio adding Mickey to their ragtag team.

"What's he trying to do?" Mickey whispered, Ryuu having called out Gus to accompany them.

"From what I can tell, Jan wants to teach Ryuu, but he doesn't want to," Gus explained before spotting a Trophy, depicting Yusuke with a strange belt on his body, "Ryuu, I found another one!"

"Hai!" Ryuu nodded as Kage ran over and tapped the base.

"Ah! Man...That felt weird," Yusuke admitted before looking at the group, "Uh...Konnichiwa?"

"Hi!" Jan grinned, "Nee, help me out."

"Iie," Ryuu frowned before walking off.

"Ah! Matte, Ryuu!" Jan yelped as he began to chase after the dragon boy.

"We'd better explain," Mickey sighed, "Come on."

"Hai?" Yusuke nodded, a bit confused before Jan stopped.

"Ah! Zawazawa!" Jan screamed as he tackled Ryuu down.

**-ATTACK RIDE: BLAST!-**

In the matter of seconds, a rain of blasts rained down on them. The smoke cleared to reveal Kage's Dome Form had shielded them all. He receded back into Ryuu's shadow as Captain Falcon walked up. Beside him was a sight Yusuke felt he didn't want to see.

"Yo," Tsukasa greeted.

"Captain Falcon?" Ryuu pondered.

"Ha! Show me your moves!" Captain Falcon declared as he faced Mickey, Gus, Jan, and Ryuu.

"Seems we're going to be fighting. Just like back at our first meeting," Tsukasa noted.

Yusuke gave a sad nod. Suddenly, a strange belt appeared around his waist in a flash of light. The belt was silver in color and had a large oval shaped piece in the front with a large circle in the middle that glowed with a red light. Soon after it appeared, it began to emit a low humming sound. He then stretched his right arm out in front of him, pointing it upwards and to the left, and began to move it across to the right.

"Henshin!" Yusuke shouted.

The young man then brought the palms of his hands together, and used the back of his left hand to press down on a button on top of the belt's left side. He then broke into a dead run towards the Roaches as the belt began to emit a loud beeping sound that continued to speed up and the red light began to flash repeatedly. As he ran, his body began to change. First, his legs turned black with gold bands around his ankles and gold kneepads with a red jewel in the center of each. The transformation spread over his upper body and his chest and shoulders became encased in red colored armor that had a gold band in it that encircled the base of the neck. His lower arms gained red armor as well that had gold bands around the wrists. Finally, his head was cover in a black helmet that had a silver mouthpiece, a pair of gold horns, and large red eyes.

"I'm ready," Yusuke nodded.

"Turning into Kamen Rider Kuuga right at the start? Heh. This is going to be fun," Tsukasa smirked.

With that, he pulled out two items.

One was an adjustable belt with a very large white mechanical buckle. The buckle was somewhat rectangular shaped with silver handles on each side, each handle horizontally lined with three different colored buttons; green, red, and blue. The center of the buckle was occupied by a clear, circular window surrounded by ten different symbols including the one I had seen on the case. That particular symbol was on a small, green light above the window.

The second item was silver, rectangular, book-shaped device that had a black stripe diagonally across it. A small, silver, cylindrical piece protruded from the top, right part of it, and along the bottom was a black handle on a right side hinge. On the top was a symbol. It was a strange mark made up of several black lines. It actually looked somewhat like a barcode, except several of the lines on the inner part of the symbol were all different lengths, some of them much longer than others. To make it even stranger, two small, empty circles were placed in the center of the design, which in combination with the lines, made them look like a pair of eyes.

Tsukasa opened up the book-shaped device after he pulled on the sides of the device he had just wrapped around his waist, turning the center of the buckle ninety-degrees. He pulled a card out of it and showed the image of a masked figure to Kuuga. He flipped it around, revealing the same symbol on the book-shaped device was on the back.

"Henshin!" Tsukasa declared.

With that, he tossed the card into the hidden slot on the buckle.

**-KAMEN RIDE-**

Tsukasa slapped the sides he had just pulled out. The buckle returned to its normal shape. In the center, the symbol on the card's back was shown.

**-DECADE!-**

The nine symbols on his belt appeared before him. The symbols were arranged so that when looked at from directly above, they formed a circle with Tsukasa standing at the head point directly across from the symbol that represented another Kamen Rider, known as 'Blade.' The symbols were immediately replaced by several blurry and grey colored holographic images that were roughly as tall as Tsukasa was. They quickly pulled together around him and instantly formed a gray and black jumpsuit. Nine, red-colored, card-shaped energy disks emerged from the Decadriver and floated up to eye level before affixing themselves to the helmet, creating a set of barcode lines and antenna-like appendages as well as spreading a fuchsia (or 'Decade Pink') coloring throughout the suit. The green eye pieces and the small yellow gem set at the top of the middle line of the helmet flashed briefly as the transformation finished its course. Tsukasa wiped his hands together in a clapping motion.

"Ah! Y-Y-You're...Decade!" Mickey gasped.

* * *

"Gawrsh! It's Decade!" Goofy exclaimed with a gulp.

"The Destroyer of World?" Donald flipped.

"Oh man...King Mickey, run!" Sora shouted.

"Natusmi's Secret Technique: Laughter Pressure Point!" Natsumi declared as she jabbed the trio in the neck with her thumb, causing the trio to start laughing, "Enough! He isn't a destroyer of worlds, you bakas!"

"What? But this guy told us that..." Sora began after he got his laughter to stop when Natsumi got him again.

"Baka! You were being lied to!" Natsumi snapped.

"Uh...I don't think he heard you," Goofy said as he saw Mickey charge at Decade, pulling out a Keyblade and his brush.

* * *

"That's Decade?" Max asked out loud. _Doesn't look all that threatening to me,_ he thought to himself. _I wonder what would make a Zone Watcher suspect him of…well, anything._ Max then felt a Zone Energy he had only felt one other time. He turned around to see Nik, who was watching the match, but his eyes were hard, glaring. Max followed the gaze and saw that it was settled on the fight between Mickey and Decade.

* * *

Mickey slashed at Decade with Kuuga throwing a right hook. Decade flipped back from the two and took out a card. He opened his Decadriver and slid the card it. He slapped it shut while ducking the roundhouse kick Kuuga delivered.

**-ATTACK RIDE: ILLUSION-**

Decade split into three. He nodded towards Captain Falcon and let one Decade charge at Ryuu. The other two ran off with Kuuga and Mickey following. Ryuu ducked under the kick Decade sent as Gus flew over it. Gus changed back into Oathkeeper and the Forgotten Heart, letting Ryuu catch them.

"Need help. Ah!" Ryuu exclaimed.

He jumped back from the punch Decade tried to throw and tossed the Forgotten Heart into the air. He jumped on Decade's head as he was in mid-charge and jumped towards the Forgotten Heart. He swung and the brush struck the necklace. It and Oathkeeper glowed before transforming into a large, tubby humanoid feline. It had black fur, a cigar in its mouth, a boulder hat, and a peg leg. He also wore blue overalls and white gloves. Ryuu landed beside the cat.

"Well, well, if it isn't my Special Deputy," the cat chuckled as he patted the teen's back, "Glad t' see ya again!"

"Pete-Oya-san!" Ryuu grinned.

"Eh? The same ability as Diend?" the Decade pondered, "Ah! Nevermind!"

"Huh? Well, well, it's that guy th' other guy was talkin' about," Pete noted as he saw Decade, "Well, let's see what this here 'Destroyer of Worlds' can do."

Ryuu's eyes widened as he looked over at Decade. The copy groaned as he facepalmed. Seems that he was getting annoyed with that nickname. Nearby, Mickey threw a piece of paper and blasted it with Paint from his brush. The work instantly transformed into a human-sized stop watch. The three Decades began to slow down to a crawl. Kuuga gave a thumbs-up at the mouse. Mickey nodded as he took out another paper. He tossed it above the first Decade's head and blasted it with Paint, turning it into a massive anvil. The anvil fell and crushed him, turning the Decade into pixels. Kuuga began to charge at the second Decade, his right foot sparking with red energy. He jumped high into the air, rolled once, and delivered a flying side kick at the second Decade. The kick collided and Kuuga flipped back, landing in a kneeled position with his arms spread out. He got up and the second Decade exploded, leaving only red pixels. The Decade fighting Pete jumped back and chuckled.

"Seems I've lost my Illusion," Decade noted before pulling out another card, "What better to fight a summon than using someone that looks like a summon. Henshin!"

**-KAMEN RIDER: HIBIKI!-**

Purple flames engulfed Decade. He dispersed them to reveal his outfit had transformed. From head to toe, he was clad in dark blue armour. Around his waist was the Decadriver. His hands and feet were clad in dark red boots and gloves made of the same material as the rest of his suit, complete with metal bands across his wrists. Across his torso was a metal bandolier which went over both of his shoulders. His face was concealed by a blue armour helmet with no facial features beyond red markings which outlined the facial area. Silver horns were situated from his forehead with a gold demon face in the middle. In his hands were a pair of red wooden rods capped at the top with red crystal made to appear like oni faces, one smiling and one frowning. He took out a gold card with three tomoe on the back and put it into his Decadriver.

**-FINAL ATTACK RIDE: H-H-H-HIBIKI!-**

While everyone was distracted, a circle made of blue energy with the three tomoe in the center appeared before Pete. D-Hibiki charged with his club/drumsticks.

"Ongeki Da Kaen Renda no Kata (Flame Serial Beats)!"

With that, D-Hibiki began to play the 'drum' before him. Nearly everyone in the stands could hear the sounds of purification playing. D-Hibiki kept the beat for 29 notes before banging his weapons above his head and then slamming it on Pete once more, causing him to exploded and hit Ryuu with both Oathkeeper and the Forgotten Heart right on the forehead. D-Hibiki chuckled as he changed back into Decade.

* * *

"Yikes..." Will gulped.

"But listening to music is a good way to die," Viral noted, "The way it seems to...soothe...the heart."

"You got hit by a music blast once?" Bass asked.

"Oh, yeah."

* * *

"Alright, so, I've got three on my side," Grey said, looking from Beamer to Sly and then finally at Elesis. "And no idea how many the others have."

"Well, let's find them," Beamer and Elesis said at the same time. "I'm ready to kick some ass!"

"Scary how similar in thinking those two are," Sly commented, Grey nodding his agreement. Sly's ear then twitched. "Hey, anyone else hear that music?"

Grey looked in the direction Sly was now looking in, also hearing the noise. "Yeah…yeah, I hear it, too," Grey said. He went down on all fours, looking over his shoulder. "You guys keep up." And with that, he was off, running towards the source of the music as it faded.

Sly and Elesis turned to look at Beamer, who sighed. "Hop on," he said, the other two climbing onto his back and wrapping their arms around his neck as he took off after Grey, easily matching the reploid's speed.

* * *

"Falcon Kick!" Captain Falcon declared as he got Mickey in the stomach, knocking him into a wall.

A large braking noise echoed in the place before a medallion shaped like Mickey's head fell off him and shattered. Mickey glowed before changing into a Trophy, depicting him with his Keyblade out along with his Brush.

-And Mickey Mouse is out of there!- Bae declared -Oh, what will happen next? And when will Grey attempt to join in?-

"Nani? Grey not? Not here?" Ryuu pondered before sniffing the air, _'He's near...'_

"Wow! Not bad for an old guy," Decade chuckled before bonking Kuuga on the head and kicking him away, "Now to...Eh? Ah! My deck!"

"Looking for this?" Kuuga asked as he held up the 'book,' not noticing a few cards fell out of it, "Cho Henshin!"

His body glowed before transforming. His armor and eyes took on an average shade of green. His left shoulder gained a new piece of armor that looked roughly like an upside-down right triangle when observed while standing directly in front of him. He pulled a handle out of the 'book' and a muzzle emerged from the other end. The 'book' in his hand then morphed into what looked like a green, black and gold colored cross between a gun and a mini archery bow.

-And Kuuga uses his Cho Henshin to become Kuuga Pegasus Form! Be careful, Kuuga, you've only got 50 seconds before the side-effects kick in!- Bae commentated.

Kuuga open fired on Decade, forcing the Rider to jump out of the way and into a roll. He quickly rejoined Captain Falcon as the racer/bounty hunter ducked under the punch Jan threw along with Ryuu's swipe, claws extended.

"Tch. Trade?" Decade asked.

"Right!" Captain Falcon nodded before sprinting at Kuuga Pegasus.

"Drive Claw!" Grey slammed his claws into the ground just before Captain Falcon reached Kuuga Pegasus, knocking both of the two combatants back.

-And Grey has finally joined the battle, opening up with his Drive Claw!- Bae announced.

Grey stood up, his tail now swishing to and fro, his eyes suddenly flickering from their normal color to red and then back again. "Alright…let's go, Gregar," Grey said, his voice deepening a bit. Beamer came up just as Grey jumped after Captain Falcon, Sly and Elesis jumping off of his back.

"Oi, Sly," Beamer said, motioning for Sly to come closer. "What can you do?" he whispered.

"I can steal anything without a person noticing," Sly replied.

"Really?"

"Say, when was the last time you renewed this thing?" Sly asked, holding up Beamer's driver's license. Beamer snatched it from the grinning raccoon.

"Alright, I take that back. Listen, since you probably won't last long, you stay in the background. You see an opening for a steal, you go for it," Beamer said, Sly nodding, running off to the buildings. Beamer turned to Elesis. "Kid, you're with me. We're goin' for that fella over there," Beamer said, pointing at Kuuga Pegasus.

"Kuuga," Elesis said.

"Huh?"

"His name. Kuuga."

"Wait, it is?"

"Did you pay any attention when Master Hand was announcing the line-up for this round?"

"No…not really…"

While this strategy meeting was taking place, Grey was busy with Captain Falcon, who was doing well in keeping up with the reploid's speed. "Come on, kid, concentrate!" Gregar barked at Grey, who was sweating.

"I'm trying," Grey grunted, taking a Falcon Kick right in his stomach.

"No, you aren't! This was your idea! If you can't open up to _my _instincts, then we've already lost!"

"I'm. Trying." Grey jumped over a second Falcon Kick, his body spinning along a horizontal plane, his right foot coming down onto Captain Falcon's raised forearm. Grey used the sudden stop in momentum to push off, using his left palm to block the punch that had been aimed at his chest.

"Grey…breathe," Gregar said, catching Grey by surprise, his grip on Captain Falcon's right fist almost slipping. Grey did so, closing his eyes. Captain Falcon's left fist shot at Grey's face, when Grey's right hand caught it, Grey's eyes snapping open, the irises now fully red. "Heh. Welcome to the wild side, kid."

"Adrenaline rush," was all Grey said, kicking Captain Falcon away with his right foot.

Nearby, Decade ducked below the strike Beamer sent at him. He made a quick roll and picked up the cards that dropped out of the 'book.' He looked at the cards to see they were just two blanks.

"Ah! What the hell?" Decade groaned before the images appeared, "Huh? Well, don't that beat all?"

**-FINAL FORM RIDE: C-C-C-CAPTAIN FALCON!-**

"This may tickle," Decade spoke as Captain Falcon landed before him.

"Huh?" Captain Falcon groaned as he got up.

Decade moved the fighter before him. He then put his hands on either side of Captain Falcon's spine. He pulled them apart and caused a portal to appear behind the man. What happened next startled them all. A gold plating emerged from the portal and snapped onto his back. Captain Falcon flipped into the air and began to transform before their very eyes. Blue plating and engines snapped onto his upper body while gold plating affixed to his lower body. The design was sleek and seemed to resemble a falcon's head at the front.

-What's this? Captain Falcon has just become a miniature Falcon Flyer! It's the Captain Falcon Flyer!- Bae commentated.

The engines ignited and the Captain Falcon Flyer shot off like a rocket. Grey and Jan cried out as they were hit and sent away into either an open window for Jan or a wall for Grey. Decade smirked behind his mask before turning towards Kuuga, his armor now a solid white with gold trimming while his horns were smaller.

"I just had to change back into Growing Kuuga..." Kuuga sighed.

-This is bad for Kuuga. He's now Growing Kuuga, the first form he took on when he first became Kamen Rider Kuuga! This form is the weakest of them all and he normally changes into this form when he's become weak or when 50 seconds in Kuuga Pegasus Form have gone by!- Bae announced before Beamer appeared before Decade and delivered a roundhouse kick to his face, sending him into a building and collapsing it -And Beamer pulls off a sneak attack!-

"Why did you do that?" Growing Kuuga asked.

"Heh. So that's the Destroyer of World that little bat warned me about?" Beamer pondered as he looked over at where Decade was getting up, "He's not that tough."

* * *

"And there goes another one with that Destroyer of Worlds talk..." Max muttered as he saw Decade get up and get his 'book' back from Growing Kuuga before blocking a punch by changing it from its Gun Form into one that resembled a sword.

* * *

The Captain Falcon Flyer shot all around the fighting area, striking various fighters. It flipped before changing back to Captain Falcon, letting him deliver a Falcon Kick into Growing Kuuga's gut and sending him skidding back to Ryuu.

"Kuuga okay?" Ryuu asked.

"I need to change, but I can't," Growing Kuuga replied, "I'll need two hours before I can go back to Mighty Form or one of my other forms."

"Ryuu got. Got it! Kage!" Ryuu shouted.

"Ih!" the creature from Ryuu's shadow saluted before a blue and gray blur shot by him.

"Nani?" Ryuu gasped before looking at an alley to see Sly, smirking while holding up a corked bottle with a black, moving liquid within it, "Give back! Kage!"

"Soory, no can do," Sly chuckled before running off.

"I'll get him back," Growing Kuuga spoke before running off.

"Oi!" Jan called as he ran up, holding up an Assist Trophy with a green base and a multicolored question mark floating above the base, "What's this?"

"Temporal Trophy!" Ryuu gasped.

-And Jan found Ryuu the Temporal Trophy! This Trophy, once activated, will summon an Assist from another time!- Bae commentated as Arceus handed Bae a piece of paper -Hold on. I just got an update. Yes! The Assist summoned by that Trophy will have something on him or her that acts just like the necklace that the Assists have on their bodies that allow them to stay in the fight!-

_'That explains why Mickey changed back,'_ Ryuu thought before turning to Jan, "Use it."

"Nani? How?"

"Say it. 'Temporal Assist,'" Ryuu explained before grabbing Jan and jumped back from a blast Beamer shot out, missing the dodging Decade.

"Hai! Temporal Assist!" Jan called as they got up.

"Oh no you don't!" Captain Falcon called as he shifted back into his Captain Falcon Flyer and shot out at them.

The Trophy let out a flash of light before the Captain Falcon Flyer was sent back by a wave of purple and black energy. Ryuu and Jan slowly looked up from shielding their eyes. Jan's eyes widened in shock at the person who stood before them. It was a man around his early twenties. He wore a black cloak with red fur trimming with two black lion heads emerging from the ends of the fur. His hair was shoulder-length and a dark brown. His onyx eyes looked about before seeing Jan and Ryuu. Ryuu gulped. His senses were going off like mad, demanding that he kill himself at once. That simple glance the man was giving them gave Ryuu a fear almost compared to when he lost Meiru in Detroit...even more than that.

"You've lost your power, it seems," the man stated before turning towards Beamer, "You."

"Eh? Me?" Beamer pondered, "Go away. I'm dealing with Decade right now."

"Ringi: Gōyū Kōha," the man spoke.

A black aura flared off him. He preformed a few katas before a black and gold metal lion the size of an elephant erupted from the aura. The lion roared before tackling Beamer and batted him away from his fight and through a building. The lion roared before fading away. The aura grew around the man.

"Ringi: Rinki Gaisō," the man stated.

The lion appeared once more. It split into various parts and began to engulf the man. His body was engulfed in obsidian-colored armor, adorned with gold. The boots resembled lion's paws while his hands ended with armored claws. The shoulders and the upper half of the legs had a gold spike while his torso armor resembled a lion roaring in fury. His head was covered in a black helmet, adorned with gold and fur to resemble a man and a lion's jaws. From out of the jaws, his eyes were covered by a black visor, barely standing out from the obsidian-colored armor were it not for the gold adorning.

"Takeki koto, shishi no gotoku. Tsuyoki koto, mata shishi no gotoku. Sekai o seisuru mono, waga na wa Kurojishi Rio (As purely fierce as a lion, as powerful as a lion. The one destined to rule the world, my name is the Black Lion Rio)," the armored warrior stated.

-Eek! It's Black Lion Rio! The master of RinJyu Lion Ken!- Bae screamed in fear -He took on and defeated thousands of opponents, each one said to be stronger than him!-

"You bore me as you are now, Kando Jan," Kurojishi Rio stated before turning towards the wreckage his lion caused, "That armored warrior though..."

With that, Kurojishi Rio jumped off. Each jump he made actually cleared a ten-storied building or pile of debris. While no one was looking, Ryuu grabbed Jan and ran off.

"Seems it's time to leave for now," Decade noted before making a flip and landing on the retreating Captain Falcon Flyer, "We'd better get reinforcements, Captain."

"Right. Now then...How did you do this to me?" Captain Falcon Flyer demanded.

* * *

"Get back here!" Growing Kuuga shouted as he kept up with Sly.

"Boy...This bloke doesn't know when to give up," Sly noted, "It's like dealing with a male version of a certain vixen I know."

Sly dashed around a corner and skidded to a halt after ten minutes. He stood before a dock, the waves crashing against it. He turned to see Growing Kuuga running up. Growing Kuuga assumed a fighting stance as Sly took out his staff.

"I'm sorry, but I won't let you take away Kage," Growing Kuuga apologized.

"Heh. Stealing's what I do, kid," Sly smirked before a flash of lightning appeared and the two charged.

* * *

Ryuu grunted as he pulled the block of stone over the opening. He motioned for Jan to follow him down the stairway. Soon, the two entered a large training/living area.

"Sugei! This is wakiwaki!" Jan exclaimed as he ran around the living part before looking at the larger training part, "Nee, can I teach you here?"

"No! Why want? Teach Ryuu?"

"You're nikiniki!" Jan grinned.

"Nikiniki?"

"Yosh!" Jan nodded as he walked up to the younger male, "The first step to GekiJyuKen is a heart of justice. You've got a dekadeka heart."

"Dekadeka heart..." Ryuu repeated, "GekiJyuKen..."

* * *

Beamer sat up, rubbing his head. "Ah, damn, that hurt a bit," he said, shaking his head. When the throbbing stopped, Beamer began to smile. "But…finally, someone I can go a little harder on. That other guy seemed so fragile. But this Rio character…" Beamer began to fiddle with his limiters, before frowning. "Shit. Being in that damn trophy form must have messed them up," he said as the limiters sparked. "Well, looks like it can still do fifty percent. That should be okay. Guess I'll see just how fast this guy breaks."

"There you are." Beamer looked up to see Rio standing atop the building just above him. Rio stepped off, Beamer rolling forward as Rio landed where he had been sitting, creating a small crater as he stood upright. "Will you give me the challenge I'm looking for?"

Beamer grinned. "Oh, man, you have no fucking idea what you're messing with," Beamer said, charging at Rio. Before Rio could react, Beamer had kicked his legs out from under him. Beamer then spun around and planted the sole of his right boot in Rio's side as Rio began to fall, sending him through the building. Beamer smirked, arms crossed. "Let's get one thing straight, buddy. Only one of us is walkin' back into the fight. And that's gonna be me." Beamer emphasized his point by pointing at himself.

"I accept the challenge," Rio said from inside the building. "Ringi: Raigō Dan!" Beamer ducked as an orb of energy came flying out of the hole in the wall, hitting the wall behind him and exploding, collapsing the entire building. Beamer's grin grew wider.

"Oh man…this was a great time for my limiters to stop working right," Beamer laughed. He then lowered his stance, his arms spread out to his sides, while Rio pulled himself out of the hole. "Forgive me for my behavior. But I can't help it when I can sense a strong opponent. Tell ya what. I'm gonna give you a free shot. I want to see just how hard you can really hit." Beamer gestured at his torso. "Come on. Right here."

"Have it your way," Rio said. "Ringi: Gōyū Shōda!" Rio's entire body was covered in an aura, the aura concentrating itself into his right fist, which he drove into Beamer's exposed stomach. Beamer fell back and rolled a bit, not moving. "Hmph. Not as strong as I though."

"…Was that it?"

"Wha?"

Beamer's hands moved out and pushed his body up and off the ground. He stood up and turned around, his expression serious. "That was all? That was your best shot? Last chance, kid. You better be able to amaze me in the next couple of minutes," Beamer said. He charged at Rio and began hand-to-hand combat. The crowd watched as the two traded blows. It was obvious that Rio was a martial artist and the more skilled of the two fighters, Beamer having only ever been in street brawls since he was first created. But his endurance was unmatched in the Prime Zone. Even though for every hit Beamer landed, Rio would land two more, Beamer was showing no signs of fatigue.

**Cue: JyuKen Sentai GekiRanger - Black Pulse ~ Unwavering Emotion**

"Amazing...Truly amazing!" Kurojishi Rio started to laugh as Beamer prepared to deal a punch to his face, "Doringi."

Beamer was forced back when the black aura began to roar off Kurojishi Rio. However, unlike the last times it appeared, this time it spout in in powerful streams around him. Kurojishi Rio let out a powerful roar, sending Beamer back as the buildings in a thirty meter radius collapsed.

"Rinki: Shishi Hōkōha!" Kurojishi Rio roared.

The lion reformed once more, this time the gold parts and the eyes glowing with malice. Beamer looked up at the lion and began to grin.

"Bring it on!" Beamer roared.

The lion roared before lunging at Beamer. The Prime Zone version of Bass roared as he charged. The two collided and Beamer screamed in pain. The lion was beating him about, never giving him a chance to get away. The lion then jumped on the NetNavi and exploded.

-Yikes! Kurojishi Rio just unleashed his Doringi on Beamer! In RinJyuKen, Doringi is the highest form of power there is. When it is called forth, the user feels nothing but pure, unadulterated rage, hatred, and anger- Bae explained as the smoke cleared, revealing a slowly rising Beamer.

"You..." Beamer began before grinning with malice, "I can't believe it. You've been holding back on me."

"I'm just getting started. Gengi: Genki Gaisō!"

The Doringi erupting off Rio transformed into a deep gold color. Crack emerged upon his armor, releasing a gold light. With a wave of his hand, Rio's armor was torn apart and sent all around. His armor now only had specks of obsidian color on it while the rest was solid gold. The helmet had become a gold gryphon's head, the black visor now in its jaws. The sides of the helmet had golden wings spread with with bits of black adorning it. The lion face on his torso had become a gryphon's visage. Knife-like blades emerged from his lower arms and on the armor on his hips. The back of his armor, below the waist, was a cape of black cloth resembling feathers.

"Tsuyoki koto, takeki koto, sekai ni oite musō no mono (Pure fierceness, pure power, Leaving the world, one without equal)," Rio stated.

-He's transformed into GenJyuKing Rio, folks! He now uses the power of GenJyuKen, the Mythical Beast Fist!- Bae commentated, fear evident in his tone, as GenJyuKing Rio grabbed Beamer by the throat.

"You are holding back as well," GenJyuKing Rio stated as he tossed Beamer into the air, "Gengi: Hatenkō."

As Beamer fell, GenJyuKing Rio's body erupted with a gold light and his Genki. He delivered three punches. With each punch, an explosion erupted from Beamer's body. The last punch sent Beamer to the other side of the Satellite Area. Below the Satellite, Ryuu shivered as he and Jan looked up at the ceiling.

"G-Gawagawa..." Ryuu whimpered.

"Rio..." Jan whispered.

* * *

"Weakness...is evil," GenJyuKing Rio stated as he approached Beamer, parts of his body breaking apart.

"Well," Beamer said, pushing the release locks on his limiters. He then began to hit them and curse. "Damn junk can't even release!" He sighed, looking at Rio. "Well, I suppose there's no point in building the suspense," Beamer said as he placed his right hand on the limiter around his left wrist. He then pulled and snapped it easily, surprising everyone in the crowd. He did the same with the rest of the limiters, the ground around him starting to break. He rolled his neck, popping noises come from that area. "Man. It's been years since I've gone all out. Too bad this will only last a couple more seconds. Normally, I'd just adjust the limiters to sixty percent." Beamer gestured at the sparking limiters. "But because I was stuck in that trophy form for so long, they ended up malfunctioning and couldn't go any higher than fifty percent." Beamer held up his right hand, energy building up. "But I'll give you the respect you deserve and end you with one of my stronger moves. This is even stronger than my Zonebreaker, so don't say I held anything back at the end." The energy suddenly spiked, Beamer raising his hand. "Giga Earthbreaker!" He slammed the energy down, hitting Rio dead center.

-And Beamer unleashes the Giga Earthbreaker!- Bae shouted -Oh...Please let this make him the victor...-

The smoke slowly faded away. The area didn't have a single thing left within it. The only thing that was in the massive crater was a broken gold and black medallion resembling a lion roaring. Beamer let out a chuckle before he began to fall. The last thing Beamer remembered as he lost conscious from the injuries and power he spent was the feeling of satisfaction. He finally had an equal. Upon impact, a medal resembling his helmet over a pizza rolled out. The medal fell beside Rio's, the two seemingly complimenting one another.

* * *

"I...I've never seen Beamer look so happy before. Not even when he opened his place," Max whispered.

"It's because he's found an equal," Julie replied, making Max look at his daughter, "Rio-san has been the only one I've ever seen get Uncle Beamer so happy before."

Unaware to them, Scourge was looking out at the passed out form of Beamer on one of the screens. He gave a small smile at the image before he walked off. At his side, the faded image of the lion let out an acknowledging roar before fading. Mikoto looked out at the sight, scowling. This wasn't going to the plans of the killer.

* * *

"Tora no ko...What JyuKen?" Ryuu asked as he turned to Jan, currently eating a Menchikatsu (Deep-Fried Pork Cutlet).

"Hm? GekiJyuKen...Oh! Jyuken is a kenpo where you fire up your Geki to obtain the powers of a beast."

"Geki?" Ryuu repeated, looking up from his chopsticks and bowl of curry noodles.

"It's the source of Jyuken's power. The passionate energy that spreads when you sense your beast heart, that's called Geki When you fire that up, you can draw forth infinite power. It's wakiwaki!" Jan grinned.

* * *

Growing Kuuga and Sly continued to trade blows. Sly ducked under a right hook before striking Growing Kuuga in the chest with his staff. Growing Kuuga cried out as sparks came off when it hit. He staggered back a few feet and grabbed the area over his torso. Both Assists were panting as they looked at each other.

"Come on now, kid. Why not just give it up?" Sly asked as he twirled his staff as if it were a cane, "You're on your last legs.

"Never. I won't give up. Ryuu and Kage are friends and I won't let you hurt that friendship," Growing Kuuga replied, unaware of a multicolored sphere floating up into his right hand.

_'What?'_ Sly thought as he saw the sphere.

"I am a Kamen Rider. I won't let anyone cry from losing a friend!" Growing Kuuga roared as he clenched his fists, breaking the sphere.

**Cue: Kamen Rider Kuuga Opening**

Growing Kuuga crossed his arms before him as a multicolored aura flared off him.

"Cho...Henshin!" Growing Kuuga exclaimed.

Growing Kuuga roared as his body changed to Mighty Form. His arms uncrossed as his armor began to transform once more. His armor turned pitch black and covered his arms, legs, torso, and helmet. The horns grew and split into four horns. The inner horns grew longer than the other two and became serrated on its outline. Gold spikes grew on his shoulders, arms, and legs while the armor gained a gold plating over the black plating. Gold 'veins' appeared on the gold parts of his arms, legs, and torso.

"Kuuga...Rising Ultimate!" Kamen Rider Kuuga Rising Ultimate declared.

"Holy..." Sly gulped.

-Amazing! Growing Kuuga broke a Smash Ball! But instead of it appearing on Ryuu, it seems that Kuuga absorbed the energy unconsciously and caused him to evolve from a larva straight to Kuuga Rising Ultimate! Go get that raccoon, Kuuga Rising Ultimate!- Bae cheered.

"I thought refs weren't supposed to have favorites," Sly muttered under his breath. He looked back at Kuuga Rising Ultimate and gulped again. "Well, here's to nothing," Sly muttered under his breath. He brought his cane around, aiming to knock it against Kuuga Rising Ultimate's head, only to have it blocked by his opponent's right forearm. Kuuga Rising Ultimate then grabbed the staff with his left hand, his right hand grabbing Sly's throat. Kuuga Rising Ultimate then pushed against the staff so that the end slammed into the bottle holding Kage, releasing both staff and Sly at the same time. Sly staggered back, his free hand clutching his throat as he breathed in air.

"This is it," Kuuga Rising Ultimate said as he ran forward a couple steps before jumping up and aiming both feet at Sly's chest. "Hissatsu Waza!" His feet landed on Sly's chest, sending Sly flying backwards, hitting the building behind him. Sly disappeared in a puff of smoke, a raccoon head shaped card in his place, the top half blue, while the bottom half was white.

-And Sly Cooper is now officially out of the fight- Bae declared. –Wait a second…WHERE'S HIS NECKLACE AT?-

* * *

_'They _did_ tell me he's a thief...'_ Master Hand thought with a sweatdrop while trying to ignore the glare he was getting from Carmelita and the snickers from Murray and Bentley, _'Ah, what the hell? Let him enjoy it.'_

* * *

"You okay there?" Kuuga Rising Ultimate asked as he freed Kage.

"Ohh...I'm okay. I'm fluffy," Kage replied as he got back into his normal appearance.

"Let's get going," Kuuga Rising Ultimate spoke.

"Ih!" Kage saluted before sniffing the air and pointed to the east, "Makata!"

"That's where our Nakama is?"

"Ih!"

"Then let's get going," Kuuga Rising Ultimate nodded before seeing something in the junk, "Well hello..."

* * *

"So this 'Narutaki' fellow keeps trying to kill you? Even though you were killed and then revived by this 'Natsumi' AKA 'Kamen Rider Kiva-La?'" Captain Falcon pondered as they walked along a sewer system.

"Hai. I don't understand it, but it's clear to me that he's insane. He even became General Zol of Dai-Shocker for a bit just to destroy me," Decade confirmed before stopping.

"Something up?" Captain Falcon asked as Decade looked to the left.

"Yeah," Decade replied before taking out his 'book' and pulling it into a sword form.

He walked over to a wall and pulled out a single card. He opened up his DecaDriver and slid the card into the slot.

**-ATTACK RIDE: SLASH-**

The blade erupted in a magenta energy. With one slash, Decade sliced open the wall, dropping out two Trophies. One was of Snake, just as he was getting out of his box. The other wasn't clearly seen. They looked at each other and smirked.

"Tender," the two said in unison.

* * *

"This is a bit annoying," Elesis noted as Grey dragged Beamer about while the girl was gluing together the parts of Rio's necklace, "How long do you think he'll be out?"

"I have no clue," Grey replied before stopping, "Elesis, wait."

"Why?" Elesis pondered.

Grey gently put Beamer down. The teen Reploid put his head to the ground and smirked under the helmet.

"Bingo," Grey chuckled as he got up and pointed at a stone, "Over there."

Just as he said it, the stone was pushed away, revealing a set of stairs. Ryuu and Jan poked their heads out after the two had hid with Beamer. They looked about before freezing.

"Zowazowa," Ryuu gasped.

"Down!" Jan shouted.

The two ducked just to avoid an energy claw swung at them. They jumped out of the hole and began to run off when Elesis and Grey appeared before them.

"Meteor Slash!" Elesis declared, her sword's tip slamming into the ground, dragging it forward and up, tearing chunks out of the ground, the friction lighting the rocks on fire. Jan and Ryuu both jumped to the side, Elesis chasing after Jan, bringing her sword down, turning it to the flat side.

"Beast Trans!" Grey declared. "Hub Hikari!" He turned into Hub, but was missing his vest. Black scales began to grow all over his body, a tail sprouting from just above his rear. Four dragon wings grew from his back in a formation resembling the letter X. His fingers slowly melted together to become three claws on each hand, his legs beginning to bend into the shape of an animal's hind legs, his sandals splitting open to reveal dragon feet. His head shifted into a shape resembling the head of a Red Eyes Black Wyvern, completing the transformation.

"Nani?" Ryuu gasped, just barely dodging the tail of Grey's new form as it slammed into the ground. "How is? Is Hub? Here?"

* * *

"Can someone explain this to me?" Hub asked as Haruka nearly fainted, "How did he copy DragonBooster Mode?"

"He looks like he performed a Ringi," Sharkie compared.

"It's because he's seen you," Ashe explained, "My little bro and I can copy anyone's form the moment we see them now. What he just did was use Beast Drive while using A-Trans. It causes us to become the strongest form they have."

"Why do you call it 'Dragon Booster Mode?'" Tai Lung asked.

"It's _DragonBooster_. No space. Secondly, it's because of what is increases based on what you need," Hub explained, "If it's speed, you can clock Mach-2 and not feel anything. If it's strength, you become a thousand times as powerful as you originally were. I've been trying to teach it to the other Dragon Slayers that are in Fairy Tail, but so far, not so much luck yet."

"You got that right," Natsu snorted.

"Mainly because Natsu keeps on wanting to fight me," Hub added, earning an annoyed look on Natsu's face aimed at him.

* * *

Grey shook his head. "Ryuu, it isn't Hub. It's me, Grey," he explained. "Can't your Gray A-Trans?"

"Oh. Yes," Ryuu said, nodding. Grey smiled, nodding back.

"Yamiryū no Hōkō!" Grey declared suddenly, breathing out a line of darkness that ended in a ball of the same energy, striking Ryuu head on, Ryuu rolling back and jumping right back up onto his feet. Grey suddenly staggered and fell face forward.

"Nani? Grey okay?" Ryuu asked.

"Shit," came Gregar's voice, startling Ryuu. "Kid's unconscious. Must have been too much energy at once for his mind to process. I fucking hate Beast Trans," he continued, standing up, brushing himself off, albeit rather awkwardly. "Well, let's get this over with quickly."

"Ryuu not. Not done," Ryuu replied, running at Gregar.

"Heh. Wrong move," Gregar replied, spreading his arms apart. "Yamiryū no Kōen!" Darkness began to build on each hand and he brought his hands together, creating a large explosion, somehow knocking Gregar out of Beast Trans, Ryuu flying back into the wall of a building, while Gregar managed to land on all fours.

"Careful, you moron!" Elesis yelled at Gregar, coming out from behind a wall. "You've got teammates to worry about, you know." She then turned back to Jan, who came out from the wall behind her. "Wait a second…aren't we supposed to be fightin?"

"Heh. Sayonara," Jan said, saluting her. And he ran down the alley.

"Get back here!" Elesis yelled, giving chase. "Sonic Wave!" She spun, sending three shockwaves of a light red energy at Jan, who ducked under them, taking a left into another alleyway. Elesis followed, swinging her sword, cleaving a hole into the wall, Jan gulping as he saw how little effort she seemed to use to do it. Elesis was hot on his heels, swinging her sword at intervals, Jan ducking under them, vaulting over low walls and jumping through windows.

* * *

"Oh man..." Kuuga Rising Ultimate gulped when he saw a mushroom cloud forming ahead of them.

"Ryuu!" Kage called.

"Let's hurry!" Kuuga Rising Ultimate ordered.

* * *

"Quit running!" Elesis huffed, blocking Jan's exit from the alley. They had ended back in the same area as Ryuu and Gregar, the two Smashers surrounded by rubble that hadn't been there earlier.

Jan shrugged. "Alright," he said, Elesis slowing down, now suspicious.

"Is that it?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jan answered, entering a fighting stance. Elesis charged after a couple of seconds of silence. Jan sidestepped her downward swing, bringing his own right fist into her gut, sending her into the wall, while Elesis managed to get in a quick swing, knocking Jan backwards, Jan tripping over a rock. Elesis gasped as she hit the wall, disappearing as a necklace with a miniature emblem of her sword falling to the ground and shattering. Meanwhile, Gregar had thrown Ryuu into a wall and crouched down, preparing for a final strike.

"Now to end this!" Gregar roared.

With that, he lunged at Ryuu, who was starting to get up. Jan got up nearby and let out a tiger roar. Gregar faltered in his attack and tripped over himself at the sudden roar.

"You're zowazowa! Your zowazowa makes me kichikichi (GammaTron A/N: Kichikichi = Grinding Noises. Zowazowa = Noisy)!" Jan declared as he took out Ahim's GokaiCellular and a red Ranger Key, "Unforgivable!"

* * *

"Ah!" Marvelous exclaimed, "Why does he have that?"

"Ano...I let him borrow it, Captain," Ahim admitted.

"Eh?" Luka exclaimed.

* * *

The Ranger Key's lower half flipped up to reveal the key. He opened the GokaiCellular and inserted the key into the slot. The sounds of a tiger's roar came out.

**-GEEEEKIRANGER!-**

The energy used for the transformation went into the black and orange braces on his arms. He held his arms all the way out with his pointer fingers and thumbs stretched out, the rest curled into the hands.

"Tagire (GammaTron A/N: Tagire = To boil, to seethe)! Power of the Beast! Beast On!" Jan declared.

**Cue: Jyuken Sentai GekiRanger Opening**

Jan roared as he shot his right fist out. A massive burst of red energy began to flare off him, forcing everyone to step back while many in the stands felt their hair/quills/fur sticking out on the back of their necks. Behind Jan and running towards him was the image of a tiger. The tiger suddenly transformed into a red and black robotic tiger made of the energy. It swung its right front paw at the same time Jan did with his right hand. The tiger covered Jan as the swipe was made before fading into him. The four orange points on the back of the hand lit up and began to release a trail of orange energy while the points on the other glove began to release the energy as well. Jan made another swipe before spreading his arms out. The orange energy trailed up Jan's body, transforming into a red jumpsuit. The sides of the body had black markings like on a tiger while the back had the black markings give the shape of a tiger's tail. A red helmet with a black visor covered his face, the helmet resembling a tiger's head. On the center of his torso was the same emblem as on his jacket while the braces were still on his arms.

**Sous sa! Geki! Geki! Kaneki ni! Gan! Gan! Yukou ze! (Yeah! Geki! Geki! Be extreme! Gan! Gan! Let's go!)**

"S...Sugoi..." Ryuu awed.

* * *

"He...He..." Ran gasped.

"Yatta! He can henshin again!" Sharkie cheered before posing, "Jan is Sharkkin!"

"Sharkkin!" Jazz giggled.

* * *

"This body swells with infinite energy! Unbreakable Body! GekiRed!" Jan declared.

"N-Nani?" Gregar gasped.

**Moeyou! Asu wokaeru tame ni! (Let's burn! So that we can change the future!)**

Jan roared as he began to charge at Gregar, his body erupting with the red energy and the roars of a tiger. He made a jump to get closer to Gregar. He reeled his right fist back and let it fly. The moment it impacted with Gregar's chest, the possessed teen was sent through a building.

**GekiRanger!**

"Nani? What is that?" Ryuu gasped as he ran up to GekiRed, "Sugei! Jan-san is sugei!"

"Yatta! You wanna learn now?" GekiRed asked.

"Hai, sensei! Hai!" Ryuu grinned before Gregar erupted from the rubble.

**Kono daichi kizanderu kodou ni ima… (The pulse chiseling into this land right now…)**

"Why you! They're going to have to make special condolences for you 'cause I'm going to rip your body to ribbons!" Gregar roared.

**Izanaware me wo samasu. Gekiwaza wo kitae-age! Aku ni idome (…Let the call answer you. Temper the Geki Techniques! Face the evil…)**

With that, the two charged at each other. GekiRed made a flip jump over Gregar's slashes. He flipped away Gregar's right swing before batting away the following left swing.

"Bastard!" GekiRed snapped as he blocked and parried more strikes at him.

**Seigi no kimono-tachi yo. Migaki-nuita yasei no PAWAA! Kokoro to waza to karada kara! (…Beasts of Justice. Refine that wild power! Heart, technique, and body!)**

He grabbed both of Gregar's wrists and made a flip jump. The jump made Gregar follow it and land on his back. He got up and the two proceeded to fight once more. Gregar unleashed an energy slash from his claws and knocked Jan back. Jan made a flip and landed, feet-first, on a side of a wrecked building. He used the momentum to shoot back at the possessed teen. He got backed by a swing, where he landed and jumped back at him, tackling over Gregar. The two rolled before they got up and Jan made a flip kick into Gregar's face. He roared before jumping and unleashing a flurry of slashes and kicked at the opponent in midair.

**Sou saa! Geki! Geki! Kageki ni! Gan! Gan! Yukou ze! (Yeah! Geki! Geki! Be extreme! Gan! Gan! Let's go!)**

"Wh...What is this?" Viper gasped.

"Overwhelming power and flexibility. This is...the tiger," Tigress explained.

"What? You mean he's using your style?" Po exclaimed.

"Actually, it's GekiJyu Tiger Ken," Shafu corrected.

"It can't be..." Shifu gasped.

**Kame! Sora ni todoku yume wo! Dou da! Geki! Geki! Shigeki wo? Ban kanjite! (Grab onto it! Make the dream reach the skies! So what do you think? Geki! Geki! Of the excitement? Feel it to the fullest!)**

"You zawazawa bastard! Fly away!" GekiRed roared as the red aura flared off him.

Within the aura as it rose above him, a majestic, metallic red and black tiger appeared. It roared and lunged at Gregar. It grabbed Gregar in its jaws and jumped above everyone. It landed and threw him through a building, vanishing once its work was done. Nearby, Kuuga Rising Ultimate was driving up on an old Honda GL1800 Gold Wing colored in black, red, and gold. Kage cheered as he saw the area was torn apart as the cycle stopped.

"Sugei..." Ryuu awed before he began to jump about excitedly while heading towards GekiRed, "Jan-sensei no sugei! GekiJyuKen is sugei! Beast Arts is sugei! It's wakiwaki! Really wakiwaki!"

"You sound excited," Kuuga Rising Ultimate chuckled.

"Nani? Yusuke!-? Oh! You brought Kage!" Ryuu grinned as Kage went back into the half-dragon's shadow.

* * *

Inside the ruined building, Grey lost Beast Drive and was semi-conscious yet kept his fusion with Model A up. Unaware to them both, Grey had brushed his hand against a Trophy. The trophy let out a flash of light. The two turned to see the flash of light before Grey emerged. His armor was a deep crimson with black markings all over. He looked up at them and they saw his eyes were crimson.

**"Ore..."** M-Grey began as he pointed at himself with his thumb before posing, **"...Sanjou!"**

**Cue: Kamen Rider Den-O Soundtrack - Ore Sanjou**

**"Yo! Heh. Seems you beat up this guy senseless,"** M-Grey smirked in Momotaros's voice, **"Yatta! Time for me to show you my Climax! A-Trans: Shooting Star Rockman!"**

A flash of light covered M-Grey. It faded to reveal Geo and Subaru's original Wave Change form. It even had Omega-Xis/WarRock on the left fist. However, it was black and crimson with the markings on Momotaros all over it while the hair had crimson highlights and was slicked back. He grinned as he held up a black box the size of a PDA and just as thin.

**"Tribe On!"** the possessed teen declared and swiped it over the head for his hand.

**-FIRE SAURIAN SWORD FORM-**

**Track Change: Kamen Rider Den-O – Double Action SWORD Form**

Rockman's body glowed before transforming. The jumpsuit became pitch-black as bulky, fire-themed armor appeared. The shoulders resembled the arms of a T-Rex as the boots were bulky with three spikes on them. WarRock's head had vanished as the helmet covered his entire head, the back having an open to let out long red hair that went up like two horns. A red peach skidded along the middle and split in two, becoming a red visor. On his back was a large sword with the hilt and guard being the Saurian Stone and the blade being double-edged with a fire-theme to it. His Shooting Star emblem glowed before transforming into the emblem of a T-Rex's foot. On his waist was a belt that had a fusion of a Star Carrier and a scanner on it for a buckle.

**"Ore Futatabi Sanjou!"** Fire Saurian SF declared.

* * *

"What the heck?-!" Omega-Xis and WarRock screamed in shock.

"He can Tribe On?" Geo gawked.

"But how did he do that?-!" Subaru gulped.

**"Wai! Momotaros used Tribe On!"** Ryutaros cheered.

"Tribe On?" nearly everyone repeated.

**"We're considered special, even among Imagin,"** Urataros explained, **"We have the Murians to thank."**

Suddenly, Urataros sidestepped as Solo came flying past him, Solo tumbling and hitting the wall. "What did you just say?" Solo hissed, standing up, his medallion swaying with his movement.

**"You remind me of how our Solo used to be. Always strike first, questions later,"** Urataros chuckled, **"I'm actually glad I never saw that side of you."**

"What?" Solo pondered.

**"You're much more docile from where and when we're from. Quite friendly and I do believe you like this woman named Mirai in our Zone. He was even given the choice of either saving what remained of Mu or the life of his friends and choose his new life over the past,"** Urataros noted.

**"His strength made me cry,"** Kintaros added as he cracked his head. Solo stood up, clenching his fist, but Laplace appeared beside him.

"_Please calm down,"_ Laplace said to Solo, the Imagin, Geo, and Solo the only ones to hear him. Laplace turned to the Imagin, bowing his head slightly. _"I would like to apologize for my partner's behavior. He is very protective of his heritage and desires to ensure that its technology is not misused in any form. Zone and time period do not matter to him in this desire."_

**"Wai! It's Mime-chan!"** Ryutaros exclaimed.

_"M-Mime-chan?"_

**"Wrong Laplace-san, Ryuuta,"** Urataros replied before turning to the two, **"I apologize. However, you know of the OOPArts, yes?"**

"Kid, pull on your Visualizers," Omega-Xis whispered.

"Huh?"

"Just do it," WarRock growled.

Geo and Subaru nodded. They put their Visualizers on before pulling them off faster than they have before.

"They're the OOPArts?-!" Geo gasped.

"What?" Solo growled as he faced the five.

* * *

"Nani? His armor got dekadeka," GekiRed gasped.

"Hai, it's akaaka now, Jan-sensei," Ryuu agreed while Kage nodded.

**"Heh. You surprised? Ore wa saisho kara saigo made kuraimakkusu da ze (GammaTron A/N: Translation: From start to finish, I am at a Climax)! Ikuze! Ikuze! Ikuze!"** Fire Saurian SF roared as he charged.

GekiRed, Kuuga Rising Ultimate, and Ryuu nodded at each other. Ryuu took out his brushes and Kage coated them and reshaped into sleeker versions of them. With that, the trio charged at Fire Saurian SF. The Tribe On Warrior pulled out his sword and the blade ignited. The prehistoric lizard/fire-themed warrior swung his blade and made sparks come off Kuuga Rising Ultimate and GekiRed's outfits. Ryuu jumped over Fire Saurian SF and got slashes at his back.

**"Ah! Bastard!"** Fire Saurian SF growled before kicking Ryuu back ten feet and then ducked under a kick Kuuga Rising Ultimate sent him and countered with a vertical rising slash.

As the four fought, none of them were aware of a beeping sound in the area. The beeping began to increase in speed before the buildings around them exploded at the bases, causing them to fall at them. GekiRed was the first to notice.

"Ah! GekiWaza: Hō Hō Dan!" GekiRed declared.

An orange aura flared off him before turning a deep red. The aura quickly transformed into the giant metal tiger. It roared before it traced about, destroying the buildings falling towards them. The four began to look around, pausing in their fights.

**-FINAL ATTACK RIDE: CAPTAIN F-F-F-FALCON!-**

"Decade Grand Prix!"

Kugga Rising Ultimate quickly pushed the others away as the Captain Falcon Flyer began to charge with Decade riding on the top, his 'book' in its Sword Mode. Ten energy cards the size of the two appeared before them and aimed at Kuuga Rising Ultimate. The Kamen Rider's left fist began to glow with flames as Decade and the Captain Falcon Flyer went through the first card, splitting into two. As they passed through the cards, the numbers doubled. By the time they got to the last card, there were 1024 copies of the two. Kuuga Rising Ultimate swung his fist and the two attacks made a small explosion. The smoke cleared to reveal Decade walking out with Captain Falcon as Snake flipped out of some debris and joined with them. In the epicenter was a Trophy of Kuuga Rising Ultimate while a broken necklace, depicting his symbol, was at the base.

"Yo! Sorry about taking so long. Just had to know our new Assists better," Decade explained before seeing Fire Saurian SF, "...So...This is an alternate version of Den-O Sword Form."

**"Nani?"**

"...Ah! Zowazowa!" GekiRed and Ryuu gasped before dodging a black blur.

"And there's the other one. Here, Dark Jak," Captain Falcon ordered.

Everyone turned their attention to Jak, gasping at his appearance. His hair had grown longer and wilder, now a shock of a gray, while his skin color was ghost white. His nails had all turned into black claws, easily five inches in length. He was hunched a little and was growling. Daxter was on his shoulder, leaning against the side of Dark Jak's head. "Easy, big guy," Daxter said, yawning. "We don't need you accidentally killing anyone here."

* * *

"What's wrong with Jak?" Geo asked, his attention turning back to the fight when he saw Dark Jak.

"Dark Eco," a voice from behind them said. They turned to see Tarn, standing beside a short green man, with a log in his hair, a bird's nest on that log. "For two years of his life, Jak was subjected to Dark Eco experiments, the Dark Eco being pumped into his body against his will. Lesser men would have died from such torture. But Jak is different. He is able to naturally channel Eco, which is a type of energy that is surprisingly hard to come by in some Zones. This," Tarn said, gesturing to the green man standing beside him, "is Samos, the Green Eco Sage. He's the closest thing Jak has to a guardian."

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," Samos said, nodding to them. "Master Hand, I will be discussing this with you later, as I thought we had agreed that Jak would not have to be…that thing."

"I apologize for that," Master Hand said. "Unfortunately, the Assist line up was apparently given to my brother to handle, who had missed the meeting in which we discussed those matters. I shall make sure that he has not made similar errors once this match is over."

* * *

As they began to fight again, none of them were aware of a film-like mist appearing near Beamer. Kivala giggled as she flew out of it. She began to fly about Beamer, looking at him with interest.

**"Oh my...He's out cold. That's perfect!"** Kivala smiled as she motioned to the mist, **"Here. Use him, Virus Beast."**

_**"Very well,"**_ a voice in the mist said before a black energy began to slither out, _**"With the body's mind unable to connect, it's free game..."**_

* * *

**"Ha! I am the greatest!"** Fire Saurian SF roared as he nailed Captain Falcon in the face before holding up the pass and swiping it over his scanner.

**-LINK FORCE BIG BANG-**

**"Hissatsu! Ore no hissatsu waza..."** Fire Saurian spoke as the blade part of his sword shot high above him and began to spin while being engulfed in flames, **"...Part 5!"**

With that, Fire Saurian SF roared as he swung his hilt and guard. The spinning, flaming blade created a trench in the ground as it went at Snake. He preformed another swing before rising it above his head. He made a chopping motion with his hilt and guard. The blade shot down and went down on Snake, causing a large explosion. The blade reconnected to the guard. The smoke cleared to reveal Snake's Trophy pose with a broken necklace resembling a grenade was at the base.

-And Snake is out! All that remains are Captain Falcon, Ryuu Hikari, Dark Jak, Kamen Rider Decade, Grey possessed by Momotaros, GekiRed, and...wait! Where's Beamer?- Bae pondered.

"...Gawagawa!" GekiRed and Ryuu gasped before tackling everyone over as a massive beam of darkness shot over them.

"Whoa! What was _that_?-!" Daxter exclaimed as Dark Jak slugged Captain Falcon away, "Really? We're being attacked by something and you want to kill the others? I'm having a word or two with those hands about you going all crazy on me."

"My, my, you two were quick," a voice noted.

Everyone turned to see a figure approach them. It was Beamer's height, but with an added ten centimeters. The figure's body was covered in a gold jumpsuit with abyss-black armor covering the arms, shoulders, lower half of the legs, feet, and torso. The figure wore a belt with the buckle resembling a black wolf's head pointing to the west as a black falcon's head was pointing to the right. The shoulder armor was shaped like falcon wings folded over with the armor on the arms resembled falcon legs, three gold claws emerging on the backs and ending an inch past the fingertips. The boots were shaped to resemble the hind legs of a wolf with gold claws emerging on the front. The torso had the impression of a falcon's head. The head was covered by a helmet and mask resembling a wolf's head with seven spikes in the back. In the jaws of the 'wolf' was a gold visor covering the figure's face. Covering the jumpsuit was black computer-line designs.

"Who are you?" Decade asked.

**"Decade, you were never to go on your journey," **the figure stated before the armor shattered, revealing Beamer with glowing gold eyes,** "I am here to rectify that problem. Your friend Beamer was kind enough to let me have a body. Let me tell you, bypassing the security system was actually a challenge due to all the programs he has locked up."**

* * *

"Beamer?" Max gasped.

"Not again..." Natsumi groaned, "That Narutaki..."

"You know Narutaki?" Max asked.

"Ever since Tsukasa-kun, my grandfather, and I started this journey," Natsumi replied.

* * *

"Shouldn't we stop this?" Master Hand asked.

"I prefer it if you do not," Wisemon advised, "This may help lure Narutaki out. To think that he could summon the powers of a Kamen Rider from one of the Zones destroyed by a Negative Zone Portal's opening. It just proves that he's one of the strongest Zone Watchers you'll ever know."

* * *

"Who are you and why are you gawagawa?" GekiRed demanded.

**"Kamen Rider Grave,"** the figure replied before he crossed his arms and began to uncross them slowly, the hands posed like claws, **"Henshin!"**

**-VIRUS INFECT-**

Grave growled as BugFrags covered his body. They shattered and revealed his armored form. Grave roared before he rushed at them. Dark Jak roared before charging with Decade, and Captain Falcon. Fire Saurian just ignored them as he tried to attack Ryuu and GekiRed.

"Buddy, why do you want me to die?-!" Daxter screamed as he held onto Dark Jak's neck in fear.

The talons on Grave's hands turned into broadswords as Dark Jak closed in. Dark Jak slashed downwards, Grave blocking with one broadsword, swinging the other one at Dark Jak's neck, Daxter ducking under it. "Watch it, buddy! Don't make me sic Jak on you!" Daxter shouted, while the other combatants sweatdropped, seeing as Dark Jak was way ahead of Daxter. Grave jumped back, the broadswords turning back into talons, his hands now becoming blasters. He opened fire, a stream of electricity arcing into Dark Jak, who's body began to spasm, while Daxter fell off, twitching a little. Dark Jak recovered quickly, holding his hands back, as a dark energy began to build. He threw the energy at Grave, who attempted to sidestep, surprised when he saw that there were two balls of Dark Eco energy tied by a string of the same energy, the balls revolving around the center of that string. The bola-like attack exploded upon contact with Grave, but it didn't appear to have much effect. During the explosion, Dark Jak had gained height and jumped down, slamming the ground as Dark Eco energy rolled off of him in a wave, rubble and walls blasted apart. Decade and Captain Falcon watched from a little ways away, their jaws slack at the raw destructive power Dark Jak wielded.

Back to the fight between Fire Saurian SF and GekiRed with Ryuu, Fire Saurian SF had the upperhand so far. "Sword!" he declared, slashing at GekiRed, the battle card version of a sword appearing before it was coated in flames. He sidestepped a downward slash from Ryuu's Oblivion, at the same time pushing GekiRed away from him. "Break Saber!" The drill like weapon formed this time, also coated in flames, thrusting it at Ryuu, who was forced to block with both keyblades, knocking Ryuu back a few steps before kicking him away. He turned around to face GekiRed, who had charged once more. But this time, GekiRed had pulled out a bazooka like weapon, Fire Saurian SF gawking at the weapon as GekiRed charged it up. It was then that things went downhill for Fire Saurian SF as Ryuu attacked with both his keyblades at full force, while GekiRed began to fire shots at him.

* * *

"**How pitiful,"** Grave said, tossing Dark Jak aside, walking over to Decade and Captain Falcon.

"Jak," Daxter said, skittering over to his friend, who was having trouble breathing properly. "Come on, buddy, wake up," he said, lightly slapping Dark Jak's cheeks.

"**Alright, Decade,"** Grave said, ignoring Captain Falcon completely. **"Time to finish you off."**

"You'll have to go through me first," Captain Falcon said, stepping in front of Decade.

"**If you wish,"** Grave sighed, once more forming the broadsword, swiping them over the belt.

**-Virus Outbreak-**

"**Internet Deletion Slash!"** Grave declared, the blades erupting with a black energy. He began to spin like a top, charging at Captain Falcon.

Suddenly, a shout of "Buta no Kaku Ni" rang out, followed by an explosion from the other fight. Right as Grave's blades sliced into Captain Falcon, he was suddenly reverted back into Beamer's trophy form, while Captain Falcon collapsed, glowing before reverting back to Trophy Form, showing him with his Falcon Flyer. The smoke near Ryuu and GekiRed dispersed slowly, revealing a Trophy of Momotaros in his pose with a broken necklace resembling a peach was on the base. Beside it was a Trophy of Grey sitting down while Model A floated in his right, open hand. Decade grunted before he glowed and changed into his Trophy Form, resembling him holding up a card with his DecaDriver open. Jak grunted before changing into his Trophy Form, showing him in a standing pose. A horn went off and Daxter yelped while jumping onto the Jak Trophy, shaking like a leaf. The screens all changed to show an image of Ryuu with an emblem resembling a Blue Eyes White Dragon with the emblem on GekiRed's suit on it. The bottom then gained 'WINNER' on it.

-And Ryuu wins! Congratulations, Ryuu! You move on to the next round! Give an applause to Ryuu and the reintroduced GekiRed!-

* * *

"Laughter Pressure Point!" Natsumi declared as she nailed Mickey and Tsukasa with her thumbs, causing the two to collapse laughing, "Once again, that teme Narutaki tricks someone to destroy you!"

"Wh-Why am I getting hit then, Natsumikan?" Tsukasa complained between his laughs.

"Because you're the one targeted and I don't want others to think you get special treatment!"

"Honestly, Jan..." Ran sighed as she bopped the Tora no Ko on the head, "I thought we told you to _not_ shout that anymore!"

"But, Ran, it was kageki wakiwaki to do that again," Jan gulped before grinning, "And I got a nikiniki apprentice!"

He looked over at Ryuu as he was being hugged by Meiru, Kyohaku, and Haruka while Ryuu and Sonic X patted his back with grins. Nearby, Crazy Hand was sobbing as he was dragged away by Samos by the ear along with Jak as Master Hand had Daxter in a cage as he tried to bite his way out. Ashe, Ash, and Gray just gave pats on the back to Grey and Model Axl spun around Model A. Ryuu looked over at Jan and motioned for everyone to let him go. He walked over to Jan once they did.

"Jan-sensei, please teach Ryuu GekiJyuKen?" Ryuu asked.

"Yosh! This is going to be wakiwaki!" Jan grinned.

"Yatta!" Ryuu cheered.

"Now that is splendid to hear," a voice said before Ryuu, Jan, Gou, Retsu, and Ken, and Ran turned to see Shafu ringing his triangle.

"Master Shafu!" the five declared as they bowed.

"Neko!" Ryuu exclaimed, causing Retsu, Ran, and Gou to nearly fall over, "Neko-neko-neko-neko!"

"How rude. Master Shafu is our Shishou, not a cat," Ran frowned.

"Neko! Neko-neko-neko!" Ryuu exclaimed as Shafu placed his paws on the sides of Ryuu's head, "Eh?"

The cat hummed a little. He opened his eyes and got a better look at the half-dragon. Ryuu awed at seeing the gold eyes the cat had.

"There! Gora-gora-gora-gora!" Ryuu grinned as he began to tickle the cat's chin, earning Shafu's tail's happy waving.

"You…have a nice technique almost like Jan's," the cat laughed.

"Yoshi-yoshi-yoshi!" Jan grinned as he joined in.

"...Please tell me I'm not seeing this..." Ran begged when they heard Shafu start to purr loudly.

"God...They're a perfect student and teacher combination!" Gou complained.

"Oh my..." Haruka gasped as Meiru giggled.

"Oi!" Marvelous snapped as he walked up with Gai and Doc trying to push him back, "Give back that Ranger Key!"

"M-Matte, captain! He needs it for the tournament!" Gai argued before seeing Ken, Gou, Ran, and Retsu, "Ah! All five GekiRanger are here! Sugei! This is s'good! S'good!"

"Focus!" Doc snapped.

"Oh, right! Autographs later," Gai chuckled sheepishly before resuming his pushing on Marvelous, "Come on, Captain! Just for the tournament!"

"...Fine..." Marvelous sighed before stepping back and made the two toppel over.

"Konnichiwa, Jan-sensei," Ahim bowed.

"Ah! S-Sensei!" Doc stumbled before getting up and bowed.

"Hai!" Jan grinned, "Oh! This is gougou Ahim and meramera Doc!"

"Even sensei..." Doc sighed as he slumped.

"Ah! You two are students of Jan-sensei?" Ryuu asked, "Sugei!"

"Graduated, too," Jan grinned.

"Sugei. Ahim-sempai and Doc-sempai!" Ryuu grinned.

_"Excuse me, I really dislike interrupting this, but I am to inform you of the next round. The next Stage of the tournament is going to be the Forest Zone of one of the Digital Worlds ,"_ Arceus spoke, _"Our Smashers will be Misora Strumm, Harp, and Model D..."_

-Perfect- Model D growled in satisfaction.

"Yosh! Let's do our best!" Misora smirked.

"Of course, Misora-chan," Harp giggled.

"_As well as Tenshi Zero…"_

"I'm not goin' easy on anyone," Tenshi Zero said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"_And finally, Link,"_ Arceus finished.

Link and Tenshi Zero exchanged glances, grinning at each other, sparks flying between their eyes.

"Oh, boy," Will gulped. He walked over to Misora, his hand clapping her shoulder. "Misora, just a heads up. Tenshi Zero and Link have something of a score to settle from their last fight. Best to stay out of their way 'til they finish. Just a warning."

"Really? Well, I guess I'll try and avoid them," Misora nodded.

_"And now for the Assists. Ryutaros..."_

**"Wai! It's my turn! Mind if I beat you all? Kotae wa kiitenai!"**

_"Taiki Kudo and Xros Heart..."_

"Hai!" Taiki nodded.

_"BoBoBo, Don Patch, and Jelly Jiggler..."_

"Hey! I'm fishing here!" BoBoBo argued as he was using a flamethrower on a bucket of Jelly Jiggler and Don Patch.

_"Sora, Wielder of the Keyblade..."_

"O-Okay..." Sora gulped.

_"Scourge..."_

"Tch," the former Sonic Zone Double scoffed.

_"Ryan..."_

"I've got this," Ryan said, his axe resting on the ground.

_"Light Jak this time..."_

"That, I'm okay with," Jak said, nodding his approval.

_"Oh, it seems these last three were not present at the meal. The first is the team of Ratchet and Clank, who should be arriving tomorrow. Second is to be Councilor Blaze of the Zone Watcher Council_..." Blaze simply nodded. _"And last is another Zone Watcher, by the name of Olo." _Everyone looked around, but saw the old hedgehog was nowhere to be found in the room.

* * *

"What…what happened?" Beamer asked, sitting up in a bed. No one was in the room at the moment, except Beamer himself. "What…wait…who the fuck are you?" There was no answer. Beamer put his right hand on his emblem and suddenly, his hand passed through into his body. "Get…the fuck…out!" Beamer yanked out the Virus Beast, glaring at it.

_**"Why...? Why do you resist me?"**_

"You can't give me the thrill I got battling Kurojishi Rio," Beamer replied.

_**"..."**_ the Virus Beast began to laugh before the silver film-like mist appeared behind him, _**"Very well then. But I want you to take a ponder to your left. It's your choice if you want to keep what I let you felt or not. But remember..."**_

As the mist started to engulf the Virus Beast, it shifted and solidified into a shadow version of Beamer.

_**"...You and I are not that different,"**_ Virus Beast smirked before vanishing with the silver mist.

Beamer just glared at where the Virus Beast once floated. He slowly turned to the small drawer beside the bed to find the Henshin Belt. Beamer frowned at it as he though of its fate. Near it was a single card. He reached out and grabbed it. In it were the words 'Until we battle once more, Beamer' along with Rio's repaired medal. Beamer looked down at it before putting it on with a small smirk. Unaware to him, Scourge looked out from a nearby window before vanishing with Chaos Control. He was still hiding from Elesis since he had knocked her out to get that medal.

* * *

"Master Hand," Max said, stopping Master Hand in the hallway. "I have a request to make. I would like to take some time from the tournament to…make some preparations."

"Well, you don't have a match until the end of the week," Master Hand said thoughtfully before nodding. "Alright, I can allow that. So long as you're back in time for your match."

* * *

**Please Review.**


	117. Second Match

_**Your Party Time! (Party Time!) Ah Yeah! (Ah Yeah!) **_

_**Time to party time! (Party Time!) Ah Yeah! (Yeah!)**_

_***A shot of Ryuu trading punches with Captain Falcon flashes onscreen, followed by a shot of Hub blocking a kick from Snake, and finally a shot of Max dodging a shot from Samus before a picture of Smash Manor with both teams in front appears, the camera zooming out in time to the bass's beat***_

_**Bomb** **a****Head!****(Bomb****a****Head!)****Bomb****a****Head!****(Bullseye!)****moedasu****youna****atsuitamashii** (My hot soul is catching fire)_

_**Bomb****a****Head!****(Bullseye!)****Bomb****a****Head!****(Bullseye!)****muchashite****shitta****hondou****no****ore****wo** (By being rash, only then did I know)_

_***The camera switches to a sword fight between Tenshi Zero and Link, sparks appearing as their swords clashed, followed by Beamer slamming his fist into the ground while Mewtwo dodged, retaliating with a Shadow Ball aimed at Grey, who changes to Beast Drive, slashing as the camera angle changes to a close up of his face***_

_**Bomb bomb bomb a head  
bom-bom-bom a head  
Bomb bomb bomb a head  
bom-bom-bom a head**_

_***The scene changes to Kurai Akuma watching Rampage dance, with Kalar, Lockdown, and Wario in the backdown, shaking their heads***_

_**Everytime****odoru****yumega****odoru****kyou****toiu****rizumu****de**(Everytime I dance, my dreams dance on a rhythm called "today")_

Everytime

_**sakebu****kokoro****sakebu****asu****wo****misutenaito****Let's****Go!**(Everytime I shout, my heart shouts, "Don't give up tomorrow." Let's go!)_

_***The scene shifts to Toriko dodging a strike from Lucario's Force Palm, before switching to a fight between Will, Misora, and Lan, Will currently in his Combat System Armor, holding back Misora's sword with his right, Lan's CyberSword with his left, before pushing them off, his armor transforming, the camera zooming in to show his eyes, before zooming back out to reveal Geo facing Chu-chan***_

_**Roji****ni****korogaru****daiyamondo****migaku****yuuki****ga****takara****mon****da**(If you rub and polish a diamond from the bare earth it will turn into courage. Drenched in sweat,lost in town)**  
Ase****mamire****gai****ni****magire****mazu****ha****koyoi****dansu****mo****iinjyani?** (Let's start with an evening dance,isn't that okay?)**  
In****the****Night!****Yeah!****Feel****so****Good!****binbinbaban****tori****zumu****sanda** (into the night! yeah! feel so good! Strong Bang Bang! on this Sunday)**  
Kureiji****to****yobarerya****soremo****Good!****aiyori****guru-vu****no****My****Life** (If people say I'm crazy it's all good!  
I'll take groovy my life over love)_

_***The camera now shows Rayne in Wave Change fighting Captain Falcon, dodging kicks and punches, throwing in a couple of kicks, when both are suddenly knocked over by a strong wind, the camera revealing Arme to be the source of the wind as she brandishes her staff in victory. The scene once more changes to show all of the Smashers about to clash before going black***_

_**Everytime****Love****U****itsudemo****want****U****aitai****omoi****ga** (Everytime Love You I'll Always Want U  
The desire to see you**)  
Everytime****miss****U****mitsukete****kiss****U****tsunoru****yoru****ha****tsurai****kakikesu****tameno****Dance****2****Dance!** (Everytime Miss U, I'll find and Kiss U Lonely nights are painful, so I'm dancing to overcome that. Dance 2 Dance!)_

_**Bomb a Head!**_

_***The camera now changes to show each Smasher individually in their own picture, fading out as the title Return to the Zones appears***_

* * *

**Second Match**

* * *

"_I__'__d__like__to__welcome__everyone__to__the__second__day__and__second__match__of__the__Smash__Tournament,__"_ Arceus said into the microphone. _"__Today__'__s__match__up__is__between__two__sword__masters,__Link__and__Tenshi__Zero,__as__well__as__Misora__Hibiki,__with__her__partners__Model__D__and__Harp!__"_ The crowd cheered wildly as the arena began to change into the same Forest Zone that the two teams had visited earlier that year.

-Bae here- Bae began. –Today's lineup is certainly going to be very heated today, folks! Link and Tenshi Zero, both of them sword masters, have apparently fought before and nearly destroyed the stage they had been using! I hope Misora is able to stay out of the way of their fight for now, for there is no doubt that this arena will be in tatters by the time those two are done!-

* * *

"Zero," Link said as the countdown began.

"Link," Tenshi Zero replied, nodding at the screen. The three combatants had already split apart for the countdown. "Misora," Tenshi Zero said, looking over at Misora's screen.

"Yes?" Misora asked.

"Good luck out there," was the last thing Tenshi Zero said when the klaxon went off to signal the start of the match.

* * *

_"Ah...The__Forest__Zone..."_ Deckerdramon warmly smiled as he gazed upon the land.

"Yes. So who do you think will find which Assist?" Chaud pondered.

_"I__would__rather__not__deal__with__things__like__that.__I__enjoy__a__surprise,"_ Deckerdramon chuckled.

"Speaking of that, we seem to be missing some people," Mikoto noted as he sat beside DaiRyuuseiKnight.

* * *

"Right. Left. Then repeat!" Ran ordered.

Ryuu was performing warm-ups with Ran. While she was busy, catching leaves in her hands, each movement a blur to someone unable to see them, Ryuu was punching. Before the half-dragon was a robot strangely shaped like Eggman. It was primarily orange with black markings. The head was an orange helmet with 'cat ears' on the top and a green visor for a face. Its hands were two large circles.

"Nani? Who is this? This is who?" Ryuu asked between punches to the pads it had for hands.

"This is the training droid, Robotuff. You need to do this 1000 times a day," Ran explained.

"One thousand? You mean ten time ten, Ran-sensei?" Ryuu asked.

"Ten times ten _times__ten_," Ran corrected.

"Eh?-!"

"Through daily training, your heart will grow stronger," Ran continued.

"Aw...How boring..." Ryuu whined as he slumped, "I'm tired of this. I'm hungry!"

"Oi! Do it properly!" Ran ordered.

"This is just like Jan with his first day of training..." Retsu muttered.

"Yosh!" Jan called as he ran up to Ryuu.

"Jan-niisan-sensei!" Ryuu grinned.

"Eh? N-Niisan?-! Why are you calling him a big brother?" Ran asked.

"It shows that he thinks of Jan as someone to look up to," Miki explained.

"Hai!" Ryuu confirmed with a nod.

"Heh-heh! Ryuu-niichan is wakiwaki, just like me!" Jan grinned, "Oh! Miki let me have these to give to you!"

With that, Jan pulled his arms from behind his back and held up three items. One was a pair of red nun-chucks while the other two resembled identical silver tonfa with a bit of orange, red, blue, and yellow on the body of the weapons.

"Sugei~ What are they?" Ryuu asked.

"They're GekiNunchaku and GekiTonfā," Jan replied.

"Wakiwaki! They're wakiwaki!"

"God...As if one of them with that weird language was bad enough..." Gou muttered.

"I think it's cool," Ken grinned.

"It's not."

"Yes, it is."

"It isn't."

"Is."

"Isn't."

"Enough," Miki ordered.

"Hai, Miki!" Gou and Ken gulped as they stood at attention.

"Jan, you can't be serious on trying to teach him to use them, do you? You're good with the GekiNunchaku, but not the tonfa," Retsu argued.

"I know. That's why Ran, Retsu, Gou, and Ken will help!" Jan grinned.

"Oi! Don't drag me into this!" Gou snapped.

"Drag him into it! Drag him into it!" Daxter laughed on Miki's shoulder.

"Why are you here?"

"Two reasons. The first is to ask if either of you beautiful women would care to know a little more about moi?" Daxter pondered, earning a flick to the nose by Miki, "Okay, okay! The second reason is this; those two owe me a new pair of pants!"

"...Pants?" Jan and Ryuu repeated, "Oh! Ottsel!"

"...Ottsel?" nearly everyone repeated.

"Half otter and half weasel," Daxter explained, "Now cough up a pair of pants!"

* * *

"Yatta! Class passed!" Sharkie grinned to a nearly dead Caliburn, Jazz poking him with a stick made out of ice.

"Ababa," Jazz giggled as Bat Li and Saito landed on a tree branch upside-down, "Daddy! Komori!"

"...It's not my fault, Bat Li-sensei," Sonic X stated as Bat Li gave him a look, "You know I was talking with Jan about what he was going to do with Ryuu's training and when you and Sharkie Chan-san walked up, he called you both a different name."

"..." Bat Li simply nodded.

"...I'm still in trouble?"

"Very much."

"Bummer," Sonic X slumped upside-down, earning giggles from his daughter.

"Yet you still passed," Bat Li added as he handed Sonic X two medium-sized, rectangle boxes, "A gift for mastering it. The other is for Caliburn once he awakens for passing Sharkie Chan's teachings."

* * *

_*Skreeeeeeeeeee...*_

"Ah! Damn it to bloody hell!" Hub snarled as he glared at a mirror, "Will you stop it?-!"

The mirror rippled before the hand rushed at him. Hub braced for the attempt when a card hit the hand. It erupted in a light before the hand retreated. Hub slowly picked up the card.

"You should be careful of not losing the SEAL Card," a voice said.

Hub turned his head to see a man walk in. He had shoulder-length black hair and onyx eyes. He wore a pair of blue jeans, a brown jacket, and a white shirt. In his left hand was a strange gun that was primarily rectangle in shape with black, blue, and gold designs.

"Who are you?" Hub asked.

"My name is Daiki Kaito," the man greeted, "Just a passing-through Kamen Rider looking for some treasure."

"Treasure?"

"Trust me, you need to keep that SEAL Card on you if you want to stop that Mirror Monster from attacking you," Kaito informed.

"You know what that thing is? I thought it was a dragon!"

"It could be Dragblacker. Does it resemble a long, slender dragon?"

"No. It's big and bulky," Hub scowled.

"Ah," Kaito nodded before turning his back on the half-dragon, "Then I'll see you again. In case you have a treasure worth taking."

_'What__a__strange__guy...'_ Hub thought as he took out the deck and slid the SEAL Card into it, _'But__if__this__helps__with__keeping__that__dragon__away...'_

* * *

"Okay, so what do you think we should do first?" Misora pondered, still not in her armor, as she walked along with Harp at her side.

-I say we strike at once!- Model D declared on his position on Misora's arm.

"You're just restless since we haven't had an all-out fight in months," Harp noted before seeing a Trophy, "Hm?"

Misora looked over and blinked. It was Scourge, his shield out while he gave a cocky sneer. Misora tapped the Trophy after a few minutes of arguing with herself. Scourge growled as he cracked his neck and spine.

"Stiff as a fuckin' board," Scourge grunted.

**-KING-**

"The King...Awakens! Dragon On!" Scourge declared as he transformed into DaiRyuuseiKaiser, "Takeki koto, doragon no gotoku. Tsuyoki koto, mata doragon no gotoku. Sekai o seisuru mono, waga na wa DaiRyuuseiKaiser!"

-And Misora gets Scourge first and he becomes DaiRyuuseiKaiser, owner of the Blastsaurs ChasmoShieldon and CarnoRyutus! He was recently revived after dying in a volcano's lava!-

"You shut it!" DaiRyuuseiKaiser snapped before he walked off.

"Wait! Where are you going?-!" Misora demanded.

"Away from you, bitch," the kaiser snorted as he left, "And out lookin' for a fight!"

"Ooh...! Why that no-good jerk!" Misora growled.

"Just forget him, Misora," Harp noted.

-He is but a mere coward to not assist a woman- Model D snorted.

"Why thank you, Sensei," Misora beamed.

* * *

"Sensei?" J asked as he turned to Cheetor.

"Model D is actually the Spark of one of the greatest Maximals I've ever known. His name...was Dinobot," Cheetor explained solemnly, "But now, he's able to still help because he's become a Biometal for Misora."

"So she can fuse with her Biometal?" Ashe asked.

"Uh...Not exactly," Sari admitted, "She could at first, but now it's different since she gained the powers of Rainbow Dragon and the Wicked Avatar."

"The who now?" Grey blinked.

* * *

Tenshi Zero ran through the trees, his Z Saber in his right hand. He slowed down, looking around his surroundings, when the light shined on a trophy. He walked forward to see it was a much older version of Shadow the Hedgehog, so he assumed it to be Olo. It depicted Olo leaning against a cane, while behind him was a simple disk, which confused Tenshi Zero. He shrugged, touching the base of the trophy and releasing Olo. "Ah, hello there," Olo said, grinning at Tenshi Zero. "I see that I am your first ally of the match."

"Yeah," Tenshi Zero said nodding. "I don't suppose you could tell me which way we should go?"

"Unfortunately, I lost those abilities when I first began my training," Olo said, shaking his head. "However, perhaps this path here," Olo said, walking between the trees, "shall lead us somewhere." Tenshi Zero watched Olo go, shaking his head.

"Don't tell me I got stuck with a crazy old coot," Tenshi Zero muttered.

"I heard that."

* * *

"Oh, man, Beamer wasn't kidding when he said it was cramped in that thing," Blaze said, wearing his armor, stretching his arms. "Master Hand really needs to work on those trophies more." He turned around and looked at his companions. "So, Link, when'd you find Light Jak?"

"Same time I found you, actually," Link replied. "Your trophies were within a couple yards of each other."

"Ah," Blaze said, nodding. "Right then. Where to now?"

"Ah…hmmm…good question," Link said. "Jak?"

"…" They turned to look at Jak, who was covered in a blueish-white energy from head to toe, his hands held behind his back.

"You don't speak much in that form, do you?" Blaze asked. Light Jak shook his head no. "Well, that's just fantastic then."

"Old man, I can't understand a single fucking word you're saying," came Tenshi Zero's voice through the trees. The trio looked around before spotting Olo walking into the clearing, Tenshi Zero behind him. "Why not try talking like a normal person?"

"Bah," Olo said dismissively. "You young 'uns have no social skills nowadays." Olo stopped, looking over at Blaze. "Councilor, a pleasure to see you again."

"Watcher Olo," Blaze said, bowing at the waist. Olo walked over to a tree root, sitting down, looking between Link and Tenshi Zero.

"Well?" he asked. "Don't you two have something to do?"

"Oh, right," Link said, dropping into his sword stance, while Tenshi Zero brandished his Z Saber. "Blaze, Jak, you two go look for Misora."

"Olo, you…" Tenshi Zero turned his head to look at Olo. "Uh…you just…sit there and watch, I guess."

"Oh, I didn't have plans for today," Olo said, smiling.

Blaze looked at Light Jak, who returned the stare, before shrugging and walking off in the opposite direction Tenshi Zero and Olo had come from.

Tenshi Zero and Link stood and stared at each other, their eyes locked to the other's. Neither made a move, while the atmosphere became tense, suspenseful. An almost unnatural silence came over the crowd. The breeze blew and a single leaf floated down. It was when it was four feet from the ground that the two struck. They passed each other, swinging their swords. The leaf was sliced into multiple pieces. Once those pieces had settled, Tenshi Zero and Link began their duel in earnest.

* * *

"Oi, Misora," Harp said, pointing at the base of a tree. "Isn't that a Temporal Trophy?"

"Ah," Misora smiled, jogging over to it and picking up said trophy. "It is!" Misora held it up. "Temporal Assist!" There was a flash of light followed by some smoke. When the smoke cleared, standing there was Max, wearing a cloak similar to the one that Bass used to wear when he roamed the Undernet in search of strong opponents. But this Max was a few inches taller.

-And…it seems she summoned Maxwell Escal- Bae said, sounding confused.

"Yo," Max said, smiling. He looked around, looking at Misora after a bit. "I see this is the first Smash Tournament DaiRyuuseiDan and my team were competing together in. It's nice to see you, Misora."

"Ah…hello," Misora said, unsure of herself at the moment.

"Now then, let's see who all's here," Max said. Zone Energy roared off of his body, flooding the entire area, but it didn't seem to have any physical impact. "Ah, I see. Link and Tenshi are here as well, huh? So then, this must still be in the first couple of matches of the tournament." He then looked up at the stands, waving. "Yo, Julie! Have you been a good girl?"

* * *

"Dad!" Julie exclaimed, smiling.

-Uncle Max is here!- was Dai's comment from the EnergyCellular.

"Wait, that's Max twenty years from now?" Naruto asked, pointing at said man. "He doesn't seem all that different."

"Didn't you see the Zone Energy he let off?" Julie asked. "That's only a fraction of what he's actually capable of. And this isn't even a battle technique. He uses this whenever Dai-chan and I go out for training and don't come back until real late."

"And how far does this technique extend?" Sasuke ask.

"Um…" Julie put a finger on her lip, lost in thought.

"It can cover up to six Zones at full power," DaiRyuuseiKnight said. Everyone nearby gasped. "Imagine his surprise when he found Dai and Julie three Zones over one night."

"Three Zones over?" Lan asked. "What were you doing three Zones over?"

"Ah…um…the training got really intense," Julie said, tapping her knuckles against her head.

"Wait…didn't you two say you were from the Nevermore?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes," Julie replied. "But there were a couple of Zones that were still alive at the time of that particular incident."

* * *

"So, what's the game plan, Misora?" Max asked, leaning against a tree. "From the looks of it," he said, his eyes still closed, "Tenshi and Link are really going all out. They've even started using their auras to increase their power."

"Well, Will told me to not get in the middle of it," Misora said, sighing as she sat down. "And I saw why. I happened to see some of their fight. They cleared out about forty trees in just three swings. I've never seen a swordfight quite that intense before."

Max laughed, nodding. "That sounds like them, alright," Max said. "But there are still others to take care of, you know. I can sense Blaze is already on the move, that old coot, Olo, is watching Tenshi and Link duke it out. Ah, Light Jak's following Blaze to back him up, it looks like. And Scourge…" Misora looked up to see Max had gone quiet. "Scourge will just have to wait for now," Max sighed after a bit. "Right now, we need to work on getting you in the lead, I suppose. Bo, D.P., and Jiggy, by the way, are all doing…whatever the hell it is they do," Max said, sweatdropping. "Man, those guys really haven't changed much since this time period."

"Bo, D.P. and Jiggy?" Misora asked.

"Yeah. Ultima's nicknames for BoBoBo, Don Patch, and Jelly Jiggler," Max explained. "So, that still leaves four Assists unaccounted for." Max then looked up and slammed his fist against the tree, catching the trophy form of Ryan, which depicted him swinging his axe. "Make that three," Max said, tossing the trophy to Misora, who caught it, a light flashing as Ryan appeared, resting against his axe. "Long time, no see, Ryan," Max greeted.

"Max?" Ryan pondered. He walked over, poking Max.

"Same reaction as the others later this week," Max chuckled once Ryan had finished. "Hey, listen, when the younger me gets back, remember to get Elesis away from her sword before letting her see me." He pushed himself off the tree, walking over to offer Misora his hand, pulling her to her feet. "Alright, let's get moving now. Be careful not to get burned, alright?" Max asked, smiling a little.

"Burned?" Misora and Ryan asked, looking at each other.

"You'll see in a few minutes," Max called back. He suddenly stopped, turning around and walking back to Misora and Ryan. "Actually, since Light Jak is in the game, there is one thing I need to do for all three of us while I'm thinking about it." He knelt down, his right hand resting against the ground. A silver energy began to come off of him and concentrated in his fist before spreading out in a pattern similar to the inside of a clock. "Time…lock!" He twisted his hand to the right and the energy suddenly disappeared.

"What did you just do?" Misora asked as the energy split into three gears, a gear flying towards her before dissipating all over her body, the same happening to Ryan and Max.

"It's a technique with Time Ultima," Max explained. "I've locked the time around us, so that even if the time outside of our immediate persons suddenly speeds up, we'd be unaffected. Same if it were to suddenly go slower."

"Why?"

"Light Jak has this fun little ability where he all but stops time around him," Max explained. "This way, while everything else suddenly slows down around him and his team, we'll still be able to move as if nothing happened. That's why he'll need to be one of the first we take down. We have twenty minutes before this technique must be used again. So let's head him and Blaze off as soon as possible. I'll take care of Blaze. You two need to concentrate on Jak. And keep your distance from my fight. Blaze gets a little…'hot headed' in battle."

* * *

"Well, well...I didn't expect there to be something interesting here," DaiRyuuseiKaiser smirked as he looked up.

Literally standing twenty feet higher than the trees was a massive beast. It was a massive skeleton, shaped roughly like a dragon. Its skeletal tail swayed a bit as its five-fingered claws twitched in anticipation. The few organs in had within its massive carcass let out beats of battle while the organic missile seemed to throb in anticipation of launching. The solid icy-blue eyes seemed to be endless darkness and destruction incarnate.

-Eep! How did a SkullGreymon apear?-!- Bey screamed -SkullGreymon is a Skeleton Digimon whose name and design are derived from "Skull Greymon". It was a Digimon that put too much importance on fighting, and as a result of its combat instinct it clung to life despite its body rotting away, its whole body becoming nothing but bones. As it doesn't have even a scrap of intelligence to balance its combat instinct, its existence is a threat to other Digimon. Be careful, DaiRyuuseiKaiser!-

"Shut it, you damn fly!" DaiRyuuseiKaiser snapped, "Heh. I've got this easy."

* * *

-This is bad- a voice from Nene's XrosLoader growled.

"SkullGreymon, what is it?"

-That SkullGreymon is from before the separation of the Digital World- the voice growled -It must be from the Quadrant that Baihumon once ruled over. That thing grows from negative emotions until it gets to that size. Then...It's power increases to rival that size-

"Then that means we've got fried Faker," Cyber noted.

* * *

"As if this scares me," DaiRyuuseiKaiser snorted, _"Uu__Uru__Zazare!__Come__forth~Dark__Magic__Horse__Barikion!"_

A dark seal appeared behind him, rivaling the size of the SkullGreymon before him. SkullGreymon growled before jumping over a massive obsidian blur. The blur skidded and destroyed a few trees before revealing its form. It was a massive horse. It was a metallic obsidian and metallic violet. Highlighting various areas of its bulky form was solid gold while its made was pointed straight back and was solid gold.

-H-He summoned Barikion?-!- Bae exclaimed in fear -But...But the horse died years ago during the battle against the Zangyack Empire!-

"If you're freaked out now. Then taste this! _Uuza__Uru__Ugaro!_" DaiRyuuseiKaiser roared as a black seal appeared above him before lowering down upon him, revealing he had grown to rival the size of Barikion.

**"As****you****can****see,****I****don't****need****Carno****and****Chasmo****here****to****fight,"** DaiRyuuseiKaiser chuckled, **"**_**Uuza**__**Douza**__**Zanga.**__**Madou**__**Fusion~DraKentauros!"**_

Barikion let out a cry as its head went into its body. DaiRyuuseiKaiser jumped into the opening, transforming from man to giant centaur. In the commentator's booth, Bae had fainted. The centaur roared before charging at the skeleton beast. SkullGreymon roared as he charged. The two collided and began to fight. It was very fortunate that all the other fights were on the other side of the Forest Zone.

* * *

"Holy Bahamut!" Hub exclaimed as he ran up and sat beside Haruka and Kyohaku, "Is that Scourge?-!"

"Sadly, yes," Cyber frowned.

"Horsey!" the two infants giggled.

"No, no, no, sweeties. That's not a good horsey," Cyber spoke.

"Sugei..." Hub awed, "This makes me want to try harder to get that guy to be my NetNavi!"

A sweatdrop formed on Cyber and Haruka's foreheads.

* * *

"Whoa. He's got an interesting bit of power, eh?" Onii-San asked.

"You felt the Mind Energy he gave off with those spells, correct?" Nazo asked.

"Yes. It was like he was attempting to hide it behind Chaos Energy," Rokusho Zero admitted, "Master, did it feel like that to you?"

"...Hmmm... how interesting; it appears there's a diamond in the rough after all... Still, it's not refined enough for my tastes...", Dewloren said. "It's not like he can pull an Endless Nine or anything."

"...That's wishful thinking, Master; very few people have ever had that magic."

"Exactly."

"...Oh."

"Don't be too sure," Onii-San noted, "Think about it. He's hiding it, possibly limiting it as well by using that armor."

"He's also the only one under Lelouch aside from C.C.. It either means the the boy has a way to control him due to him reviving the warrior or..." Nazo added.  
"That's he's stronger than Scourge," Rokusho Zero finished.

"Geass... and Truth magic... two forms of divine power of the same class... however, one has the ability to cancel the other. I highly doubt either Sonic the Hedgehog's Prime Double or the Britannian Prince have the grapes to handle Truth magic. The constant need to fluctuate thought processes and uses of magic are so extremely fast and fickle, that I've seen countless people break from it. There's no way Scourge has Endless Nine; only a very powerful magician can handle it. I can use it, but it's extremely difficult to maintain. It's also know to kill its user. But if used correctly, your enemies will be begging for mercy."

* * *

"You see anything?" Max pondered as he looked about.

"No," Misora replied, "Minna?"

"I found something!" Harp called as she flew over, "Go over to that tree and kick the base."

"Hai," Misora nodded.

With that, she walked over to the tree. Max and Ryan looked at the teen as she kicked the base. A Trophy depicting Ryutaros dancing landed on Max's head before sliding off and hit the snickering Ryan on the head. Misora giggled as she tapped the base, letting Ryutaros out.

**"Wai!****Onee-chan!"** Ryutaros cheered as he hugged Misora, **"Can****I****call****you****'Onee-chan?'"**

"Hai!" Misora giggled.

**"Sugei!"** Ryutaros laughed happily as he began to Hip-Hop dance.

"He's certainly excited," Max noted, "You know, this has been bugging me, but why did you agree?"

"Well, I never had a little sibling, so I want to know what it feels like for once," Misora replied while rubbing the back of her head sheepishly, "It's a selfish reason to admit."

Max shook his head, smiling. "Doesn't seem selfish to me," he replied. "Just seems natural for anyone who's an only child."

**"Nani?****Oh!****It's****Zone-Chan!"** Ryutaros exclaimed as the child danced around Max, **"Iie...DekaZone-Chan!"**

* * *

"DekaZone-Chan...Why is he calling the older Max 'DekaZone-Chan?'" Omega-Xis asked.

**"He****is****but****a****child,"** Urataros reminded before looking over and saw DraKentaurus slicing off SkullGreymon's head before his shield absorbed the data that was once the Ultimate-Level Digimon, **"It****seems****he****is****as****ruthless****as****our****time's****Rayne-Chan****told****us."**

* * *

"Ah, so that's when you started calling me by that nickname," Max said, chuckling as he watched Ryutaros continue to dance. He then turned around. "Yo, Blaze, Jak. 'Bout time you got here."

"What?" Ryan asked, turning around to see Blaze and Light Jak walk out from behind a tree.

"Max?" Blaze asked.

"In twenty years, at least," Max said, nodding. He walked forward, now standing in front of Misora, Ryutaros, and Ryan. "Stay behind me, you three," Max said, bending his knees slightly as Blaze brought his hands together.

"Moetsukiru!" Flames surged off of his body, covering him like armor, soon taking the same shape as his armor.

"Like I said," Max said, turning slightly to look at Misora. "Don't get burned." Sea Zone Energy began to build around Max and he aimed it all at Blaze, who blocked with his forearms. The flames started to sizzle out and Blaze's eyes widened as the Zone Energy continue to come at him, no end in sight. Suddenly, Max cut the flow of energy. "Blaze, use your dagger," Max said, standing back up.

"What are you talking about?" Blaze asked.

"Kyūkyoku no Moetsukiru," Max said. "I'll give you enough time to do it. But it's the only way you'll stand a chance against me."

"Pretty confident of yourself, huh?" Blaze smirked, pulling the dagger out of its sheath. He held it between his hands, the tip pressed against his left palm, which was facing up, while his right palm faced down, holding the dagger's handle at the bottom of it. "Alright then," Blaze said, his expression now serious, the dagger suddenly turning into flames. "Kyūkyoku no…Moetsukiru!" He slammed his hands together, the flaming dagger suddenly gone, while the flames around his body surged, becoming even hotter. The trees within a thirty yard radius began to burn as the flames turned nearly white hot, wings of flame sprouting from the back of Blaze's armor.

"So…hot," Ryan panted, Misora backing away from the heat, while Light Jak watched on in disinterest.

* * *

"Did it suddenly get hot in here?" Sonia asked, waving her hands in attempt to cool her face down.

"Oh, no," Tara said from behind the group.

"What is that moron thinking?" Lai growled, standing beside Tara.

"What?" Geo asked, handing Sonia his program for today's match.

"He's using his final technique," Lai said, shaking his head. "Last time he did that, Pyre spent a full two days repairing his body."

"That technique is not something we normally allow him to use," Tara explained. "Along with burning out his nervous system, it leaves burns all over his body. It's so hot, that no one can stand within thirty yards of him. Those who can normally pass out in a matter of minutes."

"Dad/Max will be fine," Julie and DaiRyuuseiKnight said.

* * *

"There we go," Max said, grinning. "Misora, you take Ryan and Ryutaros and get at least forty yards away from Blaze. If Light Jak comes after you, you got him."

"Nothin' doing, Max," Blaze said, shrugging. He held up his right hand, palm facing Max. "None of you are continuing from this point." He released a stream of white hot flames at the group, the flame hitting Max first. When Blaze stopped, the crowd went silent, all staring at the spot. _'__Damn__it,__please__let__them__still__be__alive,__'_ Blaze thought, looking for the broken necklaces that signified they had been safely ejected. There was a sudden intake of breath when the smoke and dust finally cleared and revealed Max with his arms outspread, Misora, Ryan, and Ryutaros untouched, while Max's cloak was on fire in small areas.

"Almost forgot about that," Max said, smiling again.

* * *

'_What __kind __of __monster __is __he!-?__'_ Everyone in the stands thought, their jaws slack.

* * *

"Misora!" Max barked, startling the teenager out of her stupor at what she had just seen. "What are you three still doing here? Get going." Misora stood up, nodding. Light Jak's gaze fell on her and he started to walk towards her.

**"Iie! ****Mind ****if ****I ****make ****you ****dance ****with ****me? ****Kotae****wa****no****kiitenai!"** Ryutaros declared as he snapped his hand at Light Jak.

**Cue: Kamen Rider Den-O - Climax Jump HIP HOP Version**

Light Jak stiffened as the music began to play. Suddenly, he started to hip hop dance. Ryutaros cheered as he began to dance as well. He looked over at Misora and nodded. Misora returned the nod and ran off with Ryan. Ryutaros quickly followed as Light Jak danced in place. The music faded away as the three left, causing Light Jak to stop dancing. He shook his head and tilted it. Max just laughed.

"I forgot that kid could do that!"

* * *

A black stallion drank from a medium-sized lake. Bubbles poured out of various areas of the water while Scourge leaned against a tree. He could care less about this. He just wanted to show Sonic X just who was the real Sonic.

"Oi, Barikion, let's go find something else to destroy," Scourge ordered as he turned into DaiRyuuseiKaiser.

The horse stopped drinking and looked up at the kaiser. The stallion let out a neigh before transforming into its armored form. DaiRyuuseiKaiser got on and Barikion ran off. Barikion wanted to test these fighters as well. He wanted to see...

* * *

**"Why ****don't ****you ****turn ****into ****Lyra ****Note?"** Ryutaros asked as he walked beside Misora, her hand holding his smaller one.

"Well, it's because I'm not in danger right now," Misora replied as she put her Duel Disk on, "As long as you, Ryan, the Crystal Beasts, Harp, Sensei, and Avatar are here, I don't really feel the need."

**"Please? ****I ****wanna ****see ****the ****Lyra ****Note ****Chef-Chan ****told ****me ****about,"**Ryutaros begged.

"Chef-Chan? You mean Rayne?"

**"Hai!"**

"Well..." Misora began before ducking under an laser attack.

The trio looked ahead to see Taiki with Shoutmon, Greymon, and MailBirdramon. Taiki sheepishly laughed as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I guess it wasn't our luck having to fight you, Misora," Taiki apologized, "Sorry, but Link got to me first."

"It's okay, Taiki-kun," Misora smiled before a focused look appeared on her visage.

* * *

"Well, that explains why I couldn't find Protoman and Greymon," Chaud noted with a frown.

"Yes. They both asked to fight with Taiki," Nene explained, "DarkKnightmon had also asked to go as well. There's something in the Forest Zone he wanted to look at. Even if it's just a duplicate."

* * *

"Now I feel the need," Misora frowned.

She removed Model D from her wrist before a slot on her Duel Disk opened up. She inserted Model D into the opening and tapped the forehead. The mouth flipped open and over the head, revealing a 'tongue.' She pulled out nine cards before putting five on the Monster Card Zones and four into the Spell/Trap Zones. Finally, Harp flew around Misora's waist and changed into a strange baby-blue belt with a buckle resembling a guitar. Misora placed a hand on the sword on her back and pulled it out, revealing it to be jagged and shaped like a skeleton tail. She strummed the three strings on the belt. A soft melody began to fill the air as Egyptian Hieroglyphics appeared on her skin.

"Henshin!" Misora stated before she pressed the 'tongue' on Model D, making the jaws slam down once more.

**-MAXIMIZE-**

Seven different gems engulfed her before shattering. Standing between Ryutaros and Ryan was now an armored figure. The figure was ten centimeters taller than Misora and wore a black jumpsuit. Over the jumpsuit was armor colored in various gems. The left arm had an emerald turtle theme to it while a Duel Disk was emerging from the side. A topaz tiger head was on the right arm with the tail sword attached to the forehead. The left shoulder had a sapphire Pegasus while the right shoulder had a cobalt eagle. The left leg had an amethyst cat and a ruby carbuncle while the right leg had an amber mammoth. The torso had a rainbow-colored dragon. On the back were six angel wings. The left three were made of rainbow-colored energy while the right three seemed to made of darkness. The helmet had a prism-colored raptor theme to it with a green visor and a silver mouthguard with plating to resemble fangs in the 'jaws.' Between the six wings was a fusion of an orphan-blue guitar, a phoenix, and a battle ax. The base of the guitar was shaped like a phoenix while the 'wings' were the ax blades.

"Now...Let's roar," the figure said in Misora's voice with three snaps of her fingers.

* * *

"Huh...So that's the upgrade you made to her form?" J asked as everyone looked at Will.

"Yeah," Will sheepishly replied.

"She looks like a Kamen Rider," Natsumi noted.

**"Just ****like ****us, ****Natsumi-chan,"** Kivala giggled as she sat on Natsumi's shoulder.

"Huh. I guess Kamen Rider Crystal works," Will shrugged, "I was going to call the thing 'Lyra Dino,' but when you mentioned that, I just thought it would fit."

* * *

"So that's my target today," Akuma said, standing behind Wario's seat, Wario munching on popcorn. His left eye was open as he watched the match. Wario simply nodded. Akuma turned around and opened a door hidden in the shadows, walking up a flight of stairs and coming out onto the steel rafters above the stands. "Rasen-jō-me.(Spiraling eye)" He opened his right eye, revealing the pupil to indeed resemble a spiral. He drew his sword, still watching the match.

* * *

"Come on, Blaze, what's wrong?" Max asked as he grabbed Blaze's punch, throwing him to the side. "Running out of steam already?"

"You know I can't use Sea Zone Energy," Blaze joked, Max laughing a bit at it. "Max…" Blaze stood up, dusting himself off, the wings on his back noticeably shorter. "When…when did you get so powerful?"

Max looked at Blaze before looking down at the ground, smiling. When he looked up again, Blaze was no longer there, a necklace depicting the Zone Watcher seal surrounded by flames falling to the ground., while everyone looked on in confusion, DaiRyuuseiKnight and Ultima the only ones who had seen what Max had done. "Sorry, Blaze," Max said, catching the necklace before it could shatter. He put it somewhere in his cloak, smiling. "But you're just going to have to wait and see for yourself."

* * *

"Di...Did you see that?" Nazo asked.

"It...I..." Onii-San gawked, 'I didn't even blink and that guy lost!'

"Master, what do you think of this man?" Rokusho Zero asked.

"... I give him a B; he narrowly escaped failure to me; in my line of work, an 84 out of 100 or lower is a life-or-death failure."

"...There's no satisfying you, is there?" Onii-San sweatdropped.

"I'm a harsh grader; sue me."

* * *

"We'll go easy at first, okay? Shoutmon! Ballistamon! DigiXros!"

"DigiXros!"

"Shoutmon X2!"

"Bring it," Kamen Rider Crystal spoke.

"Greymon! MailBirdramon! DigiXros!"

"MetalGreymon!"

With that, the two charged. Nearby, Dorulumon howled as he and MetalGreymon charged at Ryan while the others went at Ryutaros.

**"Wai!"** Ryutaros cheered, **"Mind ****if I beat you all up? Kotae wa kiitenai! Kage Bushin!"**

* * *

"K-Kage Bushin?-!" Naruto gasped.

"How does he know the Shadow Clone Jutsu?" Netto asked.

**"He****is of another Tribe,"** Urataros explained, **"But****he's taken a liking to our Naruto, calling him 'Oniichan' along with our Solo."**

"Really?" Shinobi pondered, "What Tribe does he belong to? From what I can tell, not one Tribe has the distinct color of indigo and black except for the Noise Change involving Solo."

**"Ah...That,****Shinobi, is a surprise,"** Urataros replied.

* * *

DarkKnightmon walked through the landscape. Forest Zone...Even if it is a mere copy of it, it was still Data. That meant that not only was the landscape imitated, but also its secrets. A twig snapped and DarkKnightmon turned. DaiRyuuseiKaiser walked out upon Barikion's back. DarkKnightmon and DaiRyuuseiKaiser nodded before they charged at one another, their blades drawn. The leaves rustled and the grass scattered.

* * *

"Arm Bunker!" Shoutmon X2 roared as his right fist tripled in size.

He swung the large fist at Crystal, who flew over the attack. Nearby, Ryutaros and his four clones were dancing about as they dodged the Meteor Squall sent by Starmon, the gun shots from Beelzebumon and Revolmon, and the Random Laser from Sparrowmon.

"Berserk Sword!" Knightmon roared as he attempted to slash at Ryutaros and his clones wildly.

"Pawn!" the PawnChessmonz cried out as they charged.

**"Bang! ****Bang!" **the five Ryutaros shouted as the pulled out a set of indigo and black blasters and began to open fire on the Digimon.

"Drill Buster!"

"Giga Destroyer!

Crystal flipped over the lunge Taiki attempted with his spear. He quickly parried the blade upon he ancient weapon's end with her shield before kicking Taiki back. Taiki flipped and landed on his feet.

"Not bad. Not bad at all, Taiki-kun," Crystal giggled before she held up three cards and placed them on her 'Duel Disk.'

**-1!****2! 3!-** the 'Duel Disk' exclaimed in Dinobot's voice as Crystal flipped open the modified Biometal.

"Prism...Kick," Crystal stated as she closed the Biometal.

**-RIDER KICK-**

Electricity ran up from the Biometal up to the tip of her helmet. It quickly shot down to her leg with the tiger on it. Shoutmon X2 roared as he charged, attempting to slam her with the Arm Bunker once more. The tiger let out a roar as Crystal did a roundhouse kick at Shoutmon X2, creating a massive explosion. The smoke cleared to reveal Shoutmon and Ballistamon struggling to stand up once more. Dorulumon yelped as he was sent towards them.

"Better go up a level. Shoutmon! Ballistamon! Dorulumon! DigiXros!"

"DigiXros!"

"Shoutmon X3!" the combination Digimon shouted.

"Trident Arm!" MetalGreymon roared as he swung his claw at Ryan.

"Stone Wall!" Ryan slammed his fist into the ground, a large totem made of stone rising out of the ground, intercepting the attack. MetalGreymon's claw stopped as it made contact, leaving a slice in the stone as he pulled the claw back out. Ryan then let out a roar and he began to shapeshift. When he was done, he was now a large, blue humanoid, extremely muscular, with orange wings on his back. He brought his fist down, slamming the ground, the earth rising up as it tried to hit MetalGreymon, who jumped out of the way.

"Three Victorize!" Shoutmon X3 roared as he fired a massive energy 'V' beam at Crystal, causing her to get sent flying from the explosion.

**"Ah!****Onee-chan!****Onee-chan's ****in ****trouble!"** Ryutaros gasped before he ducked under Beelzebumon's kick and blasted him in the face, **"You****won't****hurt****my****Onee-chan!"**

Ryutaros charged towards the falling Kamen Rider Crystal before turning into a violet energy. He shot up and went into Crystal. Crystal flipped in the air as he wings turned violet. She landed and looked up, revealing her visor had turned violet as well. She pulled out the same small box Momotaros had used in the last fight while using a Henge to resemble Rockman.

**"Tribe****On!"** R-Rockman-Crystal declared as he swiped it over the AM-Ian's head.

**-WOOD SHINOBI GUN FORM-**

* * *

"What the hell?-!" the shinobi screamed, earning frying pans to the head by Cyber, Roll, and Haruka.

"There are children present!" the trio snapped.

* * *

**Cue: Double Action Gun Form**

A swirl of leaves and violet flames erupted around Crystal. They dispersed after a few seconds, revealing him. He wore a black jumpsuit over a set of violet and silver armor. The shoulders had a silver shuriken on each side while the lower arms were covered by a violet and silver gauntlet. On his torso was a bulky violet and silver armor with a gold shuriken being held by a dragon's claws was on it while two dragon claws holding purple orbs were on the breasts. His legs were covered by baggy and armored violet and silver ninja pants and armor. The head was the same as it was with Fire Saurian Sword Form before the peach slid into place. A roar was heard before the sounds of a train skidding to a halt on train tracks echoed from him. A purple and gold dragon with purple wings appeared on the front. It flipped down and locked into place as its 'wings' flipped about before becoming a pair of visors forming a 'V' with a near-toothpick thin 'V' on the outside of it, resembling gold whiskers. He tossed something into the air before catching it in his left hand. It was a violet and silver shotgun with a shuriken on the sides and a kunai just above the barrel.

**"Mind ****if ****I ****defeat ****you? ****Kotae****wa****kiitenai!"** Wood Shinobi GF declared.

"Another one?-!" Shoutmon X3 gasped.

"Be careful!" Taiki warned.

"Right. MetalGreymon! It's time!" Shoutmon X3 declared.

"Eh!-? But..." Taiki began.

"Oi! We're ready, dammit!" MetalGreymon roared as he got away from Ryan and let the other Digimon take him on.

"...Hai. Shoutmon X3!"

"Okay!"

"MetalGreymon!"

"Rargh!-!"

"DigiXros!"

"DigiXros!"

The two composite Digimon shot into the air and collided, creating a flash of light. The light dispersed and revealed a new figure. It resembled a scarlet, sunkissed yellow, and cream-colored Pterosaur. Its legs had hip armor resembling Greymon's color and stripes while its torso had Shoutmon's 'V.' It had three engines on its back with two shaped like wings with cream-colored energy wings stretching out of them. Its tail ended with a red sphere that had two spikes on it resembling Shoutmon's head. It also had a pair of upper arms resembling Dorulumon's body in X3, but in the colors of flames with five claws emerging from each end. Its head was on a long, cream neck and resembled a fusion of MailBirdramon, Shoutmon, and Dorulumon's faces. The head was silver in color with a metallic yellow 'mane' in the back.

"Shoutmon X3GM (Shoutmon Cross Three Grey MailBirdra)!" the dragon roared in Shoutmon's voice.

* * *

"...Pay up," Chaud ordered, earning grumbled from Lan and Megaman as they gave him 1000 Zenny each.

* * *

**"Wai! ****It's ****a ****party ****now!"** Wood Shinobi GF declared as he began to fire violet Rasengans from his blaster, **"Bang-Bang~!"**

Shoutmon X3GM shot about, dodging the spiraling spheres. He turned to see what one did to a nearby tree and nearly tripped in his flight. The tree had ten massive holes in it, one for each shot.

"Wild Burning!" Shoutmon X3GM roared as he shot out a wave of flames from his jaws.

The flames struck Wood Shinobi GF and parted quickly, revealing a burnt log in place of the Tribe On Warrior. The Pterosaur Digimon looked about before a rasengan struck him in the back, destroying the third engine and sent him spiraling into the ground.

**"Wai! ****This ****is ****fun!"** Wood Shinobi GF laughed as he stood on the side of a tree.

* * *

"How the heck can he do that?" Naruto demanded.

**"He ****is ****a ****member ****of ****the ****Wood ****Shinobi ****Tribe ****of ****Mu,"** Urataros explained, **"He ****actually ****had ****chakra ****equivalent ****to ****the ****Kyubi."**

"The Kyubi?" Naruto blinked.

**"Hai. ****However...that ****is ****all ****I ****can ****say,"** Urataros admitted, **"I ****only ****know ****bits ****of ****the ****Wood ****Shinobi ****Tribe."**

* * *

**"Let's ****go!"** Wood Shinobi GF declared.

**-LINK FORCE BIG BANG-**

"Going for the finish already? Fine! Breath of Perun!-!-!" Shoutmon X3GM roared.

Wood Shinobi created nine clones of himself. They spun their arms around before grabbing their shotguns with both their arms. A Rasengan appeared on the tip of each. The orbs began to glow before purple lightning seeped into the Rasengans, causing them to reshaped into dragon heads crackling with purple lightning and high-speed winds. Shoutmon X3GM roared as his body ignited into gold flames, changing to resemble a massive phoenix. The ten Wood Shinobi GF open fired their 'dragons' at the Pterosaur Digimon as the DigiXros sent the phoenix at them. The two attacks collided and created a large pillar of smoke and explosions.

* * *

"Now," Akuma said, raising his sword up. "Pierce, Hensū Jū." His sword began to grow a little longer, the trigger on the handle growing so that his finger could now fit. He pointed the tip at the smoke cloud, closing his left eye, so that his unique right eye was now aiming down the sword. "Arrow Shot." The tip of the sword glowed a little. Akuma pulled the trigger on the gun-like sword and the energy at the tip was released, no longer than a pinky nail, no thicker than a pencil.

* * *

"**GAH!****"** Wood Shinobi GF went down onto a knee, Ryutaros separating from Crystal. Crystal looked at her right arm and right leg, her eyes tearing up. There was now a hole in each of those two limbs, no thicker than the size of a pencil.

"What…happened?" Crystal gulped out, unable to move.

"Misora?" Taiki asked, he and Shoutmon X3GM running over to her. "Misora, what just happened? Are you okay?"

* * *

"Shit," Akuma said, shaking his head. "Shot too far to the left." He looked down the sword again. "Perhaps a Magnum Shot, this time."

* * *

"Misora," Max said, turning to look in the direction he needed to go to get to her. "…Shit!" He ran, holding his right arm in front of him, choosing to go straight through the trees, breaking them apart. He made it to her, scooping her up in his arms, feeling a sudden shift in the Zone Energy he had spread out earlier through the arena. He felt some type of compressed energy pass by his ankle, looking back as the same energy hit the ground and blew out a good sized hole. "…Magnum Shot…" Max said to himself, while Crystal was beginning to whimper a little from the pain. He set her against a nearby tree, touching the tree, releasing Barrier Ultima into the tree. "Ryan, have you learned the healing totem at this point?"

"Uh, yes," Ryan said, running over to Max and Crystal.

"Good," Max said. "Use it." Max looked up into the stands, but couldn't find the man he knew to be the one who had shot Crystal. He knelt down as Ryutaros came over. "Misora, can you hear me?" There was no response. Max waved his hand in front of her eyes. "Misora! Do not do this! Can you hear me?" This time, Crystal nodded. "Alright, good. Listen, I'm going to put you to sleep, okay? It's a pain suppression technique I learned…er, am going to learn about two years from now. Are you okay with me doing that?" Again, a nod, but this one was almost unnoticeable. "Alright." Max put his hand on the back of her neck, a pure white energy flowing from his hand to her neck. Her eyes glazed over and closed, her head falling forward slowly as she went under.

"**Will ****Onee-chan ****be ****okay?****"** Ryutaros asked. Max smiled at the child, nodding.

"She'llbe just fine, Ryutaros. Ryan, you keep making those heal totems." Ryan nodded, tossing down a miniature wooden version of the totem he had summoned earlier when blocking MetalGreymon's Trident Arm, a red pulse coming off of it, the pulse bathing Crystal's now limp body. Max stood up, walking back over to Taiki and Shoutmon X3GM. "I'm sorry, but Misora is unable to battle at this point."

-Oh, dear!- Bae said, having recovered from the shock of DaiRyuuseiKaiser's earlier transformation. –It appears that Misora will have to forfe-

"I didn't say that!" Max said hastily. "Although it's true she herself won't be battling right now, she has not been officially defeated," Max said, continuing. "And her team is still active." Max bowed to Taiki. "However, because Ryan is occupied with healing her and Ryutaros is worried about his Onee-chan, I shall fight. I apologize that this will have to be short," Max said, standing up straight once more, releasing more Zone Energy and now began releasing Ultima Energy. "But Ryan can only heal so much damage and can only last so long in battle."

* * *

"He's either insane or he can truly fight Taiki and Xros Heart," Nene noted.

"I'd go with both," J snorted.

"Oh yeah," Will nodded.

"Big time," Axl and Grey agreed.

* * *

"Hai," Taiki nodded, "Then let's go! Starmonz! Sparrowmon! Shoutmon X3GM! DigiXros!"

"DigiXros!"

The three lights quickly collided once more. The light faded out to reveal Shoutmon X5 with the lower half of its body attached to his back, Dorulumon's cannons aimed over the shoulders. Where the lower half was supposed to be was an oversized version of Sparrowmon attached to MetalGreymon's back instead of his normal set of wings.

"Shoutmon X5GM!" the DigiXros shouted.

"Ikuze! X5GM!" Taiki shouted as he jumped onto the Digimon's shoulder.

"Well...This just makes thing a whole lot better!" Max grinned with a chuckle, "You guys make sure she gets better, got it?"

"Right," Ryan nodded.

**"Onee-chan..."** Ryutaros whimpered.

* * *

**"This ****is ****bad..."** Urataros whispered.

"Hm?" Geo pondered.

**"Little ****Ryuuta ****can't ****handle ****it ****when ****our ****Sonia-chan ****is ****hurt ****and ****on ****the ****verge ****of ****death. ****He ****breaks ****down ****completely, ****unable ****to ****perform ****a ****single ****action,"** Urataros explained.

**"Gaki..."** Momotaros seethed before banging a fist on the table, **"Oi! ****Snap ****out ****of ****it!"**

* * *

Max sighed, looking up into the stands where J, Will, Axl, and Grey were. "I'll be paying you fellas back for that insane comment after this is over," he called, turning his attention back to Shoutmon X5GM.

* * *

"Ah," J said, his jaw slack. "You…don't think he actually heard us, do you?"

"N-no way," Will agreed, nodding. Nearby, Julie and Dai snickered, knowing Max had indeed heard them.

* * *

"Meteor Buster Attack!" Shoutmon X5GM shouted, jumping up, reaching the stratosphere before turning his attention back to Max, falling towards him as a meteor.

"Straight to the point, I see," Max said, holding up his right hand. Shoutmon X5GM hit him head on, creating a crater that extended several hundred meters from the center, but the tree Crystal was leaning against and a twenty meter circle around it were still perfectly level, the shockwave somehow never having touched it. "Not bad," came Max's voice from the smoke as Shoutmon X5GM was thrown backwards out of the cloud of smoke, Max walking out of it. "But I already said that this would have to be cut short, didn't I?"

"That's impossible!" Taiki exclaimed, looking at Max, who was completely unharmed.

* * *

"Okay, that had to be a result of Barrier Ultima, right?" Hub asked, looking at DaiRyuuseiKnight.

"No," DaiRyuuseiKnight said. "It is simply that Maxwell has become slightly more serious in this fight."

"So, this is how strong he becomes," Ultima said, DaiRyuuseiKnight nodding.

"This much and then some. I think we should be thankful he isn't completely serious right now, though."

"Dad gets scary when he's truly serious," Julie said, shuddering.

* * *

"Then try this on for size!" Shoutmon X5GM declared. "Giga-Destroyer!" He emitted an ultra-high energy laser beam at Max, who dodged to the side.

"Wait…ah, now I remember this attack," Max said, batting the beam away as it somehow curved its path to come up behind Max. "A laser that can home in on the enemy." The laser hit the side of the crater, plowing a path into it, about six feet into the ground.

"Shoutmon X5GM, we've only got one thing that will take him down," Taiki said, Shoutmon X5GM nodding.

"Hai," he said. "Grey-Victorize!" Shoutmon X5GM created a wall of lasers, aiming it at Max, who stood there, watching impassively.

"I'm glad you realize the mistake in holding back against me," Max said. "But…and at the risk of sounding like a cocky bastard…it is useless." The lasers hit Max, a continuous barrage that lasted twenty seconds. The crowd waited for the smoke and dust to clear. "Like I said. Useless." The smoke and dust was suddenly blown away, Max's left hand holding a ball of Light Zone Energy. "Light Palm Strike." He released the attack, hitting Shoutmon X5GM and Taiki in one go, Taikiand Shoutmon X5GM disappearing, while a necklace with the Xros Heart army's symbol fell to the ground, Max catching it, as he had done with Blaze's.

* * *

"I still say he's a monster," Nazo gulped as he sipped a cup of Pepsi.

"Wanna change that grade yet for the guy?" Onii-San asked.

"Master, did you see how he handled them? He hid hints of Mind Energy inside of his attacks to increase their power," Rokusho Zero noted.

"Do I look like the kind of guy to turn on a dime? 86.5 Final; I smidged it to be nice.", Dewloren sighed, clearly agitated by Onii-San and Rokusho stating the obvious like excited 5-year-olds.

"Sorry, Master," Rokusho Zero slumped, "I will take my punishment without arguments...again."

"You take his head off and put it in a box in a closet, don't you?" Onii-San asked.

"?", Dewloren gaped, horrified. "WHAT THE HELL, MAN? I don't punish Rokusho, you sadist!"

"My punishments are the silent treatment," Rokuzho Zero sighed, "Where you got the idea I have my Head Part removed, I'll never know."

"There, there..." Nazo sweatdropped as he patted the Medabot's head.

* * *

He turned around, walking back over to the tree, kneeling down between Ryan and Ryutaros. "Any luck?"

"No," Ryan said, shaking his head, frowning. "My totems may still be in a stage where they can't mend a broken limb, but they should be able to heal up a couple of holes no problem."

"Unless," Max said, holding his hand over the hole in her arm. "Shit. Just as I thought. The Arrow Shot. Ryan, I need you to back up." Ryan stood up, doing so. "Alright…Ryutaros, I want you to grab Misora's left hand, okay? Hold it." Ryutaros didn't respond at first, but Max clapped his hand on the child's shoulder, using his other hand to place Ryutaros's right hand on Crystal's left. "Oh, boy, this is gonna be fun," Max said, as branches began to grow out of the tree, wrapping around Crystal's arms and legs, one wrapping around her waist. "Not gonna lie, Misora," he said. "This is gonna hurt. It's gonna hurt so much, that it will break through the pain suppression technique I used only two minutes earlier." Max's hands began to glow green as he moved his hands closer to the wounds.

* * *

"What kind of energy is that?" Hub asked, watching with interest.

"That's chakra," Sasuke said. "Though there seems to be some Spiral energy as well. Very interesting."

"How is he able to use four energies so effortlessly?" Maylu asked.

"It isn't just those four," DaiRyuuseiKnight said. "In the future, Maxwell has mastered every known energy. In every sense of the word, he has earned the title of Disciple of Kyurem the Balance."

* * *

Max exhaled. "Alright, we're starting." He touched the wounds and Crystal's body began to convulse, pushing against the crude restraints the branches offered. Max continued to hold the wounds, a darkish blue energy building around his hands, while the green energy was soaking into the wounds. After another twenty seconds, the green was no longer there, replaced completely by the darkish blue energy that had come from the wounds. "Whew. Glad that's done," Max said, moving his hands away to reveal a circular scar on each limb.

"**Is ****Onee-chan ****better?****"** Ryutaros whimpered, Max nodding.

"She's perfectly fine, now," Max said. He then looked at his hands, still covered with that darkish blue energy. He flapped his hands, as if getting water off of them, and the energy dispersed, making a splatting sound as it hit the ground. "But I am afraid that from this day, all of you have been targeted by a very dangerous man. At least until the end of the tournament, if I remember correctly. You must be on the lookout for this man. Now then, you two stay with Misora. I'm going to try and finish this."

**"Hai..."** Ryutaros sniffled.

"Hey now, Ryuuta. She's going to be just fine," Max smirked as he patted the kid on the head before he looked out to the east, "Seems Scourge just found the Super Fist users. And Light Jak is heading our way with Ratchet and Clank. ...I think I'll go take Light Jak, Ratchet, and Clank on."

* * *

"Oi...First, my prey just ups and vanishes since the guy he was with lost. Now..." a pink Scourge in a tutu and tiara growled as he kicked away the trophy of the trio, "...I just had to fight three crazy fuckers! It's going to take me weeks to get my hair back to normal! And how the fuck they got me in this I never want to know!"

-With the defeat of the Super Fist users, only 5 Assists and a Temporal are left!- Bae commented.

Scourge rolled his eyes as he rode off on Barikion. The two qucikly changed into their armored forms, both wearing dresses over their armor. How DaiRyuuseiKaiser despised Super Fist users...

"How I hate Super Fist users..." DaiRyuuseiKaiser seethed as he let out a pulse of Chaos Energy that tore apart the fabrics on him and his steed.

It was then the two heard the sounds of blades colliding nearby. He looked out from behind a tree to see Zero and Link in a fierce battle. The sparks flaring off with each contact dissipating before they could touch the ground.

"Not bad, Link. I've never seen a normal blade withstand the heat mine give off," Zero noted as the two entered a stalemate.

"Bet none of them were the Master Sword," Link replied as they jumped back as explosions erupted around them.

"Heh. This is perfect," DaiRyuuseiKaiser chuckled as the two turned to him and Barikion, "Uuza Douza Uru Zanga. Majin Gattai!"

Barikion let out a battle whinny. His head vanished as DaiRyuuseiKaiser changed into DraKentauros. The back of the horse quickly rotated 180 degrees. Hands emerged from the hooves as it connected to his back, forming into new arms and shoulders with moon designs on the shoulders. The shield opened up to reveal the jewel in it before it attached to his torso, the dragon heads on his shoulders attaching to the upper sides of it. His head went into his body before Barikion's head connected to it and looked upwards. A panel slid open and revealed a more demonic version of his head within it. A staff appeared at his side with the mane and tail attached to it, now a sharp blade. A pulse of energy erupted off him and leveled the area.

**"Supreme ****Kaiser ****of ****the ****Abyss! ****DraKaiser!"** DaiRyuuseiKaiser's form roared.

-...- Bae collapsed with foam erupting out of his mouth.

**"Who's ****first?"** DraKaiser sneered as he aimed his staff at the two.

"Ohh...You've pissed off the wrong guys," Zero growled. He put his left hand on the Omega symbol on his chest. "Dual Form!" He twisted the symbol forty-five degrees to the right and began the form change. His armor color changed to all red, his armor slimming down as it had done when he went into Speed Form. The wings seemed to turn into razor edges, the feathers taking on the shape of multiple swords. He put his left hand on the bottom of his Z Saber's hilt and then pulled, the sword splitting into two Z Sabers. Then, he and Link charged at DraKaiser.

**"Bring ****it ****on!"** DraKaiser roared.

"Stop!" Link and Zero tripped in their charge, rolling to a stop, while DraKaiser looked over at the spot the voice had come from to see Olo standing up from his seat. "Shameful! Absolutely shameful! To interrupt a swords duel in this manner! The very nerve!" Olo walked over to DraKaiser, poking him in the chest with his cane. "Have you no honor?"

"…**Who ****the ****fuck****'****s ****the ****old ****man?****"** DraKaiser asked, while Zero groaned.

"Not now, old coot," Zero said.

"Zero, Link, continue your duel elsewhere," Olo said. "I shall handle this brat."

"**Brat?-!****" **DraKaiser repeated, shocked at how the hedgehog was addressing him as if he were only three years of age. **"****That****'****s ****it! ****The ****old ****fart ****goes ****first!****"**

* * *

Makoto facepalmed himself. He wasn't surprised this happened. Nearby, Lelouch's left eye twitched as C.C. ate a slice of pizza. Those hands were lucky they could make Pizza Hut pizza. Otherwise she'd...

* * *

"Okay, I know I've seen you somewhere before," a being covered in tan fur, wearing a blue outfit with a square, metal backpack on his back said, walking beside Light Jak. "Clank, doesn't he look familiar?"

The metal backpack suddenly sprouted a head with large green eyes and a wide mouth, revealing it to be a robot named Clank. "If I remember correctly, he was at that tournament, Ratchet," Clank said.

"Ah…Jak! That's it!" Ratchet said, snapping. Light Jak nodded. "But…you seem…different…did you get a haircut?" Clank and Light Jak both shook their heads, facepalming.

"Yo,"Max said, leaning against a tree. "How's it goin', fellas?"

"Okay, who's this guy?" Ratchet asked, pointing at Max. "Is he on our team?"

"Sadly, I am not," Max said, shaking his head. "Sorry, but I have to make this quick." Max pulled his fist back, but suddenly a silver energy appeared around his body before seeming to break apart, Max's eyes widening. Light Jak saw this and clapped his hands over his head. For Light Jak, Ratchet, and Clank, the world suddenly took on a blue tinge, Max's movements noticeably slower.

* * *

In the stands, it looked as if Max had also been the one to slow down instead of Light Jak and Ratchet speeding up. "What happened?" Naruto asked.

"It's something similar to my powers," Julie said. "Light Jak has the ability to slow the time around him and anyone of his choosing for a period of…well, time."

"But…that means that Max's technique wore off," WarRock said. "Right?"

"Correct," DaiRyuuseiKnight said. "Maxwell may well be defeated with this sudden turn of events."

* * *

"Nice," Ratchet said, pulling out the RYNO V. "A couple rounds from this oughta finish him pretty quick." Light Jak nodded, walking up to Max, staring him in the eyes before pulling his own fist back. Suddenly, Max smiled and Light Jak's eyes widened.

"Psych!" Max exclaimed, his fist making contact with Light Jak's stomach, the latter doubling over in pain. Max then picked him up, throwing him up into the air before rushing Ratchet, who chose to switch his RYNO V for a very large wrench. He blocked Max's punch with the wrench, but was still sent flying into a tree.

* * *

"Okay, someone please explain what the hell just happened," Hub said, while Meiru slugged him into the nearby wall.

"I have no idea," DaiRyuuseiKnight said, just as confused.

"Seriously?" Ultima and Onii-San asked, everyone looking at the two.

"Ryuuki, for one who has supposed mastery of Ultima Energy, you act like an amateur at times," Ultima deadpanned. "It's even worse that even Onii-San here knows what happened."

"Alright then, if you two know so much, then please enlighten us," DaiRyuuseiKnight retorted.

"Speed Ultima," both of them said.

"Think about it, Ryuuki," Onii-San said. "Max was the one who developed that time lock technique. He knows the limits of it. And he knows that Light Jak and Blaze had been listening when he gave the alleged time limit. What he didn't reveal was that he can control the time limit of the technique."

"He had planned on fighting with Light Jak from the beginning," Ultima continued. "But he wasn't sure how to arrange it. His only concern was to make sure it was just before the twenty minutes was up. The second the technique broke, he began to channel Speed Ultima into his body. That little slow down thing? An act to draw Light Jak closer."

* * *

"Sorry about that, guys," Max said, looking at Ratchet's necklace, which showed a wrench inside of a gear. He then turned to look at Light Jak, who had suddenly sprouted wings, the wings beating as they slowed his descent. "No hard feelings, right?" Light Jak nodded, the energy around him breaking as Max appeared in front of him, his fist covered in Light Zone Energy, said fist having hit Light Jak's stomach again. He caught the necklace, which was in the shape of a red circle with two spirals within it.

* * *

**"That ****guy's ****fast! ****Oi! ****You ****Zone-Yaro! ****Don't ****go ****doing ****your ****Hissatsu ****Wazas ****so ****fast!"**Momotaros snapped.

**"He ****is ****an ****impressive ****warrior, ****worthy ****of ****his ****title,"** Sieg noted as he poured a cup of tea for the women and himself.

"Why thank you, your majesty," Haruka thanked.

**"Tis ****no ****trouble. ****As ****a ****Prince, ****I ****have ****learned ****quite ****a ****fair ****amount ****of ****hospitality,"** Sieg informed with a regal bow.

* * *

Ryutaros whimpered beside Misora. He had already lost the Oneechan he had due to the timeline being destroyed in the future. He didn't want to lose this one.

_**"Well, **__**seems **__**you're **__**a **__**bit **__**troubled **__**by **__**this **__**as **__**well,"**_ a voice noted before a shadow-colored version of Misora appeared beside the tree.

**"Ah! ****O-Oneechan!-?"** Ryutaros gasped as he looked between Misora and the other Misora.

"Kid, what the heck are you looking at?"

_**"He **__**can't **__**see **__**me. **__**Duel **__**Spirits **__**are **__**a **__**bit...tricky **__**with **__**those **__**that **__**can **__**see **__**us,"**_ the other Misora noted, _**"I **__**am **__**the **__**Wicked **__**Avatar, **__**but **__**I **__**like **__**'Wicked' **__**better."**_

**"Why ****are ****you ****here? ****Are ****y****ou ****here ****to ****hurt ****Oneechan?"** Ryutaros demanded as he whipped out a dragon-themed shotgun.

"Holy shit! Do you always freak out like this when a version of this girl gets hurt?-!"

_**"That **__**won't **__**work, **__**little **__**Imagin. **__**Look, **__**just **__**take**__**out **__**the **__**deck **__**in **__**there **__**and **__**find **__**my **__**card. **__**It's **__**the **__**only **__**one **__**that **__**looks **__**like **__**a **__**black **__**sphere,"**_ Wicked explained, _**"Then, **__**take **__**out **__**the **__**cards **__**with **__**a **__**crystal **__**animal **__**theme **__**to **__**them **__**and **__**placed **__**five **__**of **__**the **__**crystal-themed **__**monsters **__**into **__**the **__**slots **__**and **__**the **__**rest **__**on **__**the **__**top. **__**Hurry, **__**the **__**idiots **__**are **__**nearing **__**us."**_

Ryutaros gulped. Slowly he took the deck out of Misora's Duel Disk. He quickly pulled out nine cards and put them in their places. Wicked smirked as she solidified as the Crystal Beasts appeared.

"What kind of summoning is this!-?" Ryan gasped.

_**"Just **__**a **__**little **__**bit **__**of **__**Magic, **__**nanomachines, **__**and **__**holograms,"**_ Wicked replied, causing Ryan to jumped and look at her, _**"My **__**little **__**mistress **__**here **__**will **__**explain **__**later **__**with **__**Model **__**Dunce **__**and **__**the **__**little **__**mistress's **__**partner. **__**Just **__**guard **__**her. **__**We'll **__**handle **__**fighting **__**off **__**the **__**two **__**that **__**are **__**heading **__**here **__**in **__**their **__**fight."**_

_"Indeed. __Crystal __Beasts, __Defensive __Formation __Emerald,"_ Rainbow Dragon ordered.

"Hai!" the six Crystal Beast nodded as Ruby Carbuncle climbed onto Misora's lap and fell asleep, keeping an eye open just in case.

Rainbow Dragon wrapped himself around the tree, his crystals glowing before his colors changed to resemble the bark on the tree. Emerald Tortoise took the front and hid his his shell as Amber Mammoth and Sapphire Pegasus stood at his sides. Amethyst Cat and Topaz Tiger sat beside Misora, Ryutaros, and Ryan while Cobalt Eagle took flight over the area. Wicked just shook her head as she hid within the tree's shadow.

* * *

"Just what are those summons?" Naruto asked.

"Those are her Crystal Beasts and Wicked God," Subaru explained, "Even when she's unconscious, she's still releasing enough energy to let her cards interact with the real world."

"You just want to murder the guy who hurt her," Omega-Xis noted.

"You bet I want to do that. No one hurts my girlfriend and gets away with it!" Subaru snorted.

"G-Girlfriend!-?" Sonia and Geo exclaimed.

"You forgot they mentioned that when you guys were talking?" Omega-Xis asked.

"Um..." Geo and Sonia looked away.

"They forgot," WarRock snickered as Lyra giggled.

"But what did she mean by 'idiots?'" X asked.

"My guess? Link and Zero," Toriko replied before he unhinged his jaw to eat a rather tall hamburger.

"...How is that even possible?" J whispered.

"From what I know, that's actually normal from where he and Komatsu come from," Ace shrugged.

"And why do you guess that?" Tigress asked, earning Toriko pointing at a screen showing the symbol for Link and Zero moving towards the symbol for Misora, Ryutaros, and Ryan.

"Heh. He got you," Yuck smirked before Tigress glared at him, "Okay, okay. Yeesh. I know when to not tick a girl off."

* * *

"Good," Olo said, nodding to himself when he was certain that Link and Zero were gone.

DraKaiser laughed, crossing his arms. **"****I ****thought ****old ****people ****were ****supposed ****to ****be ****full ****of ****wisdom,****"** he taunted. **"****Not ****death ****wishes.****"**

"There goes that mouth of yours again," Olo said, holding his hand up. "You cannot even feel the power your opponent holds. Not that I blame you," Olo said, shrugging. "I do my best to keep it in. But it's time you learn to fear one of nature's most powerful forces." He snapped his fingers and suddenly, the space around him and DraKaiser turned dark, but DraKaiser was still able to see Olo. But it was only Olo that he could see.

-What just happened?- Bae said, DraKaiser looking around as the voice echoed around the area. –Watcher Olo and DraKaiser have suddenly disappeared!-

"**I****'****m ****still ****here, ****you ****little ****fucker!****"** DraKaiser barked, but Olo chuckled.

"You fool. They can't hear us while we're in this space" Olo said. "Welcome to my personal space, DraKaiser. The inside of one of nature's most awesome forces. The black hole. In here, gravity is increased. In fact…you should be feeling the effects of it in just a bit." DraKaiser suddenly fell to a knee, his shock evident. "It would be so easy," Olo said, DraKaiser struggling to lift up his head to look at Olo. "To simply crush you," he continued, holding up his hand once more and began to make a gesture of squeezing something. DraKaiser suddenly found himself struggling to breathe as Olo's fingers closed. "To end you. To save others from grief right now." Olo suddenly released the gesture and DraKaiser gasped in air. "But I can't. To do so would break me. So, I will settle for simply stale mating you here."

* * *

"Orah!" Zero's left blade clashed with Link's sword, his right sword coming in at Link's ankles. Link jumped up, kicking at Zero's exposed right shoulder, Zero forced to back off to avoid the hit. Link initiated an attack this time, jumping off of a nearby tree, letting gravity bring his blade down onto Zero's now crossed swords. Zero pushed Link off, running at him as he landed. They began their dance of blades once more, trees falling as shockwaves from the swords and the clashes were released. They soon came to the edge of a crater, falling into it, but neither missed a step, recovering quickly. "Wait," Zero said, dropping his blades as Link halted his own no more than two inches from Zero's head. Zero looked up at a tree near the center of a crater, on an island of ground level with the edges of the crater. Zero jumped up and onto the island, looking at Ryan, who grabbed his axe. He then noticed Crystal. "What happened?" he asked, looking to Ryan for an explanation.

"Someone shot her," Ryan said, slowly lowering his axe.

"_**And **__**that **__**someone **__**will **__**pay, **__**in **__**time,**__**"**_ Wicked said from the tree's shadow, Zero looking for the source of the voice.

"Shame," Zero said, squatting down to look at Crystal more closely. "And I know it wasn't anyone fighting. Other than that Ratchet guy, no one here uses a gun. Well, at least not in the forms they're using. To be taken out because of interference." He stood back up, looking back at the shadow. "So, why don't you show yourself? You seem worried for Misora. Why hide?"

"_**And **__**why **__**not?**__**" **_Wicked asked.

"Hmph. I've made up my mind," Zero said, turning around and hopping off the island. "Once I'm done with Link, you're next."

"Hey, I'm standing right here!" Link snapped at Zero.

**"You ****keep ****away ****from ****Onee-chan!"**Ryutaros growled as he kept his blaster aimed at the two, his hands shaking.

"Calm down, Ryutaros," Amethyst Cat advised, placing a paw on the blaster and slowly lowing it.

"...Did that pink cat just talk?" Zero asked.

"Depends on if you consider nagging a way of communication," Topaz Tiger snorted, "Now hurry up on this. I wanna see someone lose their head."

Amethyst's eye twitched. Cobalt Eagle could still hear the scream Topaz Tiger gave out before seeing Topaz shoot up, clutching his rear with his front paws, before falling down to the ground.

"I tell ya, I've never done seen a Tiger fly before. I better lay off that there whiskey," Cobalt noted before sighing, "I hate this formation. There' no one to listen to my jokes."

* * *

"Fascinating..." Sasuke noted as he wrote down in another notebook, "Simply fascinating..."

"I don't think experimenting with the Spirit World is a good idea, Sasuke-san," Ruka advised, "The last one who did that nearly died."

"Trust her on this, Sasuke," Sonic X warned, "There's a time when you need to not experiment. And trying to experiment with the Spirit World is one of them. We don't want the Shadow Games to begin again or worse, someone ending up as a Dark Signer."

"Don't remind us," Ruka and Mirajane shuddered, recalling the last Dark Signer that appeared.

* * *

_**"Tell **__**you **__**what, **__**Zero, **__**if **__**you **__**can **__**beat **__**the **__**one **__**who **__**is **__**continuously **__**reincarnated, **__**then **__**I **__**will **__**fight **__**you **__**myself. **__**Or **__**would **__**you **__**rather **__**we **__**fight **__**now **__**and **__**let **__**Link **__**deal **__**with **__**my **__**fellow **__**Spirits?"**_ Wicked inquired.

"Sorry," Zero said, "but I've been waiting two years for another duel. Nothing will get in my way of finishing this."

* * *

"…"

"Uh, Dewloren? …You OK?", Onii-San inquired. At that point, Dewloren's legs collapsed, placing his palms on the ground, the kimono sleeve on his left arm sagging, and the semi-loose bandadges on his right arm drooping on the ground. A bright red substance dripped from his mouth.

"Oh no! Not now!", Rokusho yelped, rushing to his master's aid.

"What is it?", Arceus gasped. Her sons were also confused.

"Shit… The Spiral Sickness…", Dewloren cursed before coughing more blood.

"Dewwy!", Onii-San gasped.

"…Dewwy?", Giratina cocked his head.

"Methinks it's a nickname.", Dialga sighed. "Dork."

"Spiral Sickness… when a non-Spiral being is exposed to violently changing or turbulent masses of Spiral Energy, and the victim's body cannot convert enough of it into 'Spirit Proteins', thus building an immunity to the destructive nature of the backlash of constantly fluctuating Spiral Power. In other words… it's like coming down with a Spiral flu of sorts.", Wisemon pondered, clearly worried that Dewloren may end up hospitalized beofe he was to be revealed to the DaiRyuuseiDan.

"Rokusho…"

"! Master?"

"…The attaché case… top shelf of the right-hand side… the green fluid for the syringe labeled 'ICE – Spiral'… (Meaning 'In Case of Emergency' – Spiral) 50. Give me a whole vial. Quickly."

Panicking, Rokusho summoned an large suitcase-like box on wheels, unlocked it with a set of hand signs, thus undoing the lock, and all sorts of trays and containment boxes housing all sorts of liquids, leaves, flowers, fruits, vegetables, powders, minerals, and other medical equipment floated out in an orderly fashion, like the shelves of a library, filled with books placed precariously in a specific order.

"What… is all that…?" Arceus inquired. Wisemon whistled. "Ahhh! Your portable med-lab! If Eggman, Tails, Sasuke and those other smarty-pantses see the wares that case contains, it'd be a field day!"

Rokusho stumbled to find the vein in Deloren's arm to properly inject him – and not puncture a muscle by accident – until Onii-San lightly grabbed Rokusho's hand, took the syringe, and gently administered the medicine.

A painful groan was heard. "Rrrrrrgh, that's the ticket.", Dewloren heaved before attempting to wobbly stand up, Rokusho and Onii-San supporting him to get a chair.

"What is all this stuff….?", Master Hand inquired, hand on his chin, inspecting the various substances.

"You can look, but you can't touch. It's my medical research; I dabble in the medical arts. Potions, powders, food science, natural substances… I'm a jack of all trades."

"So what was in the syringe…?", Giratina asked.

"A natural steroid used to combat the 'Spiral Sickness'. Powder of stardust, Anise Flower, milk of phosphorus, wolfsbane, Deep Blue Orange root, White Phantasma grass, and fish oil. I'm not one for chemicals."

"Interesting… a medical specialist…", Wisemon mused. "Perhaps Mikoto and the others could use someone's help yourself."

"… I don't know this 'Mikoto and the others'… but they sound disappointing."

* * *

At this point Tails, Eggman, Sasuke and Mikoto's (NOTE: Along with anyone else who fits the group) ears perked.

"Huh?" was the collective question from all but Mikoto.

_'Did __someone __just __question __my __credibility?'_ Mikoto thought with an eye twitch.

* * *

"Sorry about that, Link," Zero said, merging his left blade back with his right, his left hand once more touching the symbol on his chest. "Now, to show you something I've been saving just for you." He twisted the symbol 180 degrees to the left, his armor becoming like cloth. He soon resembled Protoman's old Muramasa form. His Z Saber even had a sheath to it now. Grabbing the sheath with his left hand, he clipped onto a belt at his side and lowered into a stance, his right hand just resting on the hilt. "During my time in that space and time chamber, I learned a bit about Battojutsu." **(Side ****Note:****Batto jutsu ****is ****a ****sword ****style ****in ****which ****one ****generally ****attacks ****with ****the ****act ****of ****drawing ****one****'****s ****sword****, ****with ****multiple ****cuts ****after ****the ****initial ****attack****. ****Term ****is ****interchangeable ****with ****iaijutsu ****and ****iaido, ****similar ****styles ****that ****include ****the ****act ****of ****removing ****the ****blood ****from ****the ****blade ****after ****making ****the ****attack ****and ****placing ****the ****sword ****back ****in ****the ****sheath, ****all ****in ****one ****move.)** "I figured that if there was anyone I should use it against, then it should be a fellow swordsman, such as you." Zero widened his stance slightly, the atmosphere growing tense. Suddenly, Zero had taken two steps forward, drawing the blade and slicing into Link's body, Link disappearing as his necklace, holding the symbol of the Tri-Force on it, fell down, shattering. The audience released a collective gasp, while Bae tried to get a replay on the attack. Only a few had seen the actual movement, less able to replicate it in their minds as they replayed the scene again in their heads. Zero sheathed the Z Saber and bowed in the direction of Link's necklace before turning back to Wicked, the cloth turning back into his armor, the sheath disappearing as he grabbed the hilt of the Z Saber once more.

* * *

"Ah! That was like when ShinkenGold uses his sword style! So good!" Gai exclaimed with stars in his eyes.

"Huh. Now you're making me wonder about who this ShinkenGold is," Omega-Xis noted to the Gokaiger.

"Yosh!" Gai exclaimed with a grin, "I'll tell ya all I know about the Shinkenger if you want."

"I just want to know more about ShinkenGold."

"He's not on our world the last time I heard. Rumor has it a pink dragon took him to another reality," Gai explained.

"...Palkia," the majority of the people near the two noted.

"ShinkenGold? Oh, we met him," Ahim recalled, "He was working with alternate versions of Geo-san, Subaru-san, Sonia-chan, and Misora-chan."

"Nani?" Geo and Subaru blinked.

"It's true," Luka noted before pulling a letter out and put it in Rayne's hands, "Here. Forgot to give this to ya. It's from your friends in that Zone."

"You got to meet Umemori Genta!-?" Gai exclaimed before slumping, "Man..."

* * *

**"Ooh~! ****Sexy,"** Wicked licked her lips, **"Oh, ****boys ****and ****girls~!"**

_"Engage __Attack __Pattern __Cobalt-Sapphire-Topaz!"_ Ranbow Dragon roared, startling Zero when he dropped his camouflage to fire a rainbow-colored beam at Zero.

"Attack!" Cobalt Eagle screeched as he swooped down at the Reploid.

"Time to tangle with the true Jungle King!" Topaz Tiger roared as he and Sapphire Pegasus charged.

* * *

"Ouch. I remember this play," Gwen flinched.

"What's it do?" Sonia asked.

"Rainbow Dragon starts it off by firing his attack. When the opponent dodged or reflects it, Cobalt Eagle swoops down and nails them in the back, letting Sapphire Pegasus slam his hooves into their gut and send them to Topaz Tiger, who finishes it off with a mauling," Gwen recalled, "If that fails, they move to Emerald-Amber-Amethyst, which involves Amethyst Cat jumping onto Emerald Tortoise's back before Amber Mammoth throws him like a spinning puck, letting his emerald spikes and Amethyst's claws nail the opponent before Amber Mammoth runs them over with his feet. Then it's the Ruby-Symphony-Rainbow, but it won't work since Misora is out of commission for now."

**"Oi! ****Gaki! ****You ****better ****get ****your ****head ****in ****the ****match! ****If ****they ****lose, ****you're ****gonna ****need ****to ****fight!"** Momotaros barked as he shook his fist at a screen showing the fight.

* * *

"Shit!" Zero bit out. His left hand grabbed something on his back that was hidden by his hair. He pulled it out to reveal it to be a pistol. He fired it at the beam that Rainbow Dragon had fired, the two energies canceling each other out. At the same time as he had pulled the trigger, he turned to face Cobalt Eagle, his Z Saber fending off the talons, while he put the pistol back in its place, leaving his left hand free to block Sapphire Pegasus's hooves. From there, he pushed against Sapphire Pegasus, knocking the winged horse backwards, slashing his Z Saber at Cobalt Eagle, forcing the creature to back away from the reploid. Topaz Tiger took the opportunity to the leap at Zero's back, trying to force Zero to the ground. Instead, Zero took the weight of Topaz Tiger and used the momentum to roll forward, throwing the tiger off.

(Whoever initiates the Emerald-Amber-Amethyst)

"You've gotta be fuckin' kidding me!" Zero yelped as he saw the tortoise flying at him like a spinning puck. He sidestepped and slapped the tortoise away with his Z Saber, grabbing the symbol on his chest. "Power Form!" His armor became thicker and heavier, but he seemed to carry it as easily as his normal armor. He raised his Z Saber, bracing his left hand against it to halt Amber Mammoth's path. Zero slid back a bit before finding better purchase, at which point he had completely halted Amber Mammoth, surprising everyone.

* * *

"I can't believe he fended all that off," Gwen gasped.

"That's Zero for you," Ultimate X said. "Max said that Zero's been doing more training for the past week than usual, so it's no surprise. Wait…has anyone seen Max today?"

"Ah…no," Z said. "He wasn't in his room this morning, so I assumed he was already here."

"Yesterday, he did ask me about sealing techniques for chakra," Sasuke said. "Storage scrolls and whatnot."

"And he was at the archives yesterday, asking for books on Zone Energy techniques," Tara piped in.

* * *

"Alright, who's next?" Zero asked as he held Amber Mammoth back with his left hand, brandishing his Z Saber at everyone else.

_"Me,"_ Rainbow Dragon growled before the Crystal Beasts, minus Ruby, glowed and turned into colored lights that entered the dragon.

**"Ooh...Now ****you're ****in ****trouble,"** Wicked smirked.

* * *

"Hmm..." Rokusho Zero noted.

"Something wrong?" Onii-San asked.

"You cannot feel it?" Wisemon asked.

"Feel what?" Nazo pondered.

"The Rainbow Dragon's Mind Energy," Rokusho Zero replied, "Seems those too in-tune with Spiral Energy cannot perceive it."

"Mind Energy? You mean that dragon is giving off Mind Energy?" Onii-San asked.

"Yes. Duel Spirits are merely Mind Energy given life. The stronger the monster, the more powerful the Mind Energy it has. The Ace Monsters of nearly all the Archtypes are made of a tremendous amount of Mind Energy while the Duel Spirit Gods could be compared to _thousands_ of _Zones_ worth of Mind Energy..._each_," Rokusho Zero explained, "However, all Duel Spirits have an instinctual ability that makes their detection near-impossible for those who are not capable of using Mind Energy at its fullest, or even enough to be a beginner at using Mind Energy, unless you are what they call a 'Spirit Caller' or a 'Psychic Duelist.' Those are petty labels, is that correct, Master?"

"Don't look at me. I _may_ be a demigod, but I don't do labels."

"Then how come I can see them when she's not using them?" Onii-San asked.

"Simple: You still have Mind Energy," Rokusho Zero replied, "As long as you have Mind Energy and even used it before, you cannot merely give it up. The only way you could was to Equalize, much like Ryuu has done."

"And he's a freak because of it..." Dewloren muttered, yet only Rokusho Zero and Wisemon being the only two who heard him, making the Medabot look down in shame at what his master said.

"I think not. Have you forgotten what I have revealed to you from _the__book_? His Equalization was meant to happen, as the you-know-what decreed," Wisemon noted, "And you forget that the F-word is still a sore subject for your apprentice there, considering his condition."

"Here they go!" Rokusho Zero exclaimed as Rainbow Dragon let out a trembling roar.

* * *

Rainbow Dragon let out a multicolored blast at Zero's feet. The Reploid quickly jumped back as an explosion tore apart the ground upon impact.

* * *

"...She has a powerful monster," J noted.

"Yep," Subaru nodded, "Let's just hope it works out for them."

"Same here. We really need to get Misora out of there," Z gulped as Makoto walked up, "Eh? Makoto-san?"

Makoto merely ignored him. He continued to gaze upon the dragon that continued its blasts of light and might of its tail upon the Maverick Hunter. His sight moved on to look down at Crystal, giving a small, yet near-impossible-to-notice smile at seeing her in pain.

**"Teach ****him ****a ****Climax ****he ****won't ****forget!"** Momotaros roared, wearing a Japanese Seller's outfit with a paper fan and a bullhorn out.

**"Sempai ****really ****gets ****into ****it ****when ****he ****watches ****a ****fight,"** Urataros noted.

**"Even ****the ****power ****the ****dragon ****wields ****is ****a ****majestic ****view,"** Sieg noted.

* * *

_'What __the __hell? __Did __it...'_ Zero thought as Rainbow Dragon slammed him through a set of dead trees, _'Is __it __stronger __thanks __to __those __Crystal __Beasts?'_

**"Rainbow ****Dragon-kun, ****please ****stop,"** Wicked spoke as the dragon halted its charging blast, **"I'd ****like ****to ****end ****him."**

_"...Very __well, __Wicked,"_ Rainbow Dragon nodded, a faint blush on his face, before he flew back to the tree and curled around Crystal, Ruby, Ryutaros, and Ryan.

"Why did you stop him? I would have turn the tables!" Zero scowled.

**"Because ****I ****want ****to..."** Wicked before before her body distorted and transformed into a shadow-version of Zero, **"...**_**play **_**with ****you."**

* * *

"Oh crud..." Yuck paled.

"What's wrong?" Sari asked.

"You've never seen Wicked when she wants to _play_, have you?" Ace asked.

"Nope," Bumblebee replied.

"Well, watch and learn," Ace sighed.

"May the Original One have mercy upon Zero's soul...For the Wicked God shall grant none," Yuck spoke solemnly, making those not used to the rabbit showing a soft side worried for Zero.

* * *

"Wh...What are you?" Zero demanded.

**"Me? ****Well, ****it's ****quite ****simple; ****I ****am **_**you**_**,"** Wicked/Zero smirked.

"Y-You're _me_?-!" Zero blinked before swinging his blade at him, "Urusei!"

Wicked/Zero parried the swing with his own, not budging even an inch from his spot. Zero's eyes widened before feeling Wicked/Zero's foot slam into his chin and send him into what remained of a nearby tree.

**"Those ****who ****deny ****something ****only ****prove ****of ****its ****existence,"** Wicked/Zero spoke.

"Why you...Copycat!" Zero declared.

**"Oh? ****I'm ****hurt, ****Me. ****But..."** Wicked/Zero gave a dark look, **"Not ****as ****much ****as ****it ****still ****hurts ****for ****our ****heart ****to ****remember ****Iris. ****To ****still ****feel ****her ****soft ****figure ****laying ****within ****our ****arms, ****the ****life ****fading ****away ****from ****her."**

"Shut up!" Zero roared.

**"Aw, ****what's ****the ****matter? ****Are ****we ****still ****sore ****over ****the ****death ****of ****Iris?"** Wicked/Zero sneered.

"I said shut the fuck up!" Zero snapped as he dashed at Wicked/Zero, only for him to get sent flying into the air by his own fist before his own foot knocked him into the ground.

**"I'm ****not ****sure ****about ****the ****score. ****Is ****it ****Me:****2 ****or ****Me:****0?"** Wicked/Zero pondered.

* * *

"...Master? Please tell me you feel it," Rokusho Zero gulped.

"Yes, Rokusho Zero, I feel it just the same as you. Hard to believe that one of the purest bodies of Mind Energy is working with..._Spirals_," Dewloren spat.

* * *

"Wh-Who the hell are you!-? How do you know of her?-! Tell me!" Zero demanded as he got up, earning only a dark laugh from Wicked/Zero.

**"Who ****am ****I? **_**Who **_**am **_**I**_**?-! **_**I **_**am **_**you**_**, ****Zero! ****I ****am ****what ****you ****refuse! ****I ****am ****your ****Mind ****Energy! ****I ****am ****what ****you ****despise ****the ****most, ****yet ****also ****who ****you ****love ****the ****most!"** Wicked/Zero cackled, a dark demonic sneer appearing on his face.

"You are not me!" Zero roared as the two began to battle with all of Zero's strikes missing until Wicked/Zero caught the blade in-between his pointer finger and index finger.

**"Oh, ****but ****I ****am ****us, ****Zero. ****I ****am ****the ****darkness ****and ****Mind ****Energy ****that ****fester ****within ****the ****bowels ****of ****our ****soul. ****We ****couldn't ****persuade ****the ****Mavericks ****to ****stop. ****We ****couldn't ****save ****Colonel. ****We ****could ****not ****prevent ****Iris ****from ****using ****her ****brother's ****chip ****and ****transform ****into ****that ****Maverick!"** Wicked/Zero roared as he slammed a fist into Zero with each declaration, ripping holes in the Maverick Hunter's armor.

* * *

"Oh man...Zero, get out of there!" Axl shouted.

-Come on, Zero!- Model Axl shouted.

-Run away! You can't beat her...him...it...Whatever! Just run!- Mode A pleaded.

"They cannot hear you," X frowned, his fists shaking.

"Wicked...Wicked is doing a trial,"Hub scowled, "They very trial she used on me when I was recovering from DaiRyuuseiKiller's assault on us."

"What's it do?" Axl demanded as he pulled the half-dragon to his face.

"...He'll lose if he doesn't pass," Hub replied, "An eternal slumber. One of which the likes has never been seen before. Wicked will take his very life away, leaving only the body to be in an eternal rest."

"And if he passes?" X asked.

"...It's complicated," Hub sighed, "I don't even know if I passed or not. The mental attacks Wicked uses break you and then fix you so many times that you'll completely forget just _what_ Wicked did, just remember _what_ you accept now. If my powers have gotten stronger or not...I cannot even know. I still feel the same, but Wicked _must_ have done _something_ besides cleansing my mind."

* * *

**"Still now satisfied with us? Then let's up it. We're a weapon. The only woman we've ever loved died a long time ago, because of that fact. If not for us, she would still be alive even now."**

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Zero roared as he fired his rarely used buster at Wicked/Zero, only for each shot to not even leave a mark.

**"Never. We cannot silence ourselves. She was somewhat like us. Her brother and we fought. When we killed him, she went insane. We tell ourselves we had no choice, that the fate of millions of people was on the line. But it's never really enough. Before she died, she returned to herself, which made it even worse. I tried to talk her out of it. I tried to subdue her. But she was powerful enough that it was either kill, or be killed. And as always, I'm a weapon that will complete their mission."**

"This is creepy..." Ryan gulped, earning a whimper from Ryutaros with neither being able to leave their sights off the one-sided battle.

**"Now ****then...What ****were ****those ****last ****words ****she ****said ****to ****us? ****Oh, ****yes..."** Wicked/Zero smirked sinisterly as his body shifted into a young woman with long hair and a mix of a dress and armor on her.

* * *

"I...Iris..." X paled as he began to shake.

"Holy..." Axl gulped.

-B...But she's dead!- Model A gasped.

-R-Right?- Model Axl whimpered.

* * *

**"Please...stay away from Repliforce..."**

"No..."

**"Let's live together...in a world where only Reploids exist."**

"I-Iris..." Zero struggled, his clenched fists shaking as tears began to appear in his eyes, unable to lower himself from Wicked/Iris's grip on his neck with his legs dangling in the air (GammaTron A/N: How this is possible when Iris is actually _shorter_ than Zero is simple; Wicked made itself taller than the original Iris)

**"Yes...I know, but I wanted to believe that it...I wanted to live in a world where only Reploids exist...with you."**

"Stop this! Stop this right now!" Zero pleaded as he struggled harder while Wicked/Iris changed back to Wicked/Zero.

**"Aw...What's ****the ****matter? ****Are ****we ****afraid ****to ****accept ****it? ****We ****claim ****to ****have ****accepted ****her ****death ****to ****DaiRyuuseiKnight...yet ****that ****is ****merely ****a ****lie. ****We ****still ****feel ****the ****pain, ****the ****suffering. ****Though ****we ****are ****not ****human, ****we ****still ****love. ****We ****can ****still ****have ****our ****'heart' ****broken,"** Wicked/Zero continued.

* * *

"Did the same to me," Hub shuddered, "All my darkest secrets...all my suffering...everything that I wanted to keep at bay sent at me, full force."

**"But...What ****did ****Wicked ****mean ****when ****it ****called ****Zero ****a ****weapon?"** Urataros asked.

"..." X looked away while Axl looked at his feet.

* * *

**"Reploids...Created ****by ****humanity, ****yet ****possess ****powers ****far ****beyond ****their ****own. ****Mankind's ****arrogance? ****No,"** Wicked/Zero continued to speak, keeping Zero dangling by his legs, the Maverick Hunter struggling to get out of the grasp, **"Oh? ****I ****see ****you ****still ****try ****to ****get ****out ****of ****my ****grasp. ****Very ****well ****then. ****Then ****let's ****look ****into ****the ****past ****once ****more."**

Wicked/Zero's form shifted before another form took place. Wicked now resembled a Colonel with his suit made of armor plating. His chin was metal and pointed while his hands were robotic. On his shoulders were two sapphires and two spikes. Zero's eyes widened.

"Col...nel..." Zero gasped out.

**"Hello ****again, ****Zero,"** Wicked/Colonel smirked.

* * *

"Colonel as well?" X pondered.

"Colonel? He doesn't look like the Colonel that I've seen on the news," Haruka noted.

"It must be his NetNavi counterpart," Axl whispered to X, who nodded.

"This is a Reploid named 'Colonel,' Mrs. Hikari," X explained, "He was the...well...Colonel for Repliforce, even when the group turned Maverick. Zero was the one who killed him."

* * *

**"Now what was our final talk? Oh, yes. You terminating me."**

"You were...a Maverick!"

**"Maverick? Maverick!-? _You_ are the Maverick, Zero! It was _your_ virus that caused it all! It was _your_ coming of On-Line that spread the virus! In essence...If you didn't exist, I would have lived. And so would _Iris_."**

"Get out of my head!" Zero screeched.

**"Do ****you ****remember ****my ****final ****words? ****Do ****you, ****Maverick!-?"** Wicked/Colonel declared.

"Shut up!" Zero screamed as he ripped Wicked/Colonel's arm off and sliced him in the gut, "Ah! N-No...I...I..."

**"...Impressive Zero! But it's too late!"**

"What!-?"

**"Repliforce has left for the space! Even if I perish, Repliforce lives."**

"...Colonel.

**"... Zero. Tell Iris that her brother died happily! ...Good bye Zero!"**

"Colonel!-!-!" Zero screamed before Wicked/Colonel exploded into a pillar of darkness, reshaping into Wicked/Zero, "Stop this! Please, just stop it!"

**"Oh ****no...We ****will ****not ****stop ****it,"** Wicked/Zero sneered before lunging at Zero, **"We ****will ****not ****stop ****till ****we ****are ****dead!"**

* * *

"Three left..." Hub sighed.

"Hm?"

"Three ghosts remain," Hub replied.

**"What ****the ****heck ****are ****you ****talking ****about?"** Momotaros demanded, **"Oi! ****I'm ****talking ****to ****you, ****Ryuu-Yaro!"**

"Look at the screen showing them," Hub explained as he pointed at a screen that showed the Wicked Avatar's card on Crystal's arm, three of its stars glowing, "Those stars mean that three remain before Zero either breaks down and commits seppuku or if he will stand up once more."

"And it subjugated you to it as well?" Lan gulped.

"Big time, Other Bro," Hub shuddered before lowering his scarf, revealing a jagged scar over his neck, "I nearly did that if I didn't remember why I fought and got stronger."

* * *

Wicked/Zero's body began to twist and alter. He appeard as a tall, intimidating humanoid Reploid and being one of the few to not wear a helmet or headpiece of any kind, showing off his bald cranium. His facial features suggested the appearance of a middle-aged man, with a large square chin and small, blue eyes, and a small red jewel embedded in his forehead. His face also featured a pair of scar-like marks run down both eyes, resembling a snake bite.

"S..." Zero paled.

* * *

"Sigma!" Axl, X, Model Axl, and Model A gasped.

"I take it he's a bad guy?" Po asked.

"Bad guy nothing. He's killed so many lives...both Human and Reploid," Axl growled, "He just keeps on reviving!"

"..." X glared at Wicked/Sigma, "Sigma was once an honorable Reploid until he met Zero. When they first met, Zero was a Maverick infected with his own Maverick Virus. However, when Sigma destroyed the jewel on Zero's forehead, the virus was uploaded from Zero and downloaded into Sigma. When we found out, he had already killed hundreds with missiles."

"Deplorable..." Tai Lung seethed, "Though I call the pot 'black' when I am clearly a kettle."  
"True. But you continue to repent for those injustices," X noted, "Sigma does not."

* * *

**"Zero... Who could have imagined that we'd cross paths at the end of the world. The moment your virus entered my system, the seed had been planted. That's when it all began... The destruction of the world!"**

"Sigma!" Zero roared.

He swiped at the larger Maverick, only for Wicked/Sigma to vanish. Zero screamed as his right arm was torn off completely, exposing live wires in his destroyed limb. Wicked/Sigma chuckled as he crushed the destroyed limb.

-And Wicked Avatar, using the form of Sigma, takes off Zero's arm!- Bae spectated -Oh my! This is truly a bad day for Zero, folks!-

"Shut it!" Zero roared as he used his rarely-used buster once more, only for Wicked/Sigma to dodge them all and take the other limb.

**"Face ****it, ****Zero! ****It ****is ****because ****of ****you ****that ****I ****became ****this!"** Wicked/Sigma cackled, **"The ****moment ****you ****and ****I ****fought ****all ****those ****years ****ago ****was ****the ****moment ****you ****gave ****me ****true ****life! ****You ****were ****the ****very ****reason ****why ****this ****is ****who ****I ****am ****now! ****By ****corrupting ****me ****with ****the ****Maverick ****Virus ****stored ****away ****within ****you, ****you ****caused ****the ****deaths ****of ****thousands! ****Especially ****the ****death ****of ****Iris!"**

"Shut up!-!-!" Zero roared before Spiral Energy erupted from his destroyed limbs, revealing new ones.

He charged at Wicked/Sigma and delivered a haymaker...only for his limbs to shatter upon impact. His eyes widened as Wicked/Sigma strangled him before slamming him into the ground, ripping off his legs.

**"And ****now ****the ****final ****one!"** Wicked/Sigma laughed.

"I beg of you, just stop! No more!" Zero screamed as he was engulfed in the Wicked Avatar.

-Oh my! The Wicked Avatar has now engulfed Zero within itself!- Bae gasped -Oh, what will the Maverick Hunter do?-

The Wicked Avatar erroded away, revealing Zero resting in a capsule, wearing his original armor. Standing beside it was an elderly man with a balding head and cane, wearing a lab coat, a purple button shirt, a red tie, and black pants.

* * *

"Dr. Wily!" X gasped.

"I thought he was Scratch and Grounder," Tigress blinked.

"...Oi..." Axl groaned as he facepalmed himself.

"This is Dr. Albert Wily, Zero's creator," X explained with a scowl, "My predecessor had to do battle with him numerous times.

* * *

**"Zero..."**

"Who are you?" Zero grunted as he looked up, _'How?__How__am__I__back__in__my__old__form?'_

**"My masterpiece..."**

"But... who are you?" Zero demanded.

**"After him! He is my nemesis. Our rivalry is what gives me motivation in life. Now go! Destroy him! That's an order."**

"Huh... ? Wait!"

A sharp ringing sound echoed as Zero started to scream in pain. Wicked/Wily let out a wily laugh as he dissolved and engulfed the Maverick Hunter once more. Zero let out a scream of pure agony as his mind flashed back to Dr. Wily, Sigma, a room full of destroyed Reploids, his own blueprints, and an image of blood covering his hands. The Wicked Avatar receded from a repaired Zero, causing him to collapse, convulsing in pure fear. Wicked Avatar reformed into Zero's likeness.

**"And ****the ****final ****ghost ****appears,"** Wicked/Zero smirked before his body transformed into what had many of DaiRyuuseiDan recall Vent and Aile when they used Double Megamerge involving Model X and Model Z.

* * *

"How did...?" Axl gawked.

-He looks like Vent and Aile when they Double Megamerge!- the two Biometals of Axl gasped.

"But...But how?" J gawked, "I mean, he shouldn't even have memories of that since it hasn't happened."

"...I think he was given the memories," X noted.

"...We're going to have to hack his head again?" Will asked.

"Possibly," X informed.

"Dang it," Will slumped, "Curse you, Wily."

* * *

**"Zero...? Is that my name? ... ...Ugh, I can't remember..."**

Zero barely looked over at Wicked/Megaman Zero.

**"A friend of ours, Ciel, created a second X when he had to be sealed away to save everyone from the Dark Elf. Do you know what we said to her? 'So, you'll only be happy if X does not exist... I'll take care of that. Just tell me where he is.' We also said 'You don't have to apologize. It's not your fault. You did because you thought it would be good for everyone... Please just leave everything to me now.'"**

"..."

**"So ****be ****it...****But ****that's ****why ****we ****are ****the ****best ****partners...****I'll ****do ****what ****you ****want...****Rest ****for ****a ****while. ****I ****will ****handle ****it, ****you ****can ****count ****on ****me. ****I ****won't ****stop!****When ****an ****enemy ****appears...****I'll ****terminate ****it..."** Wicked/Zero continued as a large group of Wicked/Mavericks appeared around the two before fading away, **"Show ****me."**

"?"

**"Show ****us ****the ****Zero ****we ****once ****were! ****Show ****us ****the ****Zero ****of ****justice! ****Show ****us ****the **_**true **_**Zero!"** Wicked/Zero roared.

"...Shut up!" Zero roared as he slammed his fist into Wicked/Zero, "I never cared about justice, and I don't recall ever calling myself a hero. I have always only fought for the people I believe in. I won't hesitate... If an enemy appears in front of me, I will destroy it!"

His armor glowed before he changed into the same form Wicked/Zero was using. He pulled out the Z-Saber as energy erupted off him, red writing forming upon the blade of energy. Wicked/Zero closed his eyes and gave a small smile.

**"...Pass,"** Wicked/Zero smirked as Zero slashed him in two before changing back, **"Use ****your ****past ****wisely ****and ****let ****your ****true ****potential ****be ****unleashed...Reploid ****Zero, ****Knight ****of ****the ****Truth."**

A black tentacle from both halves impaled Zero, changing him into his Trophy Form. The sirens went off as the screens showed Misora and Lyra's faces on them with the word 'WINNER' on them.

* * *

_'He...He __has __the __Red __Truth __upon __his __blade?'_ Dewloren thought.

* * *

"Im...Possible..." Oro gasped out just seconds before turning into a Trophy.

"Tch. Never underestimate me, old man," Scourge sneered as he held the destroyed necklace before he watched the area become engulfed in a dome of light, "Seems the bitch won."

* * *

"Alright, here it is," Max said, producing a vial and handing it to Mikoto. "Here are the notes." He then produced a small notebook, handing it as well to Mikoto. "I'll leave the rest to you."

"Well, this is quite fortunate," Mikoto said as he looked at the two items. He flipped the notebook open, taking a look. "The antidote for this will be done in a matter of hours."

"Will she be…?" Subaru gulped. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over at Max.

"She'll be fine, Subaru," Max said, grinning. "I managed to get most of that substance out before it could spread fast. Just leave the rest to Mikoto." With that, Max walked out of the room. Subaru looked once more at Mikoto, who nodded.

"He is right. At the moment, she's resting, but you may see her," Mikoto said. "_After_ you are sterilized. Hot shower, ten minutes without cold water, ten minutes with warm water, and fresh clothes."

"You really go all out with that, don't you?" Omega-Xis asked.

"I will not let a patient of mine fall ill just because I was lax," Mikoto scowled, "Now get sterilized at once if you wish to visit her."

* * *

"Dai, Julie? Mind if I come in?" Max asked, knocking on Julie's hotel door. When he heard a confirmation, he opened the door and walked in. Julie ran up to him and hugged him, Max laughing as he picked her up easily enough. "Glad to see you, too, Julie!" He set her down and then looked at Dai, his arms wide. "Come on, you know you want to." Dai smiled and walked over to him, hugging him. "So, how have you two been?" Max asked after Dai stepped back. Max grabbed the chair by the desk and swung it around to straddle it, while Dai and Julie rested on the bed.

"We've been…adjusting," Dai said, Julie nodding in agreement.

"So much has changed since the last time I was here, dad," Julie said.

"Well, that's to be expected," Max said, laughing a little. "I hope Ryuuki's been keeping an eye on you two," he added, looking at DaiRyuuseiKnight as he floated between Dai and Julie.

"Damn you, Ultima," DaiRyuuseiKnight sighed. "Damn you." The other occupants of the room laughed. "Anyways, I have indeed kept watch over them, Maxwell, as you asked."

"Good, good," Max said, nodding. He then snapped. "Ah, that's right! Almost forgot the secondary reason for setting up this technique." Dai and Julie looked at each other, confused.

"Wait…you mean, Dialga-sama isn't the one allowing you to stay here?" Julie asked.

"Why would I bother Dialga-dono with something so trivial?" Max asked as a Zone Portal appeared to his left, his left hand digging around. "But, that isn't the point. The point is that you left something behind, Julie, that I thought we had agreed you would keep with you from now on."

"What do you…"

"Ah, here it is," Max said, pulling a silver vest out of the portal. Julie's eyes lit up, ecstatic.

"The armor!" she exclaimed, jumping up and hugging Max once more. "You're the best, dad!" She accepted the vest from him, putting it on.

"Julie, please don't forget it ever again," Max said, a frown on his face, though it was obvious to both Julie and Dai that it was fake.

"I know," Julie said, smiling.

"Now then, there are a couple things I need to tell you three before I leave in an hour. First things first. Ryuuki, don't attempt to kill Ultima while you're here." Max looked at DaiRyuuseiKnight. "As tempting as it is, it won't end well for you. Well, that is to say, it won't result in anything bad, but it will be humiliating. Two. Dai, be careful around Mikoto."

"What?" Dai asked.

"Don't play dumb with me," Max said. "Just…appearances are sometimes deceiving."

"Is he an enemy?" Dai asked.

"No, no…least, I don't think he is." Max grabbed his hair, rubbing it. "Gah, I've said too much already! Just…be wary, alright?" He then looked at Julie. "Julie, I'm gonna say it again. Do not forget that armor from now on. Last thing. During the final match of this tournament…I want you two away from this Zone. You can still watch the match, but it's going to be in a different Zone, alright? Ryuuki, you stay here, using Dai's body."

"Why?" Julie and Dai both asked.

"Just…please," Max said, looking at the ground. "Just be anywhere but this Zone on that day." There was a silence after that before Max looked up once more. "Now then, let's all go grab something to eat. I've only got about forty-five minutes left before this technique ends and I want to do a little more catching up." He stood up, smiling once more.

* * *

Zero walked along the halls, trying to avoid the others. His body let out a shudder despite the temperature being at an efficient level to prevent it. That card of Misora's...The Wicked Avatar...Just _what_ was it?

"Tell me, do you feel it?"

Zero looked up from his thoughts. No one was in front of him or to his sides.

"Down here, Zero-san," Zero looked down to see Rokusho Zero, "Hello."

"A...robot?"

"I'm a MedaBot, thank you very much," Rokusho Zero pouted, "I go by Rokusho Zero, or RZ for short."

"Another one with Zero?"

"But of course. Much like how X is a variable in our mathematics, Zero can be seen as the start and end of all things. You feel...more complete than you were before, am I correct?"

"Well...Yes," Zero blinked, "Wait. Just who are you?"

"Like I said. My name is Rokusho Zero. Like you, the Wicked Avatar tested me," Rokusho Zero informed, making Zero's eyes widen, "The reason why you feel complete more than you were before is because the Wicked God unlocked it all. In sense, your Spiral Energy and Mind Energy have fused into one single power. However, those of the Spirals will only sense your Spiral Energy while those of Mind Energy will sense only Mind Energy. You can sense my energy, can you not?"

"Y...Yes," Zero nodded.

"Good. Then we're getting somewhere. Spiral or Mind?"

"...Neither...Yet, at the same time, it's both," Zero frowned.

"That is what I sense from you," Rokusho Zero nodded as he took out a white key, "Come. My Master does not know what I am to do for the Red Truth and Bahamut have written it."

"What?" Zero's eyes widened.

"Hurry now," Rokusho Zero ordered before dragging Zero past a potted plant and to a door with an old lock, "Maxwell-san."

"..." Max poked his head from behind the plant, "How did you know I was there?"

"You already know, Dragon Sword King," Rokusho Zero replied.

"M-Max?" Zero blinked.

Max walked around from behind the plant. "Yo, Zero. Nice job on the trial," Max said, patting the reploid's shoulder.

"You're Max?"

"Ah, right, you and Link were too wrapped up in your duel," Max said, shrugging. "I'm actually Max twenty years from now. Give or take a year, maybe two."

"But, how did you know about that…trial?" Zero asked, confused.

"Twenty years from the future, remember? I know all about Wicked's 'game'. I don't agree with it at all," Max snorted, his arms crossed. "In fact, we've butted heads more than once over it. But, that's neither here nor there. By the way, Rokusho, why haven't you explained Equalization to Zero yet? I think it only fair before you train him."

"Equalization?" Zero cocked his head.

"Well…um, how can I explain this?" Max asked himself, scratching his head. "Usually, J, Will, or Sasuke would pop in and do it, but they're currently…unavailable. Um…well, I guess Rokusho's question earlier is a good starting point." Max was silent for a bit, thinking, before nodding. "Right then. We'll start off with Rokusho's question about what you could sense in him. The fusion of your Spiral Energy and Mind Energy."

"Okay, what does that have to do with this?"

"Well, that's Equalization in a nutshell. All of your energies have become one. However, this is not the same kind of mixing that I do with my energies. This is where the levels of the energies become exactly equal and no single energy can exceed the other. This results in what is known as a Core Energy, something that is unique to you. Ah, also, the energies you had before? Can't use 'em anymore. Well," Max said, holding his chin as if in deep thought, "perhaps in certain cases, you can use those energies again. But more often than not, you should just forget about it. It's best to move on to learning how to use whatever your Core Energy is." Max stopped, looking between the two and shrugged again. "Well, that's all I have to say," he said, turning around, waving over his shoulder. "Good luck with training him, Rokusho."

"I thank you then," Rokusho Zero bowed before turning to the door, "Now then, come. You need to master the art of what you and I have."

"But what about Hub?" Zero asked.

"...He Equalized before I could get to him," Rokusho Zero replied after a moment.

Zero's eyes widened. Again with the Equalized stuff that Max just said. What the hell did that mean? Rokusho Zero put his key into the lock and turned it. The door opened to reveal a barren landscape with a cloudy sky, giving the appearance of night during the day. There were a few trees bearing fruits along with a tree that held bottles of milk. Wait...Milk trees? He couldn't process more since Rokusho Zero booted the Reploid into the landscape. He closed the door and the key dissipated into energy that went into the keyhole. It would be hours later Dewloren would shake his head and try to recall what had just happened when he knew he was watching as the Stage changed back and that it was over four hours ago when that happened.

* * *

"Hey, fellas?" Will and X turned around to see ZS standing behind them.

"Oh, ZS," X said. "Didn't know you were here."

"Ha, yeah. Here to watch the tournament," ZS explained. "Uh, listen, I'm not one for beatin' the bush, so I'll just ask straight up. How long have you known that…well, I'm Zero in the future?"

Will and X looked at each other. "…When did you find out?" X asked, turning back to look at ZS.

"Well, I wasn't sure until I saw today's match," ZS said. "But, the first time I began wondering, was when I met you all. More specifically, my first contact with Model A. My…technique learning system activated for some reason. Reacting with some data in Model A, I think. And I saw that last form that Wicked Avatar took on. I saw all of the battles and…defeats, victories, loved ones. I saw it all. And I think that the last time I met with the Zero on your team, I think that our systems somehow…linked. And I ended up transferring those memories to him."

"That might be Wily's doing," X said, looking at Will. "After those upgrades Wily and Tan'ya gave us, it wouldn't surprise me."

"This also saves us the hassle of having to delve into Zero's mind again," Will said, nodding. They both then turned to ZS. "So…what are you gonna do now that you know?" ZS shrugged.

"Continue on with life, I guess," ZS said.

* * *

"It is time to tell you of who will battle tomorrow," Master Hand informed, "The first will be Chu-chan..."

"Okay! I'm raring ta go!" Chu declared as sparks came off her cheeks.

"The second will be Cyber and Meiru..."

"Aw crud..." Chu groaned.

"And Geo Stellar and WarRock..."

"Finally," WarRock said, smiling.

"The Assists will be Gai Ikari..."

"Yosh! I can't wait to do this!"

"...Kamen Rider Kuuga..."

"M-Me?" Yusuke gulped.

"...DaiRyuuseiKnight..."

DaiRyuuseiKnight gave a simple nod. He looked over at Meiru and Cyber and nodded. He would not fail in this battle.

"...Kamen Rider Decade..."

"Again?" Tsukasa pondered.

"...Another late Assistant, Kamen Rider Diend..."

"Diend?" Yusuke blinked.

"Kaito?" Tsukasa frowned before he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Yo," Kaito greeted, "Eat any cucumbers lately?"

"Oi...The thief again..." Tsukasa rolled his eyes, "And I hate cucumbers."

"…Ronan, from the Grand Chase…"

"I shall do my best," Ronan said, bowing.

"…Greymon and Chaud Blaze…"

Chaud merely nodded, while Greymon continued snoring, napping.

"…Snake…"

Snake grunted from his position by the doorway.

"…Sly Cooper once again…"

"Again?" Sly asked, groaning. "I still haven't recovered from the last time."

"…Ah…are you sure this is right?" Master Hand asked. There was a confirmation from Palkia and Master Hand sighed. "Well, this is unexpected. It seems that Zone Watcher Lai Taln has also decided to participate as an Assist."

"Where is Lai?" Blaze whispered to Pyre.

"I do not know, sir," Pyre replied. "But he said that he will be here tomorrow on time."

"Excellent. Then I will see you all at noon tomorrow. Spend the remaining time relaxing," Master Hand informed before he walked out.

**"Seems ****that ****we ****are ****not ****fortunate ****to ****participate ****in ****this,"** Urataros noted.

**"Tch!"** Momotaros seethed as he stomped out.

**"Zzz..."** Kintaros snored.

**"It ****seems ****I ****am ****fortunate ****once ****again,"** Sieg spoke with a humble bow to Haruka, **"Till ****tomorrow, ****Hime?"**

"O-Oh my..." Haruka blushed, "H-Hai..."

"Oi! That's our Kaa-chan!" Ryuu and Hub snapped as they bonked Sieg on the head, causing him to squawk, turn twice, and the fall in a regal manner.

"...Uncie Sieg, Onii-chan, and Onii-chan are silly..." Kyohaku giggled to herself.


	118. Third Match, A Surprising Turn

_White...That was all Dewloren could see. He had managed to unlock the door without setting alarms off and entered Ryuu's mind when this was his result. He looked down and saw his hands were paws. When did he change into his other form? He 'ran' ahead until he spotted Ryuu. Ryuu was gazing upon a mirror ten times his size. Yet the reflection was not his own. It was a cloud of darkness. Dewloren kept away from the mirror, yet he saw himself in the reflection. The shadow shot a hand of darkness out, grabbing his reflection self and saw it being absorbed. The shadow erupted in size until it covered the entire reflective surface. A massive arm erupted out of it and slammed down on the ground beside Ryuu. The reflection revealed its eyes, revealing deep pools of tainted blood. Yet it did not gaze upon Ryuu, but Dewloren. The area suddenly shot away from Dewloren. He gave chase before coming upon a massive wall of masks, each of various shapes and designs. Ryuu floated near the center, surrounded by gold masks and a single deep, venom red with bits of tainted green. The gold masks and the tainted mask fused into one as Ryuu turned to Dewloren._

"_**Le**_**a**v**e,**_** ins**_**e**c**t,**" _Ryuu commanded, his tone filled with the darkest of malice yet the heavenly tone of purest innocence before the masks engulfed him, releasing a blast of light that sent_ Dewloren out a window in the real world, startling the half-dragon awake.  
"...Nani? What was that? That was what?" Ryuu pondered before seeing the door ajar, "...I thought I locked that."

"Close the door..." Lan muttered in his sleep as he threw a pillow at his half-dragon Zone Double.  
Ryuu shuddered as a cold wind blew out of the window. He turned to the window and quickly closed it. He turned to the door and closed it, making sure everything was locked up.  
"Last time I go to sleep with the window open..." the half-dragon muttered before yawning, "Nighty-nighty."

* * *

A figure slipped into the Trophy Creation Room. The room was created by Crazy Hand to design multiple copies of items for the Smash Tournaments of before. The figure soon approached a wall revealing a Temporal Trophy. Below it was the words 'Using for the next fight. Please do not touch it! PS: Bird is the Word.' The glasses glinted on the figure's face.

"Yes. This will be perfect. Decade will finally be destroyed!" the figure laughed as a veil of silver, film-like mist seeped into the Temporal Trophy.

* * *

"Master!" Rokusho Zero called as he ran outside and poked his head into a bush below the window Dewloren was sent out of, "Master, are you in here?"

"...Ouuuuuch," Dewloren muttered nonchalantly,"I've heard of 'tripping and tripping out' but this is ridiculous."

Rokusho Zero continued to look about until he found just where Dewloren landed. It was a trove of flower bushes, many petal littering his cyan hair.

"That does it. The Hikari brat is _so _dead."

Rokusho Zero gulped.

"N-n-n-now M-m-m-master, remember what that doctor said about your anger rising too high..." Rokusho Zero warned, his body littered in thorns from the rose bush he stuck his upper body into while they started to freeze.

"That quack couldn't tell an asshole from a hole in the ground even if it killed him. Besides, if I _don't_ get close enough to Lan Hikari by the time limit's end, who knows _what_ will happen."

"What's that supposed to mean?" came a voice.  
Dewloren turned around quickly, hand grabbing the hilt of his sword out of reflex, to see Cheetor, Natsu, Z, ZS, J, Will, Jack, Toriko, Inuyasha and Nene staring at him. Then it dawned on him.  
"Looks like you lost the bet... Anon, Wisemon," Dewloren smirked to himself, "It was bound to happen anyway; your 'army' finding out about me, that is."

"Okay, buddy, you better start talking. What's wrong with Lan?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Master, you forgot he had his name changed legally," Rokusho Zero reminded before turning to the six and waved his hand, "You will fall asleep and forget what you have just seen."  
The six collapsed. Within seconds, sounds of snoring echoed from Cheetor, Jak, Toriko, and Inuyasha.  
"My apologies for using 'The Force,' Master," Rokusho Zero bowed quickly, "I know it was one of the ones you deemed 'impure,' but this was an emergency."

"...You missed one," Dewloren stated blankly, "I highly suggest you put the weapon down before you lose your arm."

"Oho? I knew I smelled a carnivore around here. Since you put these wimps to sleep and sent them to bed, how about a little fun?" Solo asked.  
"I hold no quarter against you..." Dewloren trailed, "...But if it's a good ol' fashioned ass whooping you want for wasting my time, then... so be it."  
Solo smirked, "This'll be too easy."

Dewloren returned the smirk, much to Rokusho Zero's surprise, "Funny you say that."  
Confused, Solo failed to sense the fast-forming ice already encasing his legs. Solo was shocked as his body up to his sternum and shoulders were frozen solid in subzero ice. Solo felt the effects of the temperate chills instantly, causing the Murian to uncharacteristically chatter his teeth lightly, wincing at the sheer cold.  
"I was literally about to say the same thing. Game Over, brohab."

"...Damn...it..." Solo whispered as he passed out, the ice shattering into diamond dust.  
Rokusho Zero was about to proceed to erase Solo's mind when Dewloren stopped him, "Wait. I wish to test this one. Currently, he's the only one in the Manor, excluding Anon and the 'Pious Riot' who knows we're here. Aren't you the least bit interested to see if a rumor spread from an unlikely source?"

"What do you mean, Master?"  
"Think about it. Credibility of gossip comes from the credibility of the source. No one would believe that Cloud boy here was trounced by me unless there was proof. But he seems to be the prideful type; he wouldn't just admit defeat - it would kill the fun of the game. After all... clouds are stubborn forms of nature. Aloof, yet can get very violent. But disperse the clouds, and they're harmless."  
"You want Solo to start a rumor about you?"

"It's interesting to say at the least isn't it? After all, moving them back to their previous positions would be in the ass and and attention-grabber no matter how you look at it, what with people being awake and all. As the great sorcerer Battler Ushiromiya once said, 'turn the chessboard around, know thine enemy and make the problem the answer. All we have to do is leave this area, and the events unfold natrally to my design out of the mortal nature of 'seven individuals, unconscious, awake in the courtyard, in which only one of them - the least approachable of them - remember's last night's events. Question is: will they believe them? And whether or not they do, can they figure out my reason for being here in the first place? That alone is the game. And after that... the story - and the game's next stage - unfolds."

"...Very well, Master," Rokusho Zero bowed, _'I am so dead. So very, very dead.'_

* * *

"You failed," Kalar said from the screen of the terminal Akuma was at. Wario was standing guard, looking around nervously for anyone who might be trying to eavesdrop.

"No, I did not," Akuma said. "You said to incapacitate. I did so. My only failure was that I did not account for the distortion the field around the arena caused."

"I thought that you would be incapacitating her _indefinitely_," Kalar said, stressing the last word.

"I did. Although I did not expect that person to show up and remove my unique energy, she will not be able to fight for some time." Kalar sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Fine. You didn't fail," Kalar conceded. "But let's move on. I want you to help me out by…helping Geo Stellar in today's fight. I've learned that the Hands have opened a betting pool this year for the matchups. And I've decided to put some money on a few individuals. Let's just say that you'll be my insurance policy for this. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I do," Akuma said, nodding. "That means that the Pikachu and the girl are my targets for today, yes?"

"Of course."

Akuma watched Kalar reach off-screen and the terminal screen went black. He stood up and walked away, Wario running to catch up to him.

* * *

_"Well now, I welcome you all to Day 3 of the tournament,"_ Arceus greeted.

Ryuu and Meiru shared a last kiss before she jumped down to the Stage. Cyber gave her children a last hug and a quick kiss to Sonic X before she did a backflip into the stage. Meiru had gone with a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt while Cyber wore a pair of black silk pants, a red silk Chinese shirt without sleeves, black silk shoes reworked by Sasuke and Will to be just as good as her old running shoes and more durable than boots, and a gold dragon on the sides of her pants. Meiru adjusted her black fingerless gloves as she looked over at Chu, currently tugging on her ear's bow. Geo and WarRock approached the girls.

"Good luck out there," Geo spoke as he offered a hand to Meiru.

"Likewise," Meiru returned the handshake before pulling him into a huddle, "I need your help to get Chu-chan out first."

"...Any reason why?" Geo blinked.

"It's selfish, but I don't want her in my hair," Meiru frowned.

"...Have you tried to change shampoo and conditioner?" WarRock asked.

"It's special shampoo that I can't change," Meiru frowned.

"Well, we'd need to know the Stage first," Geo noted.

_"Oh! It seems that we forgot to mention the Stage,"_ Arceus noted, _"Today's stage is provided by Yen Sid. It is...The Cartoon Wastelands Post-Blot Wars."_

Ryuu and Mickey flinched, making Ryuu's teachers, the Kensei, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and Sora look at them. Kage whistled innocently as he looked away from them. Away from them, Yen Sid sat beside Dewloren, staring out at the field. Rokusho Zero couldn't help but feel a bit close to the wizard, yet also frightened. Dewloren just ignored the man, keeping his eyes on Meiru.

"It's been a while, old man," Dewloren greeted.

"Likewise, old friend. I see you have one of your 'games' afoot."

"What can I say? A guy's got to find _some_ enjoyment in life. Am I right?"

"How do you think it'll play out?" Yen Sid asked slyly, Dewloren returning the facial expression.

"That's what makes it fun."

Yen Sid grinned, "You are still a clever one, aren't you? That's what makes you a promising Mind Sorcerer."

"And don't you forget it."

* * *

"Alright, WarRock, ready?" Geo asked. WarRock nodded as he turned into EM energy and wrapped around Geo just as the klaxon sounded.

"Ikuzo, Aibou," Cyber noted.

"We won't lose," Meiru nodded, _'Especially if it ends up with me having to have Chu-chan in my hair without me complaining...'_

* * *

"Looks like I got here in time for a match," came a voice from behind Will, who jumped to the side. Everyone turned around to see Max standing in the doorway, wearing a cloak.

"Max!" J said, walking over to the teen. "Where have you been?"

"Ah, sorry, but I'm not the real Max," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm just a Kage Bunshin. Max sent me here to ask Master Hand about some books and scrolls. Oh, he also wanted me to return this to Sasuke." He pulled out a sealing scroll from inside the cloak, walking over to Sasuke, who took it.

"I take it he gave up on it, then," Sasuke said, while the clone smirked.

"No such luck, I'm afraid," the clone said. "That's all the scrolls that you gave him."

"…what?" Sasuke opened the scroll to see that a seal for storage was written on it, as well as a small note in the corner. "'Thanks for the loan,'" Sasuke read, his eyes wide.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked, the other ninjas equally curious.

"I…I loaned Max more than ten scrolls on various jutsu and sealings," Sasuke explained, "That should have taken him months to read through alone."

"Oh, hope you don't mind, but he also copied them into books and added them to the library at the Sages' house," 'Max' said, watching Sasuke's reaction with some amusement, "That's why I'm just now showing up to return it." He walked over to look out at the arena. "So, what's the match up today?"

"Ah, it's Geo and WarRock, Chu-chan, and Meiru and Cyber," Hub answered.

"Something wrong?" 'Max' asked, "I can feel everyone's stares on me. It's starting to creep me out a little."

"The energy coming off of you is different," Onii-San spoke up, "What's Max doing?"

"Training." Everyone waited, but the silence persisted. "Sorry, but that's all I'm saying, everyone. Instead of wondering what's happening where Max is, you should pay attention to the match. Looks like it's gonna be a good one."

* * *

"_Something wrong, kid?_" WarRock asked.

"It just doesn't feel right, I guess," Geo sighed. "Teaming up on Chu-chan like this, I mean." Geo shook his head. "But I can't think about such things at the moment." He raised his hand into the air, Noise gathering around him. "Noise Change!" The Noise begin to engulf him now, before exploding apart to reveal a new form. His armor now somewhat resembled DaiRyuuseiKnight's armor, but it looked incomplete, as half of the helmet was gone, revealing half of his face and the armor waist down wasn't even there, revealing his shorts. "Damn it, why can't I finish this one?" Geo grumbled as he lost the form. "Ah, well, I guess I can go old school for this. Star Break!" Geo's armor began to glow this time, flames wrapping around his body. When the flame were gone, his armor now resembled a red lion, flames coming off of his shoulders and knees, while his hair had turned a bright red, shimmering like fire. "Leo Kingdom!"

* * *

"Did he just try using Noise Change?" Omega-Xis asked.

"Seems like it," Lyra replied, keeping a camera at her side to record it all.

Suddenly, the lights went out, causing a slight panic.

"The lights…!" Tigress gasped.

"GYAAAH! CAN'T SEEEE!" screamed Natsu.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

Sieg merely sipped his tea. He snapped a hand and a small pile of glowing white feather illuminated the area around him. Kyohaku awed at the falling feathers before one landed in her hands.

* * *

"What the…?" Onii-San gaped.

Dewloren shrugged, "Oh dear. What a mess."

"…What did you do this time…?" Onii-San inquired, slightly annoyed.

The azure tiger boy wrapped in bandages and kimono pants with a left kimono sleeve gave a cat-like grin, "I have no idea what you mean."

_"You little...! Are you _trying _to be an enemy?"_ Palkia roared.

Dewloren rose a hand to the god, a firm look in his icy eyes, accented by the four scar-like light-blue marks on his face.

"Stop right there. Before you suffer unnecessary wounds, _Lord_ Palkia," Dewloren spoke calmly, yet with the force of a highly-respected emperor, "Last I checked, you all gave me the responsibility to 'fix and nurse Lan...'"

"Ryuu, Master," Rokusho Zero corrected as he showed the legal paper of Ryuu's name change.

"'..._Ryuu _Hikari back to normal health without anyone realizing it.' As such, I had repaired his mind enough to allow cognitive speech and actions, as agreed. Furthermore, in order to have somehow sabotage the lighting system, I had to risk being caught by someone, acknowledging my existence. The only one to know me being here is Solo the Murian, but his anti-social and put-offish attitude distances others from accepting any claim that I'm here without doubts. It's the perfect cover-up."

_"But…"_ Dialga mumbled.

"Perhaps I should reveal my trump card in this petty argument and 'close this case.'"

At that point the atmosphere around the two gods and Dewloren glowed blue. Words formed in Japanese and swirled in whimsical directions, separated by sentences.

(BLUE TRUTH) _**Ronald A. Knox's Decalogue, Rules of Mystery Number 7: 'It is impossible for the detective-or the inquisitive character charged with any form of detective-based work, such as the workings on Lan Hikari-to be the culprit of any crime related to the case or the case itself. As such, since I am not a recognizable factor by the majority party– DaiRyuuseiDan –it is forbidden by Truth Magic law to label me as the culprit behind the lights.**_ (END BLUE TRUTH)

The hue disappeared, and Dialga and Palkia started feeling ill.

"I don't feel so hot all of a sudden…" Palkia mumbled.

_"Blue Truth's 'Realism Sting'…" _Arceus noted, boredom evident in her tone,_ "The ability to harness the truth of a situation and weaponize it."_

"What a mischievous boy you are… using such high-level magic it was nothing~. I'm certain that knowing you, you would've exploited the loopholes in Truth Magic," Wisemon mused.

"You're one to talk."

"…Wha?" Wisemon asked as Dewloren smirked.

"Truth Magic is merely the bending of reality to one's whim based on truths that are real and are sound due to the reality of the situation. The more plausible the truth, the more concrete the magic. For example..." Dewloren said as the bluish hue and letters returned.

(BLUE TRUTH) _**Wisemon attempted to prank me by putting rock salt in my tea; a most naughty prank.**_ (END BLUE)

Wisemon's covered face then contorted behind the cloths, his eyes tearing up a bit.

"...Salty..." he whimpered, _'How did he know I put that salt in his tea...?'_

"In other words..." Dewloren continued, "Wisemon just got a literal taste of his own medicine."

'_As expected of my master… An inspiration to his allies… and pure terror to his enemies…_' Rokusho Zero thought.

_"Do you really have to say that?"_ Arceus yawned, making Dewloren glare at him, _"What makes you think that I do not use it? It's second nature to me just as all energies are, except for Core and Ultima. Those two energies would cause me to become mortal and that is not to happen."_

"Then why do you not use it and end this foolishness?"

_"Simple; It is Ryuu, Hub, and Max who will kill Mana Albarn,"_ Arceus replied.

"Wh-What?" Rokusho Zero paled.

"Oh, you remembered my bedtime stories to you when you were in an egg!" Wisemon beamed happily before Dewloren's eyes glowed and he shook his head.

_'Did...Did something just happen?'_ Dewloren thought as the lights came back on with ROB heading over the Hands.

"Eh? What's this?" Crazy Hand pondered, "I'm trapped in the old well? Hang on, me!"

_"What did he say?" _Palkia asked.

"He said 'I'm sorry, a small glitch happened in the light systems when I used the plan. Lucky that it only happened in the stands,'" Rokusho Zero noted.

* * *

"...Hey. Where'd Bro go?" Hub asked, everyone noticing Ryuu was nowhere to be seen.

**"Oh, yes. I forgot that Arceus-sama asked him to handle something today,"** Urataros noted.

"But he promised he wouldn't miss her fight," Sonic X frowned.

**"The guy's not missing anything,"** Momotaros frowned, **"Look!"**

L

Ryuu crossed Oathkeeper and Oblivion and fired a blast of Blot into Kage's mouth. The shadow let out a spasm before doubling in size. He waved his arm and fired a blast of Blot onto the ground nearby. It bubbled before turning into a small Blot-made creature. It had mouse ears, four limbs, big yellow eyes, and a big mouth. It blabbered before running off. Ryuu sighed as he looked at the TV Wisemon had given him that would follow Meiru and Cyber. He just had to do this for Pikapika Arceus-sama.

Nearby, Meiru walked along a path. As she looked about, a tear fell. This place was in such poor condition. Is this what Ryuu had seen the time he spent down here in the Wastelands? A newspaper blew by, letting Meiru catch it. The front had a picture of Pete, patting Mickey and Ryuu's backs. The headline read 'Mickey and Lan did it again!' Meiru just read it and noted that it was involving the two, along with GizmoDuck, bringing Oswald back from MickeyJunk Mountain.

"Meiru," a voice said, making the girl scream and slam her fist into the lampost, bending it, "Ah! Meiru-sama, it's us!"

"Oh. Gomen nassai, Geo-san," Mieru bowed.

_"Where's Roll?"_ WarRock asked.

"We got separated in the light," Meiru replied as she looked about, "...It's saddening..."

"Yeah," Geo nodded, "And Ryuu stayed here for a while, too."

It was then a nearby trashcan fell over. The Blot-made creature jumped out of it with five others, all shouting gibberish.

"Spatters!" Geo gasped as he began to fire his buster.

"Potwana! Potwana!" the head Spatter shouted before five others pulled out a fire hose and blasted the two away.

"I...was not expecting that..." Geo grunted as he and Meiru got up.

"And us without any brushes..." Meiru muttered before her hand brushed against something and Kaito put his hand on her shoulder.

"Seems you found me," Kaito noted.

"Oh. You're that new Assist? Daiki Kaito, hai?"

"Got it in one," Kaito smirked before spotting the charging Spatters, "This will be easy."

He reached into his jacket and pulled out an old paintbrush, the tip dripping with Thinner and Paint. He aimed it and a blast of Thinner hit them. The Spatters screamed as they all melted into puddles. He gave it to Meiru while tossing a second one to Geo.

"You better keep those on hand," Kaito noted as he took out his gun and card, sliding the card into his weapon.

**=KAMEN RIDE:=**

"Henshin!" Kaito declared as he aimed it above him and pulled the trigger.

**=DIEND!=**

Three energy bodies, one red, one blue, and one green, appeared and moved about before converging on the man. The figure before them was not that of a human anymore, but that of a Kamen Rider. His jumpsuit was primarily black with cyan on the outside of the legs and body while on the inside of the arms. He had gold bands on his wrists and black ones on his ankles. His torso and shoulders were covered by what resembled a black grating or even slides in a photo reel. His helmet was blue with 10 blue and 2 black 'slides' for the eyes. His mouth was covered by a silver guard. On his belt was a black rectangle with his symbol on it.

* * *

"Another Kamen Rider?" Will blinked as Momotaros screamed.

**"You! I didn't recognize you at first, but now I do! You're the treasure-loving thief Rider! The one who tried to turn me into a DenLiner!"**

"Thief Rider?" Haruka repeated with a gasp.

**"What is that?-! You should have remembered that sooner!"** Urataros complained.

**"If I recall, his name is…Daiyokushin (Great Greed)!"** Momotaros shouted.

"Daiki Kaito," Kyohaku corrected.

* * *

Yusuke rubbed his sore left cheek as Tsukasa just snickered. The two followed behind a fuming Cyber as they walked along a somewhat bright little cul-de-sac. Aside from the poor condition of two of the homes (one being a wire frame of itself), the destroyed fountain, and the sunken boat, it looked rather nice.

"I said I was sorry," Yusuke apologized.

"Don't care, hentai," Cyber fumed.

"But it was an accident!" Yusuke argued, recalling that he accidentally groped the NetNavi/Reincarnated-HedgeFox-before-them's breasts when his Trophy Form fell on her and Tsukasa. Nearby, Ryuu and Kage watched. Ryuu nodded before adding more Blot to Kage, letting him form a large beast of a Blotling. It was taller than an adult male human, roughly Toriko's size times 1.5, and made of Blot. Its grubby hands all had four claws along with its feet. It had three spikes going down the back of its head and it had a massive fanged jaw.

"Slobber, sic," Ryuu ordered as he pointed at the three.

The Slobber nodded before letting out a roar. It jumped down and landed before the three.

"Henshin!"

**=KAMEN RIDE: DECADE!=**

Kuuga and Decade quickly kicked the Blotling away from Cyber before she fired a Roll Blast at it. Kuuga screamed as the Slobber's claws raked his torso armor, melting it a bit.

"Cho Henshin!" Kuuga shouted as he turned into Kuuga Ultimate.

"Oni for Kaijin. Henshin!"

**=KAMEN RIDE: HIBIKI!=**

-And Decade turns into Hibiki once more!- Bae commentated -Oh! I can't believe Arceus let this go through! Not only do they have to survive each other, but they also have to survive the Blotlings that Ryuu and Kage create!-

* * *

"You asked her to do it, didn't you?" Dewloren asked.

"A spellcaster never reveals his secrets," Yen-Sid replied.

* * *

Chu gulped as she stayed close to a wall. The musty old library may have been refurbished thanks to Ryuu and Mickey-though she was unaware of that-, but it was still creepy as hell. A cartoon ghost flew out of a wall and grabbed a book nearby, startling Chu. The ghost turned to Chu.

"Yo," the ghost greeted.

"Ahhhhhhh!-!-!-!" Chu screamed before she ran off in a Volt Tackle.

"My-my, how rude?"

"Geoffrey, who was that?"

"Oh, it was just a cute little innocent Pikachu, sweety. Looks like she's gone and got herself lost in here."

"Whoa-no~!"

"I know~"

Chu screamed up ahead as she tripped and went through a Projector Screen.

-...Why were those ghosts there?- Bae commentated.

-Because I thought they were funny- Palkia replied.

-I'll say!- Crazy Hand laughed.

-Back in the Gods Booth!- Bae barked.

-Oh come on!- Crazy Hand whined.

* * *

"That thing was a devil..." Kuuga panted as the Slobber dissolved in the Thinner River.

"It was called a Slobber," Cyber noted, "My husband told me about this place from what he was told by Kage."

"Ih?" Kage poked his head out of a trashcan before Ryuu pulled him back down into it.

"Did someone just say something?" Kuuga asked as he looked about.

"We should get going," Decade noted, "We don't want to fight another of those Slobbers."

As the three walked off, Ryuu peeked out of the trash can. He got out of it with Kage following as a Periguine Falcon, landing on his shoulder. The two went off into another Projector Screen. Ryuu looked about before paling. He was in the one Projector Screen he never wanted to see again. He turned to see the large steamroller driven by two orphan mouse children. Ryuu and Kage hugged each other and screamed as the steamroller headed for them.

* * *

"This isn't his day, is it?" Mantis chuckled as he watched Ryuu and his shadow fleeing from the machine.

"Why would anyone let two children operate a steamroller?-!" Tigress demanded before everyone turned to see Mickey whistling innocently as Donald was entering a frenzy of squawks and quacks.

"I have no comment on that..." Sora sweatdropped.

* * *

"There!" Geo called as he jumped up to a lightpost and activated DaiRyuuseiKnight's Trophy.

"The Knight of the Balance...DaiRyuuseiKnight!" the black, white, gold, and silver knight declared as he landed before the group.

"This is something interesting," Diend noted.

"Okay, so that makes four Assists," Meiru noted as she looked at Diend, DaiRyuuseiKnight, and Ronan, "...Snake-san is doing recon?"

"Yep. He'll send us a flare if he spots the others. Red for Cyber and yellow for Chu," WarRock replied when Snake poked his head out of a window of Mickey's 'house' and looked about before he jumped out and landed near the others, tumbling a bit on the landing.

"Your boyfriend's been here," Snake informed as he held up a single piece of brown hair.

"Ryuu-kun?" Meiru blinked.

"But why is he here?" Ronan asked.

"It must be because he has experience here that none of us do," Snake noted before pressing two fingers to his left ear, "Colonel, I need all information you have involving the Cartoon Wastelands."

* * *

Ryuu and Kage panted as they laid on a TV, playing Steamboat Willie. They hated that Projector Screen more than anything else. Ryuu was going to bop Mickey on the noggin for making that cartoon and forgetting about it. That he swore. It was then Ryuu was knocked off by a yellow, screaming blur.

"Chu-chan?" Ryuu blinked.

"G-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-ghosts..." Chu whimpered before realizing who she was hugging in fear, "Ryuu? What are you doing here?"

"Uh..." Ryuu began before blasting Kage with Blot, making five Splatters and an eyeball on two legs, "Spatters and Seer! Sic!"

"Oh come on!" Chu screamed as she ran off while the Spatters and eyeball with legs chased her.

"Phew..."

=That was a close call for him= Bae commentated.

* * *

Nearly everyone in the stands facepalmed at that. Rokusho Zero chuckled to himself, seeing humor in it, as Onii-San's laugh hid it from Dewloren's ears. The tiger man shook his head in disappointment.

"He's crazy," Max chuckled.

"Nissan silly," Kyohaku giggled.

"Tricky, Bro, very tricky," Hub chuckled.

* * *

Chu panted as she stumbled into Oswald's base on the top of the mountain. She had finally lost those Blotlings. She slowly climbed up the stairs and plopped herself on his throne. She was exhausted. She admitted to it. Ever since she evolved, she hadn't been training as much. After the battle, whether she won or not, she'd put more time into training herself. She looked to her left to see a Temporal Trophy. Giving a grin, she held onto it and feel asleep, unaware of a black energy emanating from the Temporal Trophy.

* * *

"I can't believe how much junk there is here!" WarRock exclaimed.

"At least we managed to regroup," Kuuga noted, earning nods from Meiru and Cyber.

"This must be MickeyJunk Mountain," Meiru noted, "Kage-kun told me about this place. Chu-chan might be up near the summit, hiding in Oswald's place."

"There's also that...uh...Cracker Jack's place?" WarRock tried to recall.

"QuakerJack!" Kage barked nearby before Ryuu pulled him back into the gutted Telephone Mickey's foot, covering the entrance with Pain.

"Who said that?" Decade pondered as they looked about.

"This place is weird," Geo noted.

* * *

"This place is weird," Po stated.

"You can blame me for that," Mickey sighed, "It's because I was curious and mischievous and it caused what you see before you."

"Gawrsh. That sounds bad," Goofy noted.

"It was..." Mickey sighed as the screens began to show the group had found Chu and Meiru had just given Cyber a Program Advance.

* * *

"LifeSword!" Cyber shouted.  
"Eep! Temporal Assist!" Chu shouted as she clutched the Trophy, causing a pillar of shadows and smoke to erupt from it.  
The shadows and ebony smoke spread about, covering the entire area. Slowly, massive pillars made of a strange stone and glass, each filled with a glowing sickly-green liquid, rose from the ground. All the while, dark, malicious laughter echoed in the air. A figure stood before Cyber, Meiru, Geo, and WarRock, his back facing the Kamen Riders. It was Ryuu, but his body covered in black and tainted-scarlet robes. In his left hand was a large staff ending with a silver blade and a silver hammer. His eyes were a solid red, glowing with malice. He was also a decent three feet taller than Ryuu. His mere presence was causing nearly all to pass out. The darkness...the pure _malice_ of it. It...It was actually suffocating not just the ones in the arena, but everyone in the stands as well.

* * *

"This is bad..." Shafu noted.

"Is that...Ryuu?" Ran gasped.  
"Iie! Zowanzowan..." Jan gulped.  
"Scary..." Gai gulped as he hugged Luka, only to be pushed off by her and on his back on the floor.  
"This feels like when we fought you," Monkey noted as he looked at Tai Lung.  
"This is actually worse than that," Tai Lung gulped, his body shaking in his armor.

* * *

"Holy...W-Who is that?" Onii-San gulped.

"Is it not Ryuu?" Rokusho Zero asked.

"I got a bad feeling about this..." Dewloren muttered, "This seems oddly familiar... but why?"

"Maybe it was due to you making that little incident a few years back?" Yensid reminded before Rokusho Zero paled.

"M-m-m-m-m-m-m..." Rokusho Zero stammered.  
"What's wrong?" Nazo asked.

* * *

'Ryuu' looked up at Dewloren. His eyes seemed to be avoiding all others and even everything but Dewloren's soul.

"Well, well. Hello, Dewloren," 'Ryuu' greeted, his dark voice sending a wave of near-death shivers through everyone, "I thought I already consumed you as thanks for releasing me."

* * *

"C-c-c-c-c-c..." Rokusho Zero choked out before pointing at Dewloren, "G-g-g-g-g-g-g..."

"Rhoast!" Nazo yelped as he jumped into Rokusho Zero's arms, both staring at Dewloren in fear.

"And you are... who, exactly?" Dewloren said, deadpan, Rokusho Zero and Nazo were shocked how Dewloren showed virtually no emotion.

* * *

"Heh. Seems he has not awoken me yet," 'Adult Ryuu' chuckled before spotting Meiru, "Ah...One of the Death Arcana."

"R-Ryuu?" Cyber pondered.  
"No...You're not Ryuu-kun!" Meiru scowled, causing 'Adult Ryuu' to laugh.  
"Ah...How smart. Seems your bond with him allows you to spot him with ease," 'Adult Ryuu' noted as he fingered a necklace, depicting a strange mask, before looking at Chu, "This allows me to stay here, correct?"  
"Um...Yes?" Chu gulped.

"Good."

With that, 'Adult Ryuu' tossed the necklace off. It was about to hit the ground when a tendril of smoke, taking on the shape of a glowing red claw shot out of 'Adult Ryuu's' outstretched hand. It snatched the necklace before shooting into 'Adult Ryuu.'  
=Th...Those of you still awake...What you just say was something that should not have been possible. He has absorbed the Medallion that allows a Temporal Assist to stay with us in the present= Bae gulped over the speakers.

* * *

"I-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i..." Rokusho Zero whimpered before jumping into Onii-San's arms, shaking like he stood during a 10 on the Richter Scale earthquake.

"What is with you?" Onii-San demanded as he tried to drop the MedaBot, only for him to stay attached.  
"Hmm...Dewloren, I have not seen your apprentice act akin to this since you made..." Yensid began to recall.

Yensid never finished that statement as a blade's tip was at the elder's throat level from Dewloren's outstretched sword, an expression on his face so dark, the blackest abyss could've been jealous.

"For a 'master magician', you certainly make novice mistakes. My past is off limits to each and every one of you. _Got it_?"

"As my master once said; 'There are no mistakes,'" Yensid replied as his left pinky twitched, causing Dewloren's sword to shoot out of his hand and enter its sheath, "Now pay attention. What you see before you is something that you will eventually cause, should you try and unequalize young Ryuu."

"T-t-t-t-t-t-t..." Rokusho Zero stammered.

"Putting words in other people's mouths is unlike you, Yen Sid; I never said anything of the sort, yet it had once crossed my mind. You _know_ what happens to someone who attempts screwing around with forbidden Mind magic in effect; trust me - dying isn't on my 'to do' list, old man. Hence, reversing my little gift for the draconic dunce isn't exactly a priority of mine. So cool your jets before that beard of yours overheats.", Dewloren seethed coyly, clearly not in a good mood.

It was common knowledge to the Spiral and Mind Races' higher ups that Dewloren and Yen Sid were not exactly eye-to-eye on many things. Wisemon shuddered at the mere thought of the damage the two could pull off if they fought.

"Actually, he is a bit more than just dragon, Dewloren," Yensid frowned, "In truth, you could consider him kin."

"Ha!" Onii-San smirked before his sight was lost, "RZ...Get your body off my face!"  
"What is with him?" Nazo, sitting beside Dewloren and away from the two Stooges.  
"T-t-t-t-t-t..."

"Rokusho Zero, for the love of God, collect yourself; you're setting a bad example.", Dewloren sighed.

"You want me to calm down when we are seeing something that makes Nyx herself look like a mere amoeba in terms of fright?" Rokusho Zero suddenly snapped, startling all but Yensid, "You know NOT who that is nor WHAT that is! Master, for the love of the Truth, open that damned mind you have kept closed away from all but Mind Energy!"  
"Do you?" Nazo asked.  
"I should! He is why I am this! He is why I awake each night, screaming bloody murder upon the top of every hour! He is what you do not understand! What all of you cannot comprehend!" Rokusho Zero continued, "He is the one who ended my life of two ago and just one ago!"

In not even the blink of an eye, Dewloren slapped Rokusho Zero across the cheek, much to everyone's shock.

"Have I taught you nothing, Rokusho Zero?" Dewloren asked, his voice sounding frozen over, the human Byakko in a half-kimono and bandages clearly not happy with Rokusho Zero's outburst. "To lose one's composure can mean certain death at a time like this. It matters not if one is a Spiral or Mind denizen; to lose sight of one's ego and state of mind for even an instant can make or break all the difference in the world. I know full well of your episodic problem, but to not face your fears head on will slowly come back to haunt you in the end."

"Master..." Rokusho Zero gasped, his fingers tracing along the ever-so-slight dent on his mouth guard, knowing full well that Dewloren intentionally struck the Medabot with a 'love tap' compared to his renowned strength.

Dewloren sighed again. "I know you're all hiding something from me; there's no point in hiding how that... 'thing'... is connected to Lan Xavier Hikari..."

"Ryuu Hikari," everyone corrected as one.

"...So I'll ask you only once: is that thing or is that thing not his Shadow? If it is, we got a serious problem brewing."

"Why's that?", asked Wisemon, making Dewloren looked sternly at the man, as if silently chiding him for his ignorance, before Wisemon's eyes widened, "A Shadow is a person's innermost feelings being rejected and gone berserk... don't tell me that Ryuu's Shadow is...!"

Dewloren grimaced. "This sucks on ice," he growled, a hint of a tiger's vocal grumble in his voice.

* * *

"Teridax!-!-!" DaiRyuuseiKnight roared, startling the others.

"He never shouts," WarRock gawked.

"Who's Teridax?" Decade asked.

"The one who killed Ryuu Hikari and absorbed the lives and powers of seventy-five percent of the Mind Zones and the Spiral Zones just minutes before the Nevermore happened," DaiRyuuseiKnight growled.

"Well, well, well...If it isn't you, Nevermore-Albarn," 'Ryuu' chuckled.

"Nevermore-Albarn?" Meiru repeated.

"He never told you?" Teridax chuckled, "He's..."

"Enough!" DaiRyuuseiKnight growled as he bared his ZekromLaserSword at him, "Teridax, Kami has erred in your creation. Makuta...Return that life to God!"

With that, DaiRyuuseiKnight charged at Teridax. Teridax smirked as he jumped over the slash before turning into a black shadow. It flew around Meiru before going over to Chu before hanging back to Teridax. Teridax held up a pink pokeball with a heart on the pink half.

"Return," Teridax scowled as he returned Chu into the ball.

-Oh...This is terrible! Though Chu is in her Pokeball, the rules state that in the event that a Pokemon that is a Smasher in put into a Pokeball but not removed from the Stage, that Pokemon still counts as a participant- Bae informed.

"Son of a..." WarRock, Decade, and Diend began before Teridax swung his arm and vanished in an eruption of black flames.

"Master..." Dewloren looked down at Rokusho Zero, a deep glare in the 'eyes' of the Medabot, "If I was truly letting my emotions be in control, I would have killed you the moment I met you."  
_'Yikes...That will not end well,'_ Onii-San thought before Dewloren grunted in pain.  
"Strike me again upon this day, Dewloren Nevermore, and I will use my Bankai upon you," Rokusho Zero threatened, his voice an eerie calm and neutral tone while the 'face' of his Head Part was giving a gentle glow, "Now _sit down until this is over, Dewloren Nevermore_!"  
Dewloren grunted as he struggled to stay standing. It was barely a half-second later that he was sitting down.  
"I care not for what you have to say today," Rokusho Zero continued, "I care nothing else but for that beast to be gone from us all."  
"What do you mean? What is wrong with him?" Onii-San asked.  
"Did you not hear what the knight shouted in rage earlier? He is...the Makuta," Rokusho Zero replied as Dewloren was unable to break out of his sitting.  
"I must say, I am impressed," Yensid admitted, making Dewloren and Onii-San to look at the old wizard in shock.  
"You're never impressed!" Onii-San exclaimed.  
"It's only happened twice. Now and when my first project was fixed by a half-breed, a mouse, and a lucky rabbit," Yensid replied, "I know not where you truly are from, but I accept your defending of young Kage."  
"I thank you, Yensid," Rokusho Zero bowed before walking away, "I cannot stay near you at the moment, Master. For what you have just said about Kage is blasphemy. He is not Ryuu's darkness, but a life Ryuu gave his powers up to save."  
"How far must you leave before your command wears off?"  
"Are we in a Pocket Zone?"  
"No," Master Hand replied.  
"Then about two miles," Rokusho Zero replied.  
"Rokusho! Get back here!" Dewloren growled.  
"It is Rokusho _Zero!"_ the Medabot replied before leaving.  
"...Is he playing with us?" Nazo asked.  
"If I was, I would have gave him a light tap again," Dewloren scowled.  
"It shows that, at times, _you_ are the fool," Yensid smirked.  
Onii-San and Nazo just watched as Dewloren glared at the calm, expressionless wizard. The majority thought for them, minus Dewloren and Yensid, was simple: what is the Makuta and why did it look like Ryuu? With Rokusho Zero, he gave a shudder as he walked away from a pile of dust, originally a wall of Smash Manor.  
"Mata Nui...Bahamut...Truth...Why did you do this to me? Why did you have to curse me so?" Rokusho Zero sniffled as he stared at a mirror nearby, a taller image standing in it for an instant before going back to his own reflection.

* * *

The next thing Yensid knew was a swift punch made of Mind Energy to his gut. Dewloren's expression seethed his boiling rage, his ice-blue eyes were that of an enraged tiger, ready to tear all who stand it its way to ribbons. Keeling over, Yensid mentally cursed himself for forgetting that although Dewloren was renowned in the Mind Realm for his calm demeanor and cool attitude, his unbridled fury and monstrous martial arts strength was legendary. Clutching his gut, he chuckled darkly to himself.

"As always, my boy, your punches, which can shatter a Zone's boundaries in a heartbeat, are as strong as ever. Had you gone full force, I would most certainly be dead, without a doubt," Yen-Sid coughed.

Dewloren's face was still dark-looking, the eyes lamp-shaded by his bangs, his scowl enough to make Wisemon's and Arceus's blood run cold.

"…I can live with how DaiRyuuseiDan rolls. I can deal with how Anon over there committed high treason against the forces of nature. I can deal with the Zone Cops and Zone Watchers's inadequacy at doing their job or how Mana is slowly gaining the upper hand. I can even deal with DaiRyuuseiDan's collective _bullshit_. But when you question all that I done for your sorry ingrates – even my own allies, pupils, co-workers or otherwise -…it doesn't matter if you're immortal. _I will destroy you so thoroughly, you'll think Hell is paradise! DO YOU HEAR ME, YOU ARROGANT, UNGRATEFUL SACKS OF MICROBIAL SHIT?"_ Dewloren bellowed so loudly, it echoed across the stadium.

* * *

"…What was that…?" Po asked, almost afraid to find out the source of that ungodly roared.

"No clue," Max replied, somehow not even shaking from the power leaking out of Teridax being in the Stage.

"I believe it was a scream from some misguided figure here," Shafu replied.

"Most likely one to believe that Mind Energy is unbeatable," Bat Li rolled his eyes.

"Most likely not," Shafu frowned, "You know that you lost to Yensid twenty times...in an hour."

"Eh?" Jan blinked.

"We are not at our master's level, Bat Li, nor are those of Mind Energy right or wrong. What we do with the energies we have is what matters. Is that not true, Shifu?" Shafu asked, earning a nod from Shifu.

"But of course," Shifu agreed.

* * *

"That had to hurt," Onii-San noted, earning a look from Yen-Sid.

"Yes, but this will hurt much more," Yen-Sin replied.

He snapped his thumb and pinkie. A bronze washing pan landed on Dewloren's head. Dewloren hissed a bit as blood trickled down the right half of his face.

"Never seen him bleed from that before," Onii-San noted.

"I enriched it with a bit of Spiral Energy on the bottom, made a bit of a drill to it. The rest is the purest form of Mind Energy," Yen-Sid replied, "You know that overexposure to Spiral Energy is detrimental to him."

"I hate you so very much..." Dewloren muttered.

* * *

The figure on the stadium floor smirked, glancing toward the direction of Dewloren's scream from the window of the attic. He rolled the minimized Pokeball in his left hand.

"Looks like _someone's_ pushed _him_ off the deep end. Perfect," Teridax smirked before looking at the Thinner in the room, twelve smaller versions of the pillars outside around it, "The Earth shudders, my Brother. The Spiral Nemesis has begun to dissipate. Again, the Prophecies of Bahamut and the Matoran oppose my will. Must I release those who must never see the light of day?"

With that, Teridax raised a hand. The tips began to glow a tainted red before he jabbed it into his chest, directly over his heart.

* * *

"What is he doing?" Onii-San paled.

"No...he couldn't be splitting his soul, could he?" Dewloren gasped softly before the screens showed him stab another hand beside the first.

"No," Yen-Sid, Nazo, and Onii-San turned to see Rokusho Zero walk up, his head still glowing, "What you see before you is something that makes everything you believe in along with all the Familiars _and_ the Arcana_ and_ Nyx herself all rolled up into one seem akin to a molecule of wind striking the entirety of Existence and Non-Existence as they go into a combined supernova, Master."

"That's impossible," Dewloren stated.

"I defeated you with something not of Mind Energy when you wished to test me the first time we met, Master," Rokusho Zero 'smirked' at the tiger-esq master of his before a red energy barrier appeared over him alone, bouncing off multiple Mind Energy fists sent at him, "You forget that even your Bankai could not breach this barrier."

Onii-San let out a long whistle at that. Yen-Sid had told him about Dewloren's Bankai. It's release killed all around him, frozen down to their soul. If that barrier could withstand that, then what kind of energy was Rokusho Zero using before learning Mind Energy.

"Now pay attention to the power that makes Mind Energy pathetic; Core Energy," Rokusho Zero ordered, keeping his barrier up.

* * *

Teridax pulled his hands out of his chest. Squirming within his grasps were two snake-like creatures. They let loose a roar, their jaws splitting in two as their tongues flailed.

"I must preserve my Brother's end..." Teridax spoke as he put them down before repeating the process five more times, "Their Unity can be Poisoned. Their Duty will be Broken. Their Destiny I must Shatter."

The twelve 'serpents' slithered on their insect-like limbs into the Thinner. The Thinner pulsed before it transformed into a glowing white liquid. The twelve slithered into the pillars surrounding it. The creatures hissed and screeched as their bodies began to mutate. All twelve had the same structure. the heads and bodies of their forms were primarily robotic with bits of organic visible. Their robotic limbs were long with five claws replacing the fingers and thumbs of their human-like robotic hands. Each one slowly ripped out of the pillars, their heads opening up in three directions to reveal the heads of the serpent-like creatures, screeching in a deeper tone.

"Go, my sons, use the shadows, and keep my Brother...asleep," Teridax ordered.

* * *

=Ryuu, it's Arceus=

"Zowanzowan..." Ryuu whimpered into the necklace resembling a Blue eyes White Dragon on his neck.

=I know, Ryuu, I know. Access Granted. I repeat; Access Granted=

"Yosha!" Ryuu cheered, "Ikuze, Kage!"

"Ih!" Ryuu's shadow nodded before he turned into a pair of dragon wings attached to Ryuu's back before he flew down to the group and hugged Meriu.

"Ryuu-kun!" Meiru gasped as she hugged the half-dragon.

"Glad to see it's actually you," Geo noted before looking at DaiRyuuseiKnight, slamming a fist into the wall of the Ice Cream Parlor, "Why did that happen to Ryuu, DaiRyuuseiKnight?"

=I wasn't born when it happened= Dai noted from the RuuseiCellular =Moments after Nyx was unleashed and Spiral Nemesis happened, something took control of Uncle Ryuu, devouring his soul. It was a being known as 'Teridax.' In just one fell swoop, it devoured Dewloren Nevermore, all the Super Sentai and Kamen Riders, and nearly everyone in the fight against the Absolute Hunters and Nyx. He even absorbed all but Mana Albarn since the bastard escaped before it could happen to him=

"I made it my mission to kill him," DaiRyuuseiKnight continued, "Dai included herself once she learned of it. We need to find him before he unleashed the Visorak and Rahkshi."

"The what now?" Yusuke gulped.

"Creatures of darkness. The Visorak will, once they ensnare you within their webs, inject you with a strange creation resulting in a freakish transformation into...into something else," DaiRyuuseiKnight explained, "The Rahkshi are his sons, created from his essence with over 42 powers, one each."

"Well that'll be easy," Tsukasa smirked.

"But Teridax has all their powers and the ones he's absorbed, such as your powers, Kamen Riders," DaiRyuuseiKnight continued, making Yusuke and Gai gulp, "Currently, he has almost no equal."

"I'm terrified right now," Cyber admitted, "It feels like that day my old life ended. I feel as if someone is going to die today."

"There will be a chance," DaiRyuuseiKnight agreed.

"We're supposed to say the opposite of that," Kaito noted.

"I'm not going to lie. Who we face knows all we know and more," DaiRyuuseiKnight stated, "Do you know why I was able to fight off those members of the Absolute Hunters? It's because I took what I was taught to heart."

=Seconded= Dai added =He uses all the energies in the world, blended perfectly to defend the weakness of another energy and amplify the strength of the one with a weakness=

"...What?" Ryuu tilted his head with Kage.

=...Wow. Uncle Ryuu, you're an idiot=

"Oi!"

"Enough. They're here," DaiRyuuseiKnight scowled beneath his mask as he turned to a green mist seeping into the area.

Thunder rumbled across the area and the skies darkened with clouds.

* * *

"Do you think they'll remember what we taught them?" Monkey whispered as he pointed at Meiru and Cyber on the screen.

"Mostly likely, they will," Tigress replied

"And if not?" Viper pondered.

"They still got the BattleChips, DoubleSoul, Chaos Energy, Caliwave..." Tai Lung counted.

"We get it," the Furious Five stated in unison as Sonic X kept muttering prayers under his breath for his wife's protection.

"You pray any harder and I think Arceus will be getting annoyed," Po chuckled.

"I'm praying to Chaos to keep her safe, not Arceus," Sonic X frowned before resuming his prayers.

* * *

"What are we fighting?" Caliwave gulped as Cyber and Meiru engaged Full Synchro.

"Kage, sharpen," Ryuu spoke.

"Ih!" Kage saluted before covered Oathkeeper and Oblivion with himself, sharpening them.

From the mist, the sounds of stones breaking echoed. A single member of the twelve approached them. Its armor was a bronzed-brown color with bits of rust visible. The spines on its back were curved a bit and sharp. Its staff's ends had silver tridents with the tips flatted into chisel-like shapes. As it took each step, the ground below it began to crack and break up.

* * *

"Rahkshi Panrahk," Julie gulped as she paled a bit.

"Julie..." Max began.

"Dad...You were killed by this one a day before Dai-chan and I went back to this time," Julie admitted, shaking a bit, making Max's eyes widen.

_'Just what are these things?'_ Max pondered.

* * *

Panrahk's face split open and let out a screech. The Rahkshi raised its staff into the air before ramming it into the ground. The ground rumbled as energy began to course into the staff.

"Move!= DaiRyuuseiKnight and Dai screamed.

The tip of the staff erupted with the energy before it shot into the air and through the clouds. The group barely jumped/ran out of the way as the energy shot down in a bolt of white lightning. Those not used to a Rahkshi looked over at where they were and Gai and Yusuke nearly fainted. The spot they were once on had been completely destroyed, showing the Thinner Pumps below Mean Street. DaiRyuuseiKnight turned to Panrahk and open fired with his ReshiramLaser. The Rahkshi nimbly jumped and dodged around the shots when the knight slammed his hands onto the ground. It began to spark with bronze energy before a stone fist rammed into the Panrahk's face.

"Ground Ultima mixed with Spiral Ultima and Mind Ultima," DaiRyuuseiKnight explained, "Hurry!"

"Henshin!"

**=KAMEN RIDE: DECADE/DIEND=**

"Greymon! Protoman, Shinka! MailBirdramon! Deckerdramon! DigiXros!"

"DigiXros!"

"DeckerGreymon!"

"GokaiChange!"

**=GOOOOKAIGER!=**

Three silver symbols, resembling 'X,' 'V,' and an anchor shot out of his GokaiCellular. They came back down in that order, changing him into a silver version of the Gokaiger outfit with the pirate captain-themed helmet replaced with a black bandana-wearing buccaneer-themed helmet with an orange visor. In his left hand was a black spear with a gold and cyan trident.

"Gooookai...Silver!" the Sentai declared with a pose.

GokaiSilver changed his weapon into its Blaster Mode and open fired with Diend, nailing the dazed Rahkshi in the face. The Rahkshi roared at them before it blocked the sword swipe of Cyber in MetaKnight-Soul. Cyber and Meiru scowled before blurring once more. The Rahkshi swiped before being punched by Kuuga in mid-swing.

"Nailed him!" Cyber smirked as Caliwave cut through its spines.

Panrahk screamed in pain before jumping away from them. It stomped the ground before letting out a higher screech. The mist erupted as a green Rahkshi and a red Rahkshi flew into the area , the bottoms of their outstretched feet pressed together. They separated their feet and landed on their feet. The staff of the red Rahkshi was shaped like a cone with a silver 'flame' emerging from the ends. The ends of the green Rahkshi's staff were shaped like three green spikes.

"More of them?" Meiru groaned.

"The green Rahkshi is Lerahk, the Poison Rahkshi. Don't let its staff graze you. You'll become a berserker and attack only your allies," DaiRyuuseiKnight ordered before Ryuu began to whimper as he looked at the red Rahkshi, "That is the Rahkshi of Fear, Turahk. Its staff causes fear ranging from just a slight shiver to sheer pantophobia."

"Huh...Reminds me of Tantor," Ryuu recalled.

"Well let's kick their asses," WarRock smirked.

DeckerGreymon roared as he unleashed a barrage of lasers from his body at the Rahkshi. The trio began to jump out of each attack's path with ease. Turahk's staff began to glow before he fired a red energy at DeckerGreymon and Chaud. The two began to scream as they collapsed, shaking in pure terror.

"We're going to need some help, then," Diend frowned, "Maybe those who love fear?"

**=KAMEN RIDE: CHALICE=**

**=KAMEN RIDE: OUJA=**

Before him stood two Riders. The one to his left was a solid black with silver details. On his torso and his mask were red hearts. His belt, silver with a red heart, had a scanner going down the middle. The Rider on his right was in a black jumpsuit. The silver and purple armor over it resembled that of a cobra with his face covered by a silver grill-like mask. In his left hand was a silver staff ending with a purple cobra. A nearby mirror rippled before a purple and gray cobra twice the purple Rider's size slithered out of it. Its scales were made of purple and black metal while it had gold spikes on the flat, wide part of its body connecting to the head. Diend snapped his free hand's fingers and the two Riders and serpent charged at the Rahkshi of Fear. Panrahk roared as he swung at Cyber before she flew over it. Decade quickly pulled out a card and put it into his DecaDriver.

**=FINAL ATTACK RIDE: D-D-D-DECADE=**

Ten cards displaying the gold image of Decade's symbol formed before him and Rashkshi. Decade pulled out his RideBooker and converted it into Gun Mode. Dcade pulled the trigger and fired a concentrated beam at Panrahk. As it went through the cards, the intensity and power of the beam increased. Just before it emerged from the final card, a black Rahkshi landed and took the blast. Decade's eyes widened as his finisher was absorbed by the staff and body of the techno-organic beast. The staff's ends resembled the pincers of a wrench. As it absorbed the energy, it suddenly began to play its staff like a guitar.

* * *

"Vorahk, Rahkshi of Hunger," Julie frowned, "The worst kind to face is you use energy-based attacks. It absorbs energy either from a distance or close contract, growing stronger as it does."

"Anyone beat it before?"

"Only be caging it and then shooting it in the head with a gun," Julie replied, "Though...No one now why it can use its staff as a guitar when its stealing energy."

* * *

"Huh...I wonder if we could make some of those...Vorahk?" Onii-San pondered.

"That is what she said," Nazo confirmed before Rokusho Zero leveled a glare with Onii-San.

"You do that and I'll make you castrate yourself," Rokusho Zero threatened, "At best, you'd only get the body. The true power lies within the Kraata inside. And from the looks of it, its at Level 6."

"There are levels to that thing?" Nazo asked.

"Seven, with the seventh being extremely rare. It turns their bodies a deep purple and lets them mutate you into...something else," Rokusho Zero explained before shuddering, "It's why I look like this. Never let a Kraata become a Shadow Leech. Never let the Kraata turned Shadow Leech."

* * *

Vorahk finished his playing at the exact moment the finisher was completely absorbed. The Rahkshi let out a hissing chuckle before jumping over the swipe Cyber sent at it. DaiRyuuseiKnight blurred before the four Rahkshi were knocked into the buildings. Lerahk roared as it lunged at the knight.

"Why did that Temporal Assist Trophy bring you here, cursed Rahkshi?" DaiRyuuseiKnight scowled as he engaged his ZekromLaserSword, "Spacial-Temporal Slash!"

Lerahk screeched as it was struck in the gut and sent backwards. Ryuu was about to charge when his ears twitched.

"Nani?" Ryuu turned slowly behind him to see a swarm of flame-engulfed wasps flying at them, "Ah! Bugs!"

"Bugs?" Meiru pondered as Cyber turned to look at the swarm heading towards them, "Is this..."

"It has no name, but it is the Rahkshi of Insect Control," DaiRyuuseiKnight replied before attaching his EnergyCellular to his ReshiramLaser, "The all engulfing power of the Tao Trio...Blue Flame!"

The 'mouth' on his blaster glowed. The knight pulled the trigger and fired a cross-shaped beam of blue flames. The insects screeched as they were incinerated, leaving an orange Rahkshi where they were, its staff's ends resembling stingers on a bee.

"Ugh...These guys just make me sick," WarRock groaned as Geo jumped back from a swing of Turahk's staff.

"I know, but," Geo began before a staff with the ends resembling bolts of lightning impaled his gut, forcing a bit of blood to emerge from his mouth.

"No!" DaiRyuuseiKnight screamed as he glared at the gold Rahkshi holding the staff Geo was impaled on.

Geo and WarRock screamed in agony as the Rahkshi's staff glowed, releasing a storm cloud that engulfed them. It dispersed and Geo and WarRock's Trophy fell to the floor. DaiRyuuseiKnight began to glow along with Chaud and DeckerGreymon.

"Don't let them get you! Flee now!" DaiRyuuseiKnight roared before turning back into a Trophy.

"Chaos Control!" Cyber shouted before she warped everyone away.

* * *

"Can I at least have control of an arm to slap myself in teh forehead at their stupidity?" Dewloren asked.

"No."

"What do you mean?" Onii-San asked.

"It's almost shameful that pretty much all of these Spirals think that power, numbers, and raw muscle and instinct can best that thing, let alone Mana and his posse. That thing down there has an advantage over them that will be the absolute end of your entire army if they don't get there act together."

"And that is…?" Arceus asked, almost feeling powerless by the fact that she knew deep down, Dewloren had a powerful point; a point that held certain leverage over the Pokemon goddess.

"Unlike your followers over there, strength is the least of Mana's concerns. It's not what strong one is, or how fast, or even how intelligent or talented. It takes the ability to use those attributes to the fullest efficiency and gaining an absolute advantage with what little resources you posses that counts. Tell me if I'm off: A man can be grazed by a thousand arrows and bleed to death, or a man is fatally poisoned by one dart and dies in a matter of seconds. Which is being more efficient?"

Rokusho Zero understood where this was going. He didn't like how his master was closing off all non-Mind based methods, but damn it, Dewloren Nevermore was never one to go on a tangent without making a statement where even those against him knew that Dewloren was absolutely right.

"Naturally…", the Medabot began. "The correct choice would be the poisonous dart. After all, even if the dart misses or fails, it's undeniable that one weapon accomplishing what a thousand could not is merely being wasteful. In other words, you're saying that the members of DaiRyuuseiDan aren't using their skills and sixth sense of insight as well as you wished them to be."

Everyone else looked at Dewloren, who paused, then smiled lightly. "You know me quite well, but you've made one mistake. It's pretty obvious that they're all _quite_creative. Surely they can find ways to combine the creativity of Spiral Energy with the Mind's sharp focus? It would be like making the best confections ever, and perfecting the technique through insight and clear thought. I'd say it's the perfect system against Mana – a drill to pierce the heavens… that foresees all in its path so that it will never miss the target, like a perfected homing missile."

"...Crazy Hand!" Onii-San exclaimed as the Hand disguised as Peter Griffin was drooling a river.

"You lost him at 'confections,'" Master Hand noted.

"...And _he_ is the one that represents Mind Energy of you two?" Dewloren asked.

"Why do you think he's called _Crazy_ Hand?" Master Hand sighed, "The most insane minds actually have the greatest of thoughts. As I recall, an idiot was the one who suggested a wooden horse to be used as a way to sneak attack the enemy within their own fortress."

* * *

"Can someone tell me where we are?" Meiru asked as she looked at the various structures on top of a river of Thinner.

"This is below Oswald's hideout on Mickeyjunk Mountain," Ryuu recalled as he sat on a wall of the castle, "Ortensia made this place before the Thinner Disaster. Kage?"

"Ih!" the shadow nodded before turning into a black and lime-green Suicune.

"Sugoi," Gai awed.

Kage-Suicune let out a cry. He proceeded to jump down to the Thinner River. As he jumped about on the surface, the Thinner began to disperse into water. Kage-Suicune jumped up and landed beside Ryuu before changing back.

"How...How did he do that?" Yusuke gawked as he sat on the replica of Skull Island.

"I have no clue. He just...does it," Ryuu replied as he fived his shadow, "He Nazonazo that way."

"Nazonazo? You mean mysterious, right?" Tsukasa asked before taking a picture of Meiru looking up at the giant model of Wizard Mickey, holding a bottle of Thinner.

"Hai. He's nikiniki nazonazo," Ryuu grinned.

* * *

"Hmm...Master, I think that while you Equalized Ryuu, you did not do so with his shadow," Rokusho Zero noted.

"I'm sorry, do I look like that brat's keeper?" Dewloren scowled, clearly not pleased with Rokusho Zero's criticism.

"Hey! Kage's a good attribute to Ryuu! I say it a good thing you didn't Equalize him!" Master Hand barked.

Dewloren then sported a dull, bored expression; his eyes halfway rolled up to his eyelids.

"The number you have dialed is not in service; please redirect your call to someone who _gives a fuck,_" he ended dryly.

"Huh? ...Bro, I think you dialed the wrong number."

"…" came Onii-San's, Dewloren's, and Rokusho Zero expressions, eyeing each other then looking back at a flabbergast Master Hand looking at his honestly confused brother, '_Is this guy for real…?'_

"Well, Dewwy, you gotta admit; Ryuu not bad at holding his own after your little 'surgery', ah?" came Onii-San, sporting a dumb grin.

"'_Gotta_ admit'? I don't remember any kind of obligation to make me say _that_. Are you making up some bet I lost in your little fantasy world or some shit like that?"

Onii-San merely blinked.

_"That wasn't very kind of you, saying stupid comments like that,"_ said Palkia, who criticized the Mind Sorcerer like a mother to her child. Dialga and Giratina nodded.

"Oh and _I_ suppose that you three using your powers for an _all-out barfight_ disguised as a 'civilized' tournament, instead of doing something more lucrative like_actually_ finding Mana instead of preparing for a _playdate_ with him? What's next? You're gonna invite Akainu over for tea and crumpets? Do Wisemon's thinning hair and litter his scalp with cutesy bows?"

"She already did that when she was five," Wisemon informed.

"_Play house with Nyx_? For fuck's sake you three, show some _damn _initiative, you momma's boys!"

Arceus puffed, _"That wasn't very nice."_

"Oh believe me; I'm an old childhood friend compared to how someone like Mana or Akainu would be like if they ever get the chance to wrap their hands around your neck; they'll show you no mercy. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the fact they're trying to kill an immortal god would just fuel their sadistic pleasure."

"Children; so unrefined these days…" Yensid sighed, hand on his chin, shaking his head.

Dewloren imitated his movements, "Elders; so _pompous_ these days. You can use their hot air to inflate a parade float." The next millisecond, Dewloren eyed Crazy Hand with a death glare as he attempted to head in Yensid's direction, "Don't even think about it; your antics are like nails on a chalkboard to me."

"Even when tied up, you can be quite feisty," Wisemon cracked.

"Tell me; exactly _which_ part of that sentence was_ not_ supposed to make you like an old pervert again? It all sounded like the same lecherous shit to me."

Onii-San laughed out loud, "Wow, Wisemon, you totally walked into that one!"

"Hate to say it, but that _did_ sound kind of creepy…" came Nazo.

Rokusho Zero and Yen Sid agreed, in which Yen Sid sported a disappointed facial expression at the elder Digimon.

"Really now, I expected better of you, old friend. Such a naughty tongue, really. Keep it in your mouth, by the way; best not let the children down there see you past 'PG-13'.

Dewloren and Onii-San burst into hysterical laughter, causing Wisemon to look flustered; a perfect Kodak moment worthy of blackmail. …Provided the one who took the shot can escape Wisemon's wrath in one piece. Or alive. Whichever works. Nearby, Lelouch was doing just that.

* * *

"You lost them?-!" Teridax snarled, making the Rahkshi whimper until Teridax slammed a fist of shadows into their face, sending them flying out of Lonesome Manor's Attic.

It was then Teridax turned and stomped his left foot. The wood below shot p and sent Snake stumbling out of the hidden area he was in, just as he was about to activate Lai's Trophy.

"Ah...What have we here? A spy?" Teridax smirked.

"Fuck!" Snake growled before Teridax stabbed him with a familiar sword to Dewloren.

* * *

"What!-?" Dewloren exclaimed.

"It is as the knight said, he has your powers, Master," Rokusho Zero narrowed his eyes at the screen, showing the Trophy of Snake roll near the broken Beetleworks Generator, "He is from times beyond time and space."

_"He is someone of the dark future,"_ Dialga frowned, _"You cannot argue with the sight before us."_

"Alright, then. If you know so much, Rokusho Zero, then tell me what that man hates the most," Dewloren frowned.

"Is it not obvious? Makuta fears for his spell of shadows."

"Light? He's weak to _light_?" Onii-San asked.

"Not normal light, but the light of a Toa...the Toa of Light," Rokusho Zero replied.

_'...Toa?'_ was the thought of nearly all there.

* * *

"So why are we here?" Meiru asked as she looked up at the skull-themed island.

"This is Skull Island. Those things couldn't follow us here," Ryuu grinned.

"You do know that the information that Snake got before that Teridax got to him said the Rahkshi could fly, right?" Cyber asked.

"...Crap," Ryuu slumped.

* * *

"My noble sons...incompetent in finding them. So my hand is cast. Now I must Pierce that which Reshiram holds dear. Anger amongst them will threaten their precious Unity. Hunger will consume their Duty. And Fear will keep them from their Destiny. They will not disturb you," Teridax scowled.

He looked out from the holes in the roof, the green mist having grown thicker on the floor as various green webs as thick as swinging vines were about and attached to multiple places. From the shadows, six red eyes glowed. The sounds of screeching and blades clashing, grinding, and spinning along with gurgling echoed.

* * *

"Okay, I'm just gonna take a guess on this and say that the things in the shadows are those...Visor Ache DaiRyuuseiKnight?" Onii-San guessed.

"Visorahk, you buffoon," Rokusho Zero snorted, "Monstrous little buggers. Their webs inject your with their venom. If one does not find the cure, they will remain Hordihka..._forever_."

"And a Hordihka is..." Nazo began.

"A being between normal and Rahi. The venom of the Visorahk poisons the mind, amplifies the Rahi hidden within us all," Rokusho Zero explained, "The only cure that has been found is Keetongu."

"Key to on glue?" Onii-San repeated.

"Keetongu," Dewloren sighed.

"So it's not a glue-covered key?" Crazy Hand asked as he had a bottle of glue and his house key.

"...I still don't get how Crazy Hand is the embodiment of Mind Energy out of you two!" Nazo exclaimed.

Dewloren's eyes rolled upwards in disgust of Crazy Hand's stupidity, "I don't think… I want to know…"

* * *

"So this is what made those pirates robots?" Meiru pondered.

Ryuu shuddered as he looked about. Skull Island always gave him shudders. Possibly because of how it reminded him of some of the things he saw his old sensei do along with what Onii-San had done in the past. He and Kage blinked. Did it just get darker in there or was it them?

_**"Hikari..."**_

"Zowanzowan..." Ryuu's eyes widened as he and Kage looked about, seeing the others had vanished.

_**"Hikari..."**_

"Eep," Kage paled as he jumped into Ryuu's arms as the cavern seemed to grow darker.

_**"Shadows are everywhere..."**_ Teridax's voice echoed as glowing red eyes appeared nearby, equal to Ryuu's size, _**"And where they are...So am I."**_

"I know who you are. And...I'm not afraid."

_**"Even my shadows cannot hide your fear,"**_ Teridax spoke, _**"Or the truth."**_

"What truth?" Ryuu gulped as he back up to a wall.

_**"That you will not defeat Mana Albarn. And deep down...you know it."**_

"Okay. So I won't. Maybe my nakama will..."

_**"And if they don't? They will **_**die**_** because of **_**you**_**. Bring me the Mask of Time, Ryuu Hikari, bring it to **_**me**_**and you won't lose your friends."**_

"Iie! I won't let everyone down, you Zowanzowan!" _'What is Tokitoki?'_

_**"Yet you did once before. It was how I was able to come back to life..."**_ Teridax chuckled

"Urusei!"

_**"You fail them more if you refuse. For the Mask, your friends **_**and**_** your worlds will be spared. Don't be a fool..."**_

"...Iie! I can't! I don't know where the Tokitoki is!"

"Ryuu-kun!"

"Ah!" Ryuu and Kage turned to see Meiru run up, Yusuke and Tsukasa behind her.

"There you are! I thought you went missing," Meiru sighed in relief as she hugged the dragon-human.

"...Meiru-chan..." Ryuu sniffled before he returned it until he looked up at Tsukasa, "Tokitoki?"

"Tokitoki? Time-Time?" Yusuke tilted his head.

"Hai! Tokitoki really important to Zowanzowan," Ryuu explained as he made movements with his hands of putting something on his face with Kage.

"Ih! Ih!" Kage nodded rapidly.

"You're putting something on your face? A faceguard? A-uh-um-a hockey mask?" Yusuke pondered.

"A mask of time?" Meiru pondered.

"Hai! Zowanzowan wants Tokitoki for some reason," Ryuu explained before looking at his hands, "Ore...Ore wa weak. Not wakiwaki at all..."

"Ryuu-kun..." Meiru whispered before she hugged the mixed breed, "I don't care if you're strong or weak. You're my ai, my heart."

"Meiru-chan..."

* * *

Turahk sniffed the ground. The scent of Father's future vessel was fresh still. He looked up at one of the trees, the strongest and sturdiest of them with a home within its branches. There, he spotted his Brother of Insects and Sister of Storms looked about when he noticed his Sister of Storms had something in her arms. Was that...a stuffed Rahi doll? Turahk shouted at his Sister of Storms before he was nearly hit by a lightning bolt and a hiss from his Sister of Storms. Turahk raised his hands and slowly backed away from the tree. In the branches, his Brother of Insects was following his lead. Both knew Sister of Storms did not like it when they tried to take things that she likes. She would get mad...very..._very_...mad. Lerahk screeched as he and Panrahk pointed at a strange fabric of moving drawings they had found in one of the large huts, near the strange, tasteless, green protodermis and the big wooden wheel-thingy that spun about in a circle. Turahk nodded before letting out a screech. A yellow and crimson Rahkshi poked his head out of a hut, crewing on a strange Kanohi of wood and colors. Turahk pointed at the moving arts upon the flat thingy. His Brother looked upon the thing and nodded excitedly. He jumped into the thing, the image rippling as he passed through it. Moments later, the others followed behind him.

The nine exited the strange thing and landed upon the docks of a strange sea, the protodermis a mix of the tasteless green and an exotic black. Panrahk growled as he pulled their yellow brother from the protodermis, his head under it. Their Brother licked his lips before nodding. Turahk felt a headache forming in his mind. Why were his Brothers of Burning Eyes like the Av-Matoran-turned-Toa of Light that killed a fellow Brother of Fear? Turahk approached him and slammed his fist into the back of his exoskeleton, making the Kraana inside shoot out. His Brother of Burning Eyes let out a whine as he slithered back into his exoskeleton, making Turahk sigh. Their bodies were their own, yet made of sacrifice from their own. Turahk hissed at his Sister of Storms and Brother of Hunger. The two nodded before the three pressed the soles of their feet as their Staffs split and attached to their hips. The three began to hove before flying off across the water.

* * *

Akuma muttered curses to himself. The boy had been eliminated before he could do anything. He looked down at his left hand, a small badge resembling a penguin's face in it. He had been able to obtain it before he hid within this place. Now was a good time as any. He threw it and it landed on WarRock's snout. The medal glowed before it began to spin. A flash of light later, and Geo and WarRock were panting, breathing in as much air as they could. There. Now he could take care of the other two and his job would be done.

"G-Geo..." WarRock panted as the badge fell off his snout.

"How did...How are we here?" Geo pondered.

-It appears that Geo has landed upon the Ultra Rare Restart Badge! The Restart Badge allows a Smasher or Assist that, if in Trophy Form, to be returned back to the battle! Furthermore, the Restart Badge has two charges, but the second charge only lasting for a set amount of time- Bae explained.

"Okay...Now that is lucky," Geo noted as he picked it up, spotting the Trophies of his two Assists of that battle, "If what that fly, Bae, said is true, then I'll need the help of a guy who actually _fought_ this guy and his..._kids_."

Geo was about to walk up when his body stiffened. All over DaiRyuuseiKnight's body, all of the Arcana's cards-except for the Death Arcana-in tattoo form appeared. Geo and WarRock barely knew what hit them when the Trophy exploded, DaiRyuuseiKnight letting out an echoing tiger and dragon's fused roars. The Knight of Tao panted as the energy erupting off him faded away.

"He...You..." WarRock gawked as he barely pulled himself out of the new hole in the Ice Cream Shoppe, covered in strawberries and pistachio ice cream.

"He...is _not_...getting away...from me!" the Knight roared, his visor glowing a deep blue and brilliant green.

* * *

_'Now this is interesting...'_ Dewloren thought, _'A person who has that many Arcana should have gone insane upon birth...possibly death as well...'_

"You're surprised about this, Oji-san?" everyone but the frozen Dewloren turned to see Julie walk up, "I'm glad I can meet you at last, Oji-san."

"Who?" Onii-San asked before turning to Dewloren, "...Him?"

"Yes," Julie replied, causing Onii-San to start laughing.

"You're an old man!"

"Urusei, Tori," Julie frowned.

"T-Tori?" Onii-San gawked.

"It's because you're hiding your potential," Julie frowned as she sat beside Dewloren, "Rokusho Zero-Onii-chan, could you let him move his head at least?"

"Fine," the Medabot sighed as the glow faded just barely, letting Dewloren feel his neck again.

"You know who I am. Good."

"Of course. The Regretful One always told me about you, Tori-Baka, and He-Who-Made-The-Darkest-Sin," Julie replied before whispering, "Like how you'd always get a boner when you were five when someone scratched your right ear."

"Who told you that?" Dewloren asked quickly, his eyes widening a fraction of an inch, "Only five people know that and one is dead and the other is slumped over there at being called a bird."

"The Regretful One. She said that she lost all rights to her old name upon her rebirth," Julie replied with a sad expression, "She said that while she was in the afterlife, she watched after you and the other two. ...She wasn't exactly thrilled to see what Tori-Baka and the bastard who ruined the future did, especially the bastard."

"And which one is..."

"The one that isn't the Tori-Baka and the one that isn't you," Julie replied as she looked down at DaiRyuuseiKnight.

"How did you get away from your young father?" Crazy Hand asked.

"I proved that the clone he sent couldn't be dispelled with a kick to the nuts, just knocked out," Julie replied sweetly and innocently, causing Crazy Hand to slowly back away.

"I'm amazed that you're letting this go," Dewloren noted as he looked at Wisemon.

"She already knew about you, so it doesn't count," Wisemon replied as he looked at the stage.

"So then... you know the secret behind that knight's identity is, don't you?" asked Dewloren.

"...Actually, no. I was hoping you'd tell me. But after I witnessed all of his Arcana-particularly the Hermit, though I am surprised at all the Arcana he has-and him roaring like a tiger with that dragon roar, I have a hunch he's realted to you somehow. I just... don't know how."

Cracks appeared on the barrier encasing Dewloren, much to Rokusho Zero's surprise.

"M-master!" he gawked.

"I could've let myself out your barrier a long time ago, but I decided to let you have a little fun, my pupil; but now, the fun's over."

"You were playing your own disciple for a fool by lulling him into a false sense of security. How devious. Then again, tiger cubs must be if they ever wish to catch their prey to survive," quoted Wisemon.

_'Not exactly true...'_ Rokusho Zero thought as he fell to his rump, _'I forgot such a mental strain that using two powers at once had on this body...Should've guessed he had broken it by now...'_

Dewloren sighed at the elderly Digimon's sub-par anecdote and dusted the kimono sleeve clasping onto his left arm. The bandages loosey wrapped around his chest, left shoulder (securing the sleeve), naked right arm and forearm, and the bandages loosely hanging from his neck down his back and veiling his waist and calves from the scarlet obi scarf around his waist billowed lightly, the veiling ribbons over his lightly torn, blue hakama pants and dark-blue jester shoes being overcast by a light shadow.

"I may not look it, but I'm far stronger - and smarter - than you all are giving me credit for. And to prove it... I hereby challenge you, Anon, to a duel of honor, immediately after this match, 1-on-1, no assistance of any kind, no-holds-barred! Let's see if you, the so-called 'Spiral Sage', can actually best me, the one person that holds all the secrets to beating Mana, in the heat of battle without your little friends to get in the way," he declared, jabbing a finger in the brunette's direction.

_"What?-!"_ gawked the Pokemon gods.  
"Saw that coming," Julie rolled her eyes.  
"But that's...!-!" Rokusho Zero was about to protest when Onii-San in a flash-second, appeared before Dewloren, who instinctively stretched his right hand out, forming a gin with his thumb and pointer fingers, while Onii-San did the same.

Both 'guns' were pointing at the other's foreheads. Both of them grinned. Only one word from them both was uttered that sealed the deal.

"...Bang."

"..." was the collective response from everyone in the room.

"I believe..." Yensid commented, "We have witnessed a contract for a duel of honor."

_"And as the witnesses, we are held to abide by the terms of the battle,"_replied Arceus, now realizing that since Onii-San had agreed to the terms, her hands were tied by terms of upholding her honor to not interfere, as per all of DaiRyuuseiDan and thier allies and associates according to Dewloren's conditions.

That meant that even Nazo, Alexander, and any of Onii-San's summons of any kind were also barred. Then again, Arceus did ponder that she has not once witnessed either Onii-San or Dewloren fight all-out. Then again, she nor anyone in the room had ever witnessed Dewloren fight even once, save for Rokusho Zero. He _was_ taught everything by a certain god of the Mind Realm, the gentlemanly humanesque god with the butterfly mask, Philemon, Lord of the Velvet Room.  
Not only that... he and Wisemon were the only individuals still around who has been in the presence of the Tao Trio. According to myth, the five were on very good terms, even to this day beyond the grave. Arceus also revered the omnipotent man and Digimon as her godfathers, having known Reshiram, Zekrom and Kyurem in their prime (and were their equal match, as legend told). Philemon was a gentleman and very caring and giving god by nature, always rewarding his subjects for their labors and strifes in their everyday lives with things like bountiful harvest season and generous rainfall in times of the sweltering summer heat, he was also known for his incredible and unforgiving wrath against those with mal-intent to those who seek destruction upon the Zones or endangering or ending many lives for evil reasons or sick pleasure. Wisemon was more of a fatherly uncle in terms of personality, Mana Albarn was no exception, but for some reason he has never been able to touch him. It was a mystery that baffled the goddess to this day.

_'Does this mean Dewloren knows the secret to Mana's immunities to divine forces...?'_ she questioned mentally.

Arceus knew that reading his mind would prove fruitless, as it was said his power from the Hermit Arcana - 'Meditative State' - prevents any and all intrusive forces to probe his mind or control him in any way unless he willed it, so it would just make an enemy out of her; a result she dared not to venture towards.

"Hold on now! You forgot the gloves!" Crazy Hand complained, making everyone look at him.

"Gloves?" Nazo repeated.

"Yeah! Mr. Whiskers has to slap the Teri across the face with a glove and drop it. Sheri picks it up and we got ourselves a challenge," Crazy Hand replied, "Yeesh. For smart guys, Mr. Kitty-Boom-Boom and Merry sure is dumb, just like them tractors."

"...Someone, please tell me why _he_ is the collective knowledge of all forms of Mind Energy?" Rokusho Zero whined as he pulled on his head's horns.

"That's what Phi-Phi wanted when Arceus asked us for advice on creating these two," Wisemon replied, "True genius lies within the mind of the truly insane. Then again...We may have been on crack at the time...or was it marijuana?"

_"Marijuana. The doctor had you both prescribed to it because Godfather Philemon's conjured crows went crazy and attacked your eyes. Something about 'Evil Tim' or something like that..."_ Arceus recalled, causing Wisemon to pale.

"So...much...pecking...!" Wisemon shivered uncontrollably.

* * *

"This is why the women are in charge," Shafu noted as Shifu put a bag of ice between Max's legs.

"Hurts...so...much..." the teen said through gritted teeth.

"Of course it would. You got kicked in the nuts," Ken chuckled.

* * *

"So where do you think he'll most likely be?" Cyber asked as Ryuu and Kage looked at a map of the Wastelands.

"He was creepy, so he might like dark, spooky places," Gai noted.

"...Ah! Lonesome Manor!" the two realized.

"Lonesome Manor?" Yusuke repeated.

"Hai. Lonesome Manor zowazowa...yet howahowa to the ghosts," Ryuu explained, "Zowazowa Mad Doctor made me Kichikichi there!"

"So that's where he'd most likely be?" Tsukasa noted, "Heh. So where is it?"

"Right here," Kage replied as he pointed at the map, showing Lonesome Manor being on the other side of the Wastelands from their current location of Skull Island.

"Heh. Easy," Kaito smirked before the skies were engulfed in dark clouds.

"Zowazowa..." Ryuu whispered, his eyes flashing into their blue state.

* * *

"Faster, MetalGreymon!"

"I'd like to see you do this!" MailBirdramon snapped in Protoman's voice on the end of the tail.

"Maybe we would've gone faster with just Protoman being MailBirdramon," WarRock noted.

"I'm faster than the stupid bird!" MetalGreymon roared.

"Oi! You're fused with said stupid bird, you crazy fossil!"

"Just keep charging," Chaud ordered, "We don't know how long we have with that badge's power."

"Just where did DaiRyuuseiKnight go to?" Geo pondered.

* * *

A flash of black steel tore through a Turahk guarding Bog Easy, electrocuting the Kraata within. Two Pohrahk charged only to be incinerated by a single strike. He was getting closer to his foe. He looked up to see multiple green webs, coated in miniscule thorns, overhead. Within them was a strange biomechanical beast. The four legs were covered in blade-like metals as its body was a technorganic green armor, a strange opening on the back of it. The red eyes gleamed with hunger at the knight as its steel mandibles clattered with the teeth within spinning like saws, gnashing and crashing against each other.

"Tensou."

**=INCINERATING FIREBALL POWER=**

* * *

The battle had taken a bad toll. The Rahkshi were swift and almost merciless in their assault. The only ones that had remained were Meiru, Cyber, Kaitoh, Ryuu, Kage, and GokaiSilver. Panrahk was about to strike Meiru when MetalGreymon had shown up, slashing it in the back.

"Geo! Chaud!" Meiru gasped.

"Minna!" Ryuu grinned.

"Heh. Seems it's my turn to be the one who saves you, Hikari," Chaud noted.

"Ah mou..." Ryuu frowned, "Zowazowa Nakama makes Ryuu kichikichi..."

"It will be fine, Ryuu-kun," Meiru giggled before a Smash Ball appeared in the air.

"Oh! Smash Ball!" WarRock called out.

MetalGreymon roared as he flew up to it. Panrahk hissed before firing a disintegration blast. The two collided with the Smash Ball, causing a large explosion. MetalGreymon slammed into Skull Island's 'skull,' not moving.

"No! Greymon! Protoman!" Chaud cried out, unaware of a multicolored glow appearing on his device's screen.

The Final Smash energy flared off the Xros Digimon, startlnig everyone as he began to rise. MetalGreymon growled in Protoman's voice overlapping Greymon's as a gold energy began to flare off of him. On Chaud's PeT/XrosLoader's screen, a gold 'Z' appeared in a gold light.

"Is this...Their Final Smash?" Chaud pondered before a set of words appeared within his head.

**CUE: EVOLUTION AND DIGIXROS: KIRIHA VERSION**

"MetalGreymon, Chou-Shinka!" Chaud commanded.

"C-Chou-Shinka?" Ryuu repeated as the gold energy began to rocket off MetalGreymon.

MetalGreymon roared before he began to transform. His visor vanished as his entire head turned a solid gold, revealing crimson eyes. His non-metal hand transformed into a gold and gunmetal blaster while his legs turned gold with gunmetal claws. The MailBirdramon end of his tail reshaped into a gold and gunmetal blaster. MetalGreymon growled as his wings turned gold, sleek, and more dragon-like in appearance.

**"MetalGreymon, Chou-Shinka! ZekeGreymon!"**

* * *

_'The Mind Energy flaring off of that form...It...It's _gold_? But that's impossible...'_ Dewloren thought as he saw the Rahkshi moving back from the gold Cyborg, Rokusho Zero 'smirking' at the sight.

_'The Original's Sword has revived,'_ RZ thought.

* * *

Panrahk hissed before slamming his staff into the ground. The disintegration bolt shot high into the air and slammed into the Digimon. ZekeGreymon growled before letting out a powerful roar. A burst of golden light erupted off him, dispersing the approaching attack and dispersing the clouds around the island, making the Rahkshi run into the 'skull.'

**"Destroy Smasher!"** ZekeGreymon roared as he began to spin like a top, firing multiple gold beams at the 'skull,' destroying it and revealing the Rashkshi to the light.

=Amazing! This Final Smash has actually reversed the situation for the two teams! ZekeGreymon is the Golden Dragon in this battle!= Bae commentated before giving a shudder =Sorry. Just reminded myself of the GenJyuKen Master=

"Ike, ZeekGreymon!" Chaud commanded.

With that, a gold aura flared off his body. Engines upon the bottom of his feet erupted with gold flames. He shot off like a rocket at the Rahkshi, reeling back his left claw.

**"Final Strikes!"** ZekeGreymon roared as he impaled them all in a single slash, causing them to explode.

"He did it!" Meiru cheered before Chaud and ZekeGreymon glowed and turned back into a single Trophy, depicting Chaud with his Pet/XrosLoader held in the air with ZekeGreymon roaring in the background, Protoman and Greymon barely visible behind Chaud.

"I guess the time ran out," Geo noted when they heard the roar of the Storm Rahkshi, making them all turn to see it had grown to massive proportions.

"Oh crud," Ryuu paled.

"I've got it!" GokaiSilver declared as he took out his GokaiCellular, "Greater Power of the Mirai Sentai Timerangers, come forth!"

With that, he took out a scarlet Ranger Key, representing TimeFire. He put it into the device and pressed One three times before pressing Six once.

**=HASHIN! GOJYUDRILL!=**

* * *

DaiRyuuseiKnight froze, standing in a pile of melted metal and burnt organic parts. A portal appeared upon his back. A massive gold and blue drill erupted from his back, connected to a massive ship painted blue and silver with a T-Rex head as the Helm.

"Seems GokaiSilver needs his aibou," DaiRyuuseiKnight noted as he continued into Lonesome Manor.

* * *

"I've got this guy!" GokaiSilver declared as he jumped up and into the vessel, appearing in a control room with two wheels and three keyholes before his seat, before pulling out a white Ranger Key, "Greater Power of the Abarangers!"

**=GOJYUJIN=**

The T-Rex head and the drill removed themselves from the vessel as it turned down ninety degrees. The sides flipped down to become two robotic legs, the feet resembling T-Rex feet. The T-Rex attached to the left side and flipped down, the head opening up to reveal a red fist. The drill attached to the right side to become the right arm. The torso opened up and a red head with two red horns on the side of the head emerged from it.

"Kansen! GoJyuJin!" GokaiSilver declared, making Bae gawk at the sight.

=Ladies and Gentlement, I am your commentator for this Giant Robot Battle, GekiJyuFlyKen Master Bae!=

* * *

"Oh no..." Ran groaned.

"Ah mou..." Retsu muttered, feeling a headache forming.

"Bae truly loves to commentate on giant monster battles," Shafu noted.

* * *

"Why isn't it cringing in the light?" WarRock pondered.

"Must be due to its size," Diend noted.

The Storm Rahkshi roared as it fired a bolt of lightning from its staff at GoJyuJin.

"Ah! Shield Mode!" GokaiSilver yelped.

The drill split in two and began to spin, becoming a shield. The lightning struck the shield and was sent back at the Rahkshi, knocking it over.

=And GoJyuJin counters with his shield! Truly a shocking upturn for the Rahkshi! Oh! It's getting up and-oh no!-Waterspout! What will GoJyuJin do?-! Wait, wait a minute here! Yes! GoJyuJin is drilling through the waterspout! What a powerful drill! Probably could pierce the heavens with a Spiral Warrior operating it! Maybe even with a Mind Warrior, it would be just as strong!= Bae commentated.

"Now for the finisher!" GokaiSilver declared as he whipped out the TimeFire, AbareKiller, and a green Ranger Key, putting them into the three keyholes, "Gokai Triple Drill Dream!"

GoJyuJin split into a robotic T-Rex, the drill arm acting as its tail, GoJyuJin, and GoJyuDrill. The three began to spin their drills and aimed them at the Rahkshi, fusing into one drill the size of all three mecha. The attack bore through the Rahkshi, causing it to collapse and explode.

=He did it! He beat the Rahkshi! Oh, this was short, but still great for a Mecha Battle Enthusiast like myself!=

* * *

"So...It has begun, my Brother, but soon, it will also..._end_," Tridax narrowed his eyes as he looked over at Chu's pokeball beside DaiRyuuseiKnight, bound to the wall by pitch black shackles.

"You...You won't win...Teridax..." the knight growled barely.

* * *

"So how will this find that Teridax guy?" WarRock asked.

He was pointing at a strange machine, built from the remains of the Rahkshi and Visorak. The body was comprised of the backs of the twelve Rahkshi while the wings were made of the Visorak. On the front of it was two Rahkshi Heads put together to act as a point. Ryuu walked up with the remaining two Kraata. He lifted the two upper 'backs' and slid the Kraata into them.

"What is Teridax's shall be returned to him," Ryuu scowled.

"There's not a lot of room in this thing. Where are we all going to sit?" Geo asked.

"You won't. I don't want you guys to come with me and Kage for this. You two need to settle things in the match," Ryuu replied.

"But, Ryuu-kun..." Meiru began.

"This is something I need to do alone," Ryuu replied as his eyes turned blue once more, "Meiru-Koishii, please just trust me on this."

"...All right, Ryuu-kun. I'll wait," Meiru replied before pecking his cheek with a kiss, "Come back, okay?"

"Hai," Ryuu nodded, "KAge, ikuze."

"Ih!" the shadow nodded before before covering Ryuu in himself, turning into a black and lime-green version of his Dragon Armor.

With that, Ryuu got onto the vehicle. The machine began to light up in the various gaps it had before the wings extended, the Rhotuka Spinners going at full force. The wings turned 90 degrees and shot off like a rocket into the Projector Screen to Bog Easy. The remaining five waited until the ripples left before moving ten meters away from each other.

**=KAMEN RIDE: DIEND=**

"EM Wave Change, On-Air!"

"Battle Routine Set!"

"Execute!"

"Hajime!" Diend declared before Geo and Cyber charged at each other.

* * *

The machine flew over Lonesome Manor. Teridax was within its walls, but where? The two Kraata within jerked to the roof and Ryuu sighed. The attic...Why was it that the insane were always in the attic and never the basement or the first floor even? Ryuu braced for impact as he sent the machine flying at the roof. He crashed through it and the machine shattered. Ryuu flipped and landed on his feet, barely grabbing the two Kraata. Nearby, he saw DaiRyuuseiKnight and Chu's ball. He released the Pikachu before breaking the bindings on the knight. Slowly, he approached the glowing liquid and tossed the Kraata over it into the shadows and green mist.

"You can no longer hide in the shadows," Ryuu declared, narrowing his eyes and thanking every god he knew that Kage managed to replicate the voice correction program in his armor.

"I am Shadow...The Shadow that guards the Gate. Now run along or accept your _doom_."

"I am done running! You will not hurt my Nakama ever again this day! Chu, DaiRyuuseiKnight, Dai-chan, get out of here at once!"

"It's done!" Chu gulped before she jumped into the nearby Projector Screen.

"...Very well..." DaiRyuuseiKnight scowled, "Do not underestimate him. He has the powers of all who he has absorbed."

"Right," Ryuu nodded before the knight left.

"Disciple of Truth, now so bold. But at heart, you are still just the child seven years back, not caring for much but friends and NetBattles. You failed to save your friends my sons had defeated. You didn't even warn Maylu Sakurai..." Teridax informed as he emerged from the shadows, baring a Duel Disk resembling the back of a Visorak, the jaws holding the cards, while the card holder resembled the backs of two Rahkshi, "Perhaps for you next great failure...a simple game of Duel Monsters. Win, and you may _try_ to kill me. When you lose, I _will_ absorb you once more, solidifying my place in the present, _and_ the Mask of Time you have within you."

"I will _not_ lose!" Ryuu declared as part of his left arm opened up and shifted into a Duel Disk.

"Duel!"

**Ryuu: 4000**

**Tridax: 4000**

"I draw!" Ryuu declared, "Come hither, Kaibaman! And with you, the White Dragon Ritual to call upon White Dragon Knight!"

Upon Ryuu's side of the field, Kaibaman appeared, pointing his finger high into the air as he posed. Beside him, a small dragon resembling a Blue Eyes appeared. Riding upon its back was a knight in white and gold armor that held a lance.

"And now I'll send them both to the Graveyard to call upon the Blue Eyes White Dragons!" Ryuu declared as Kaibaman and the White Dragon Knight transformed into two Blue Eyes White Dragons, roaring in pride at Teridax.

**Blue Eyes White Dragon: 8/3000/2500 x2**

"I'll end my turn with a facedown."

"Very well then. I draw," Teridax drew before one of the Kraata slithered onto the field, "Now come forth, Kraata Level 1."

**Kraata: 1/0/0**

"Now I play 'Experiment of the Three Makuta,'" Teridax informed as a card depicting three menacing biomechanical figures dissecting a Kraata, "This evolves a Kraata straight to its Level 7 form...The Shadow Leech."

The Kraata began to his and scream in agony as shadows began to be absorbed into it. It extended to two feet in length while slime began to cover it. A faint, sickly, pale aura began to emanate from it.

**Shadow Leech: 7/0/0**

"'Look at it. They begin their lives as Kraata, nothing but the essence of a Makuta given solid form. But a bit of this... a bit of that... and they become ever-hungry stealers of light. Have you ever truly watched one feed? It is so repulsive as to be almost beautiful,' as Mutran once said," Teridax explained, "And his ability steals the Light from your monster and makes it my own by equipping to it!"

The Shadow Leech screeched before lunging at the left Blue Eyes. The dragon screamed in pain as the Shadow Leech bore into its chest, turning the blue and white to a sickly black and green. The original blue of its eyes turned sickly, pale blue before its lower jaw split into two. The wings gained various holes as its body was being mutated into a biomechanical form. The mutated Blue Eyes growled in a distorted voice as it stood behind Teridax.

**Blue Eyes White Dragon: DARK/8/3000/2500/Equipped with Shadow Leech**

"And now I play the Ritual Spell 'The Changing of the Guard.' I now discard the Level 8 monster in my hand to call upon Maxilos!"

A pool of water appeared beside the mutated dragon. A mechanical giant, equal to the size of the mutated Blue Eyes in height, emerged from it. Its body was comprised of gold, black, and silver. It bore a solid red mask with a breather over the 'mouth.' Its right shoulder had a strange black and silver blaster loaded with six red bits of ammunition. In its left hand was a dual-bladed solid gold with black designs blade attached to a small staff.

**Maxilos: 8/3500/2500**

"Crud..." Ryuu paled under his armor.

"Now I have everything I need. I Overlay my two Level 8 Monsters!" Teridax declared.

"O-Overlay?" Ryuu repeated as the two monsters turning into a galaxy-like image.

"When two Souls overlay one another, the Master of Darkness shall arise from Karzahni..." Teridax recited before the 'galaxy' went into him.

It was then his body began to bulge as the Shadows engulfed him. A pair of glowing sinister scarlet eyes appeared in the shadows. The room rumbled as a footstep was made. From the shadows, a massive figure, the size of Gurren Lagann, emerged. It was biorganic and comprised of black metal insides. Coating the body was deep crimson armor, partially rusted and pitted. Its mask, partially rusted and pitted like its armor, showed its fearsome, fear-inducing crimson eyes.

**"Turn to the Shadows, Number 666: Makuta Teridax,"** the biomechanical behemoth finished in Teridax's voice.

**Number 666: Makuta Teridax: Rank 8/4500/3000/Overlay Units: 2**

"Double Crud...Dekadeka Zowanzowan..." Ryuu gulped.

**"I will now remove both my Overlay Units to engulf your field in my Shadows...destroying your Unity and Duty,"** Teridax ordered as the two stars circling him faded.

An arm of Shadows erupted from his torso. It shot out and grabbed the dragon and Ryuu's facedown. The two were then absorbed into Teridax, causing two biomechanical crimson, rusted, pitted, dragon wings to erupt from his back.

**"And now...I attack,"** Teridax stated.

Teridax slammed his fist on the ground, sending out a black shockwave that sent Ryuu flying into a wall, crushing the Smash Ball that had appeared at that exact moment.

**Ryuu: 0 One-Hit Defeat**

**Teridax: 4000 One-Turn Victory**

**"Now do you see how inferior you are, Lan Hikari? There are a thousand ways I could destroy you right now. And 941 of them hurt,"** Teridax laughed before seeing a rainbow aura flare off him, **"Hm?"**

_"Do you possess...the Courage to seek the Truth?"_

"Truth..."

_"What is your Wish? Your Truth?"_

"Truth? Truth...Wanna help everyone...everyone Zowazowa and Wakiwaki...Cycle of Wakiwaki and Zowazowa go on even before the before..." Ryuu coughed as he slowly stood up, "I promised I would make place Nikiniki for Wakiwaki and Zowazowa!"

Ryuu let loose a rising roar as orange, gold, and black flames flared off his body, all turning a solid blue upon engulfing him completely. Teridax smirked upon seeing the blue flames.

* * *

"I don't believe it..." Wisemon gasped.

"What do you mean?" Nazo asked.

"Do you feel it? The power rising from the child?" Wisemon asked.

"Of course I feel it," Dewloren snorted.

"Exactly! How is it that we can feel his energy when we couldn't before?" Wisemon asked.

Dewloren's eyes widened a bit. He quickly took another check at the energy emerging from the flames. But...But that was impossible. The child was Equalized...how is it that he was unleashing raw Mind Energy?

* * *

The flames dispersed into a solid red flame, the embers swirling about the lone figure, shielded by massive wings. The wings spread out, revealing a white-colored, bipedal Pokémon of seemingly draconian and mammalian basis, with some of the avian features of feathers. The snout was mammalian in appearance, most resembling something vulpine or even canine, or possibly even a goat. Streaming out from the upper side of the snout and outward from the head was a long, voluminous wispy mane, the top of which formed a spike or small head-crest of some sort. The face was fringed with spiky features, with one small, pointed extension of it below the chin.

The neck was long and slender, with a collar-esque protrusion of fur or feathers seeming held in place by two somewhat glass-like neck-bands, with similar bands present on the "wrists" of the forelimbs. The forelimbs were expansive, wing-like appendages or some unusual sort of wings themselves; the beginning portions of the limbs were slender and generally conventionally arm-like, but flare out into a more wing-like, feathered section farther on the limb, sporting four claws on the leading edge. On the chest was a feathered feature most similar in shape to a feather of an aquatic bird-like dragon, with the lower portion protruding outward to a point. Long feathers spread out from the thighs, its feet with large claws—three in front, and the one in the back positioned at an angle somewhat like high heels. The tail was a thick mass of a center-most plume and ribbon-like secondary extensions, surrounded by two large bands. The tail was based on an electric turbine. The dragon let loose a mighty roar, causing the embers to flow about and illuminating its figure more. Flames engulfed the being to reveal a new one.

The new figure was of Meiru's height, her white hair in the shape of the dragon's mane. Her soft ivory skin fit with her slender, beautiful figure. On her back were the beast's wings, refit to her size. Over her figure was a slender, modest white kimono with silver accents. two silver bands were upon her neck while two rested on the sides of her hips. In her left hand was a Keyblade, made of solid silver. The blade was shaped to resemble the dragon with its mane acting at the tooth of the 'key' while the hilt and guard were shaped at a fireball, the chain on it ending with a white sphere. Slowly, she opened her eyes to reveal blue orbs of serenity and beauty.

_"It is your Courage that shall become the Truth,"_ the woman spoke, her tone full of kindness and truth.

* * *

_"It...it...it...Ohh..."_ Arceus moaned before she collapsed, out cold.

_"Mother!" _the Dragon Trio gasped.

"Huh...Reshiram's a girl? I did not know that," Dewloren sweatdropped.

"I did~" Wisemon replied.

"Can it you," Dewloren scowled.

"Aw...Reshi-chan~! I'm hurt again!" Wisemon whined.

* * *

"The White Yang Pokemon...Reshiram!" Max gasped.

"So this is the being that young Ryuu is bound to," Shafu noted, "Magnificent."

"Howahowa..." Jan whispered.

"Howahowa?" Max repeated.

"It's how Jan expresses a feeling of warmth...like a mother's warmth," Ran explained.

"So...This is Reshiram the Vast White," Marvelous noted, "A lone feather or scale from it would be worth an endless amount."

The sounds of a cash register making a pay was heard near Luka. Max gulped a bit as he looked upon the god on the screen. He had never felt a power like her's before.

"I just hope that because she's borrowing Lan's body, that she's using all her power," Max noted.

"It is not her original body, though," Elehung noted, "So she might have to limit her power so she doesn't end up killing Ryuu. But boy, what a hottie!"

"Crud...If one of them had this much power _with_ a limit...Then all three together at their full power would truly be a bad or good thing depending on who's side they were on..." Max gulped as Elehung started to wolf-whistle at Reshiram.

"..." Hub kept staring at Reshiram while Miki and Ran bopped Elehung on the head, _'This is one of the Trio...The one who Bro is under...'_

* * *

**"Ah...So you are the one known as the Vast White,"** Teridax smirked.

_"Teridax, this has gone on long enough,"_ Reshiram spoke, _"Won't you please cease this foolishness and leave?"_

**"Foolishness, Vast White? Well then, perhaps a game of Kolhii will suffice our argument,"** Teridax smirked as the shadowed around him transformed into a staff, the ends having a hammer and a long, curved spear.

_"Very well. But you must leave no matter what,"_ Reshiram replied, her blade extending as the chain turned into a second blade, the 'tooth' curved to act as a scoop of sorts.

**"We shall see, Vast White,"** Teridax chuckled.

* * *

"Lord Philemon's teacher… Reshiram of the Blazing White Yang… Ruler of the Blue Flame. So _this_ is her humanoid form…" Dewloren muttered, _'This warmth… I haven't felt this feeling since…_'

For a split moment, the back of a young girl with flowing blonde hair topped in a large navy blue bow and a dark blue dress fringed with white lace appeared in his mind. Her head twisted slightly, revealing her small, yet lovely smile.

"Alice…"

At that point, Onii-San bowed his head, a hint of shame on his face. Not one person in the God's booth paid any heed to this, due to Reshiram's glamorous appearance. For a moment on the screen, Reshiram noticed Dewloren looking in her direction, and without any bringing attention to her, winked at the ice-tiger Mind Sorcerer. Dewloren blushed slightly and bowed his head lightly, his eyes trailed left in his embarrassment. Then a thought entered his head that was not his own.

'_Has my adorable student been a good teacher to you, young man?_'

"!-!-!" Dewloren gasped. Silently, he nodded. Reshiram smiled.

'_That's good to hear; keep watch over our three Disciples in my stead until it is time for us to come forth once more. I shall be forever grateful, young man.'_

'_And why not Anon…? Surely, as he has Spiral Power closer to your kin, shouldn't he…?'_ asked Dewloren, honestly unsure of the favor he was asked.

_'I'm afraid that although Onii-San is more than capable of teaching them, and he has done so significantly in my brother's teachings, his inability to accept what he has denied for so many years strips him of the right to be there for Ryuu-kun-tachi in the teachings of Mind Energy,'_ Reshiram replied,_ 'You, on the other hand, are far purer that he is. Compared to the things Onii-San has done to preserve the Zones, you are far more appropriate a guardian, since you have a firmer understanding of all forms of magic and energies aside from Spiral Energy than your childhood friend. He has given them my Brother's Ambition, now you must give them my Truth. Young Maxwell will bring them the Balance, so you have no need to worry of my eldest brother's will.'_

Dewloren pondered for a few seconds to comprehend certain pointed-out facts the Pokemon Goddess had said. He knew exactly what she was referring to, word for word.

_'I see. So you knew… about his Zanpakuto… and his Persona…'_

Reshiram chuckled sweetly, yet with a hint of playful criticism, _'Come now. Just who the hell do you think I am? I'm the cute little girl who whooped Philemon all the time and was equal in might of my brother, Zekrom.'_

Dewloren smirked, _'Fair enough._'

Onii-San shook Dewloren's shoulder. "Hey, Dewwy. You talking to someone or something?"

Dewloren made a big grin. "Prepare to be jealous."

* * *

Meiru threw a left hook, making Geo duck and dodge a swipe from Caliwave held by Cyber. Nearby, Diend rolled his eyes under his helmet.

"If you want to have this kind of fight..."

**=KAMEN RIDE:=**

"...Then have a Climax," Diend finished.

**=ALL DEN-O!=**

Five pixelated shots appeared between Geo and the two girls. The five solidified into five Kamen Riders, all but the one on the far-left, wearing a gold jumpsuit, wearing silver jumpsuits. The armor on the torsos, shoulders, and backs of the other four were all the same in colors of red, blue, purple, black, and yellow while the fifth's armor was white and black. The masks of two of them were of Momotaros and Ryutaros when they possessed Grey/Misora respectively. The third's mask was yellow and resembled a knight's mask with a blade emerging from it. The fourth's mask resembled a blue turtle with orange 'eyes' on the shell. The last mask resembled baby-blue wings.

**"Ore...Sanjou!"** the one with Momotaros' mask declared, **"...Eh? Nani? Why am I here?"**

**"Semapi, do you get a sense of familiarity with this outfit?" **Urataros' voice emerged from the turtle-masked Rider.

**"Ne, ne, ne! Kame-chan, why am I here? I need to be with Onee-chan!" **Ryutaros' voice came from the purple-wearing Rider, currently freaking out.

**=FINAL ATTACK RIDE: ALL D-D-D-DEN-O!**

With that, five shots nailed the five Riders in the backs, causing the heads of the non-gold Rider to go into their bodies. The first three groaned as all eight arms change into the arms of the four Taros before their waists turned 180 to reveal the waists of the Taros. Their torsos shifted and the heads of the four Imagin popped out. The fifth Rider was simply covered in feathers before they parted to reveal Sieg.

**"Korin...man o jishiite,"** Sieg declared.

"What did you just do, Kaito?" Caliwave demanded.

"I made things simpler and more exciting," Diend replied.

"Aw crud..." Geo and WarRock muttered, getting the attention of the five.

**"Semapi, are you thinking what I am thinking?"** Urataros asked.

**"Yosh! It's Climax Time!"** Momotaros roared.

**Cue: Double Action CLIMAX FORM**

With that, the five Imagin turned into balls of energy that solidified into five fossilized items; a T-Rex Skull, a Sword, an Anchor, a Shuriken, and a Bow and Arrow. The five shot into Geo and WarRock, causing their outfit to change between five colors before returning to its original color.

**=SAURIAN SWORD/KAIZOKU ROD/ZERKER AXE/SHINOBI GUN/CUPID WING=**

**=TRIBE KING CLIMAX FORM=**

A pillar of flames, water, light, lightning, and leaves erupted around Geo and WarRock. The elements parted, revealing Geo in a full-body jumpsuit based on his Wave Change outfit with track designs on the arms, legs, shoulders, and torso while his head was engulfed in a dark-blue helmet that hid his entire face in it. A grinding sound echoed from the helmet before the symbol of Geo's chest slid on the track it had.

**"What the...?-!"** Geo gasped in WarRock's voice, **"I...I'm in control of the Kid's body?-!"**

It was then the masks the five Riders had began to swirl around him. WarRock began to freak as he looked about at the spinning masks.

**"What the hell is going on here?-!-?" **WarRock demanded before the red mask slid onto the sides of the shooting star emblem that covered his face, **"The Oni?-!"** the blue mask slid on his right hand and slid up to his shoulder, **"The Kame!-!-!"** the gold mask grinded on the track of the left arm up the shoulder, **"And now the Kuma!-?-!"** the purple mask slid on the left leg and went up to his torso while the last mask slid on the right leg and went up to his back, the two growing in size to become a torso and pair of wings, **"And now the dragon kid and the Tori!-?-?"** the shooting star emblem glowed before it opened up in the middle as the red on the red part turned gold, **"Ah!-!-! I opened up!"** gold flames erupted on his body as a track of flames shot into the air and formed a portal behind him, **"I'm on fire!-!-!-! What is with this shit going on?-!-?"**

The rusted train erupted from the portal and landed on the tracks. The train erupted in the flames, being empowered by them, and burned the rust off. The train now had a gold metal on it with black details. The backs of the three carts behing them opened, revealing a dog head, a monkey with gold and black barrel-shaped bombs, and a gold and black bird while the front's top opened to reveal a laser array. The flames dispersed to let the trio get a closer look. The gold mask had the Saurian symbol on both halves, the right arm had chains of an anchor seeming to emerge from the mask while emerging from the gold mask was gold knight armor with lightning engravings. The legs had dragon and swan designs. On his waist was a detailed belt showing Geo and WarRock's symbol surrounded by a gold anchor, a gold sword, a gold pair of cupid wings, a gold T-Rex footprint, and a gold shuriken.

**"Ore-tachi...Futatabi Sanjou!"** Momotaros' voice erupted from the armored warrior.

**"Mind if we string you beautiful women along?"** Urataros' voice inquired from the right shoulder.

**"We'll make you cry!"** Kintaros' voice roared from the right shoulder.

**"Mind if we make your defeat quick? Kotae wa kiitenai!"** Ryutaros' voice called from the chest mask.

**"We shall make this end quickly so young Ryuta can go back to protecting fair Misora with young Subaru,"** Sieg's voice emanated from the wings on the back as they folded up into a elongated and larger version of his mask turned upside-down.

TKCM pulled out the fossilized sword and anchor. The two glowed before turning into a blue anchor connected to a strong silver staff and gold and black battle axe, crackling with lightning.

**"How are we like this?-! This feel even stronger than when we combine all three Star Breaks with the Tribe King!"** WarRock demanded as the Climax King began to approach the trio, the train flying all about the island on tracks it was creating.

**"It's a power we made on the kid's wish to not lose all his nakama!"** Momotaros declared.

**"We were separated from him for a bit except for Sempai, so our sands created this to bring us back to him,"** Urataros added.

**"Wai! I missed being with Onii-chan in this form!"** Ryutaros cheered.

**"Oi! DenLiner, get that Rider Thief!"** Momotaros shouted at the train.

"Now this is perfect," Diend smirked under his mask, "I'll handle the train. Have fun, girls."

"That jerk..." Cyber growled as Diend ran off as lasers began to fire from the front of the train at the Rider.

"We'll take care of him later," Meiru sighed, "For now...Perfect Synchro?"

"Right!" Cyber agreed.

"Perfect Synchro!" the duo declared.

The two were engulfed in a sphere of pink and red light. It dispersed to reveal Cyber in a fitting dark-pink-near-red jumpsuit with red data details on her arms going down to her elbows and into gloves the same color as the jumpsuit. Going down the sides of her body and into her boots were the red data designs. On her head was a helmet in the same color as her jumpsuit and gloves while her hair was done in a bun poking out of the bottom. Her eyes were a solid hot pink with black dots in the center that floated in the white of her eyes.

=Oh boy! This will be great, those of you still awake from the time Teridax appeared! Shooting Star Rockman: Tribe King Climax Form against Roll Cyber Sakurai in her Soul Style! Boy, aren't we glad that this battle is being recorded like all the others for those who are asleep to view later! We've been unable to get a visualization of the attic interior of Lonesome Manor since our loss of it when Reshiram appeared in place of Ryuu. Who knew she was actually a girl?=

* * *

Reshiram rolled her eyes. At least the rumor she asked Philesmon to spread worked out fine. Teridax narrowed his eyes at the goddess. This was a prime opportunity for him and he wasn't going to let it escape. The two stood across from each other, the vat of glowing silver liquid between them. A sphere of liquid erupted out of it and the two lunged for it. Reshiram caught the sphere first and flipped over Teridax's strike for the ball. She landed and flipped off one of the pillars and the liquid sphere turned a brilliant azure. He quickly spun her staff and threw it at Teridax. The Makuta caught there sphere in his staff, turning it a glowing darkness in color, before sending it back at her. Reshiram flipped onto a pillar before the sphere hit the ground, causing a small explosion of darkness.

* * *

The buildings were leveled as Soul Style and Climax King's attacks collided, the rod and axe replaced by Shinobi Gun's blaster and an automatic bow made of pristine marble and a laser's barrel replacing the arrow. Nearby, Kaito was inside DenLiner, sipping a cup of coffee.

"Stupid train. Doesn't even know I'm in here," Kaito chuckled.

**"Futon: Daitopa!" **Ryutaros shouted before Climax King unleashed a pressurized blast of air around him, knocking Soul Style away, **"Mokuton: Binding Chains!"**

Trees erupted from the ground and restrained Soul Style. After a minute, the trees shattered by a blast of red energy.

"Now this is fun. I don't have this much thrill in a fight unless its with my husband in Hub Style," Soul Style smirked, "But _it's...lacking_ in some places."

**"How so?"** WarRock asked.

"For one..." Soul Style appeared behind Climax King, kicking him into a building, caving it in, "...You have no speed like my own. And the other..."

She raised her hand into the air and a massive ball of red energy flared into it.

"...Your power is not good enough!" Soul Style roared as she sent the sphere at them.

**"Fuck,"** was the unanimous statement from all but Ryutaros.

**"Denpa Ninpou: Kawamari no Jutsu!"** Ryutaros declared.

The ground shattered as the attack collided with it, destroying half of Mean Street.

_'I forgot how destructive Soul Style is...That's what I get for not using it in over four years,'_ Soul Style thought.

_"Holy crud...Ryutaros, I am _so_ glad you're on our side,"_ Geo gulped as Tribe King Climax Form poked his head out of a trashcan.

**"Oi! What about me?"** Momotaros demanded.

**"Less arguing, more fighting,"** WarRock replied, punching himself in the masks.

* * *

**"Still running, goddess?"** Teridax chuckled.

Reshiram narrowed her eyes at Teridax. The two jumped once more for the orb.

* * *

"Are you able to get a signal at all?" Rokusho Zero asked at the meditating Palkia.

_"I can't. Even with the three of us here, I can't get a strong enough signal to penetrate the barrier that blocks our sight of their battle,"_ Palkia growled.

_"Maybe we should've brought our sisters here,"_ Dialga noted.

_**"And let Azelf meet Dewloren here? No way! She'd have him in bed by the end of the hour they meet,"**_Giratina argued, _**"I mean, they both have the same personality except when she sees a guy she'd like. Then she turns into a little vixen."**_

"I'm not hearing this right now..." Dewloren muttered.

"Oh, then I'll tell you, master," Rokusho Zero chuckled.

"Don't...you..._dare_..." Dewloren muttered.

* * *

Climax King and Soul Style panted as they stood across each other, ten meters apart. They were within the remains of Dark Beauty Castle, the walls crumbling around them. Their armor and jumpsuits were torn at various places with cuts and bruises forming on the skin that was visible under the torn areas of their jumpsuits.

"Care...to end this...in one...blow?" Soul Style panted.

**"You...bet..."** WarRock replied.

Cyber's right arm converted into a Roll Arrow in her outfit's color design. The tip began to glow in the red energy, the woman focusing all her power into it. Across from her, Climax King held up the pass as the five fossilized items appeared before him. He scanned them all.

**=CHARGE AND UP: LINK FORCE BIG BANG=**

**"Hissatsu...Ore-Tachi no Hissatsu Waza...Climax Version!"** WarRock roared, **"Heh. That was cool to say."**

**"You got it!" **Momotaros agreed.

The fossilized bow and arrow. The six items proceeded to go into the position of Geo and WarRock's shooting star emblem before a multicolored energy appeared between them. The five masks removed themselves from his body before attaching to his left arm, turning into WarRock's head made of them. The jaws began to charge up a multicolored sphere of energy.

* * *

**"You...!"** Teridax sent the sphere at Rehsiram, making her leap from one pillar as it was destroyed by the sphere's impact, **"...Shall **_**not**_**...!"** Teridax caught another one just as it was emerging from the glowing liquid and sent it at her once more, destroying another pillar, **"...be victorious!"**

Reshiram jumped from the ground as the sphere hit it. She landed on another pillar. Teridax continued to repeat the process with her. Reshiram panted a bit, forgetting it had been countless eons since she last had a body...and that was before time was even made. Teridax held up his right hand and fired a blast at the roof, destroying it to reveal the stands.

**"An audience watches us to see your final failure, Blazing White Yang."**

_"I have not yet lost this, Teridax,"_ Reshiram replied.

**"Then die!"** Teridax roared.

With that, Teridax threw the sphere at Reshiram. The goddess jumped at it and spun in a circle. At the bottom of her spin, the sphere was caught in her staff's 'scoop.' In the middle of the spin, the sphere turned a blazing blue. Near the end of her spin, she let it loose. The sphere shot like a rocket and slammed into the behemoth's torso, sending him deeper into the shadows. Reshiram snapped her left hand and torches lit lines the walls, lighting up the room.

**"Well played, White Yang,"** Teridax growled as he stood up, the ruins of the wall and Beetleworks Machine falling off him, **"Now I protect Existence from **_**you**_**."**

_"Protect it?"_

**"Sleep spares it pain. Awake, it suffers."**

_"_You _are not protecting it!"_

**"My Duty is to the Mask of Shadows!"**

_"Then let's take a closer look behind that mask!"_ Reshiram declared.

With that, she flew right into Teridax's face. The behemoth roared as he tried to get her off, but she refused to budge, keeping a tight grip upon his mask. As the two struggled with each other, Reshiram began to pull harder on the mask.

**"No!"** Teridax cried out as green and blue light flared off his face as the Mask was beginning to be removed when the two fell into the glowing liquid.

* * *

_**"Grandmother!"**_ the Creation Trio cried out_._

"Lady Reshiram!" Rokusho Zero cried before an explosion erupted at the Easy Street area and the sirens went off to reveal the screens had changed to show a picture of Chu and the word 'WINNER' below it.

* * *

"Of all the..." Max sighed.

"That was bodaciously awesome!" Po exclaimed, "Their attacks hit each other at the exact same time! What was she using? The Xian Quio Stab of Excruciating Pain?"

"Looked more like Master Flying Rhino's Impaling Stab of Stinging," Tai Lung noted.

"Focus on the status of young Ryuu! I do not wish to tell Haruka that her son has died when she awakes!" Shifu snapped as he walloped the two on the head with his staff when a pulse of power erupted from the liquid in the stage, knocking nearly everyone out.

"Whoa! What was that?" Max asked as he looked at the only two still awake, Shafu and Hub.

"I...I'm not sure," Hub replied as his body began to stiffen, "But something is making me feel...restless."

"You too?" Max asked.

* * *

_**"Why do I feel so**_** antsy?"** Giratina whimpered as he began to shuffle about in place.

_"Something's coming...something that makes me feel insignificant in the grand scheme of Time,"_ Dialga trembled.

_"You said it...but for me, it's with Space..."_ Palkia shivered as he hugged his two brothers.

Dewloren's right hand was shaking while Onii-San's left hand trembled. Neither one could move from their spots. It was as if the coming presence was...paralyzing them without even being there. Rokusho Zero was barely staying awake nearby, his head resting in a barely awake Julie's lap.

"It's too strong..." Julie whispered as sleep took her, her head resting on Dewloren's shoulder.

"Mata Nui..." Rokusho Zero mumbled as his eyes turned off.

His back opened and a six-sided gold Medal shot out of it. The front of it had what resembled a mask, the middle of it having a six-colored jewel in the middle. From the roofless Lonesome Manor, a resounding roar emanated from the glowing liquid.

* * *

"Something's coming out..." Max's eyes widened, unaware of his eyes turning completely black with two gold draconic eyes in the centers.

"Something powerful..." Hub added as his eyes shifted to solid red with black dots in the centers.

* * *

A claw ripped out of the waters, the appendage biomechanical in nature. In it was an unconscious Reshiram. Blue flames covered her before changing into Ryuu, Kage groaning on his chest.

"Tikooba tiquana..." Kage groaned before the two were tossed onto land gently.

A second claw erupted out of the waters, carrying Teridax. Teridax was thrown roughly onto the other side of the room, out cold. The two claws went back into the liquid before a figure erupted out of it. The being was technogranic much like the Rahkshi, Visorak, and Teridax. His body was the same shape and design as Teridax, yet a bit more streamlined with the shoulders, knees, feet, bits of the wings, and hands a brilliant gold that had crimson stripes decorating it. The armor was also rust-free and the pitting mended. The tail it had was long like a tiger's tail, yet powerful and akin to a dragon's tail, ending with a trident-shaped sword. The mask was a mixture of solid crimson and pristine gold, making a perfect mixture of tiger and dragon in its appearance.

"L**i**_**ght **_**a**n**d **_**Da**_**r**k a_r__**e no**_**w **B_al__**a**_**nc**e_d, __**rev**__e_a**li**_**n**__g t_h_**e**__W__**il**__l _o**f M**_**a**_**t**a N_u__**i!**_" the being declared.

* * *

"Mata Nui?" Dewloren choked out as the stage changed back to its standard mode, _'That voice...It's the same one from last night...'_

The Trophies changed back, yet all of them were unconscious. The figure turned to the God's Booth and was suddenly before the gods and their guests in the booth. The being growled at Dewloren and Onii-San, the disappointment clear in the growl, before it approached Arceus. Palkia barely moved his right arm when the figure snarled at him, making the God of Space freeze up. The figure turned back to Arceus and pulled out a small photo, placing it under her front left leg.

_"Wh...Who are...you...?"_ Dialga grunted, making the being look at him.

"**M**_**ang**_**a**i**a**_**,**_" the figure stated before he appeared before Teridax and lifted him up and was suddenly gone along with the pressure.

"Horrible..." Onii-San gulped, "Completely horrible...You felt that Killer Intent directed at us, Dewloren?"

"And I thought enraging Philemon was horrible..." Dewloren nodded, barely hiding his shaking.

_"Or when Mother is having her period..."_ Palkia shuddered.

The others still awake in the God's booth shivered with him. Everyone there knew that no matter what, you do not piss off Arceus when she's on her period. Dewloren recalled the time Arceus was staying for a month with her godfather during his training...He had to ask Wisemon to look in that book of his and erase his memories of that time later. He knew she was the goddess of everything that existed, but he never knew she could bend a guy's spine _that_ way...

* * *

"Ah!" Max yelped as something whacked him on the head, causing him to vanished in a puff of smoke.

"..." Hub looked down to see a leatherback book, "A book? He dealt with that shockwave of power, the presence of that being, _and_ a kick to the nuts...and he loses to a book?-!"

"What kind of book?" Sharkie Chan asked as he reached for it, only to be zapped by the book, "Ay-yaiyaiyaiyaiyai! That's a shocking cover!"

The Kensei and Hub slowly looked down at the book. The cover was strange in design. It had a silver symbol resembling two curves with three dots, the center the largest of the three. Above and below it were strange circles with either a line, dot, neither, or both in them. Hub slowly reached for it and brushed his fingers on the cover. No shocks. Slowly, he picked it up and opened it up to the first page, the page having kanji on it.

"'They called me 'Mangaia.' I believe the translation most approximate would be 'Guardian.' I am no guardian, yet they consider me as such. I know not the name I had before, yet I recall a being of great evil or of great good before me. I have but a lone scar upon my form over my Heart Stone as the ones that gave me the name 'Mangaia' dubbed it. How I received it, I am unsure. Until I recall who I am, and why I want to kill a pair who use either Spiral Energy primarily or Mind Energy primarily, I will write down all I learn within this journal.' Hm? I can't turn the page," Hub noted before holding his head, "Anyone else feel a splitting headache start to form or is it just me?"

"Same here," Pyon Biao agreed.

"Seems we're finally feeling the effects of that presence," Michelle Peng admitted while holding the sides of her head.

"What say we all spend tomorrow sleeping?" Sharkie Chan asked, "All in favor, act like that blue cat over there chewing on his tail in his sleep."

"Aye," the Kensei replied.

* * *

"Eh?-!-?"

"Well, considering the circumstances, we've had to resort to the old scoring system we had," Master Hand informed, "And it showed that Geo and WarRock had the highest score of you three."

"And I helped!" Crazy Hand proudly declared.

"Aw man..." Chu sighed as she slumped before Meiru hugged her.

"Hop in my hair," Meiru spoke.

"Huh? But we had a bet and..."

"A bet? I never recalled a bet," Meiru replied.

"..." Chu smiled before zipping into her hair and then onto her shoulder, "Thanks."

"Now then, tomorrow will be a day off," Master Hand informed, "Therefore, there will be no fights. The next round will be Toriko..."

"Sweet!"

"William Star…"

"Awesome," Will smiled.

"And finally, Samus Aran." Samus only smiled. "Now, as to the Assists. First is Ronan," Master Hand continued, Ronan bowing at the waist. "Ah, another Knight of the Grand Chase, the magician known as Arme."

"Yay!" Arme cheered, raising both hands.

"Zone Watcher Councilor Lai." There was no sound, other than a random cricket chirping. "Who is once again not here…anyways, next we have Sly once more, as well as Greymon and Chaud Blaze."

"Again?" Chaud groaned, _'I wonder if we'll be able to see ZekeGreymon again...'_

"Whooooooo!-!-!" Greymon cheered as Protoman facepalmed.

"And, Toriko, a special request was made by your former teacher," Master Hand informed, "The next three will be your old friends Zebra, Coco, and Sunny."

"What?-! All three of them are going to show up here!-?" Toriko gasped.

"All four Bishoyoukai..." Komatsu paled significantly.

"Is that bad?" Julie asked.

"You've never met them before, have you?" Komatsu asked.

"Nope," Julie shrugged, "I've only met you in the Nevermore, Uncle Komatsu."

"J-Just me?" Komatsu gawked.

"Until the day after tomorrow," Master Hand bowed, "Take care."

* * *

"Heh. That was easy enough," Lockdown smirked.

"I'm amazed you could hack their systems to modify those scores, kani," Rampage chuckled.

"Well, do you want to face a mad Kalar?" Lockdown asked.

"Yes."

"...Of course..." Lockdown muttered.

* * *

"Onore, Decade..." the figure growled, observing Tsukasa, Natsumi, and Yusuke dining with Kaito and the Gokaigers at a restaurant, "How do you evade death here? You were supposed to be absorbed by that being. Next time you fight, you _will_ die. I will make sure of it, even if I have to do so _myself_."

* * *

"So why are you guys following me, besides Ryutaros?" Geo asked.

**"Because you made a Wish, making a Contract with us,"** Momotaros replied.

**"We are bound to fulfill that Contract at any cost!"** Kintaros added as he cracked his neck.

"Why did he wish for again?" WarRock asked.

**"Happiness,"** Urataros replied, **"You made that wish just as we were turning back into Trophies. You wished for Happiness."**

"I was half-dazed from that attack!" Geo argued.

**"A Wish is a Wish,"** Urataros replied.

**"We will do our best to help you achieve Happiness,"** Sieg bowed formally, **"Perhaps a date with the fair red haired woman would suffice?"**

"...What?" Geo froze up, blushing a bit.

**"Ah, Sonia Strumm, I believe?"** Urataros pondered.

"U-Urusei!" Geo snapped as he ran off, causing WarRock to start laughing.

"I'm gonna like having you guys here," WarRock noted.

**"You do realize that the WarRock we knew would end up going through a pallet swap along with a personality change when we possessed our Geo Stellar, correct?"** Sieg asked, making WarRock freeze up.

"Well...It wouldn't work on me, would it?" WarRock asked.

**"Could be,"** Kintaros replied.

"Oh come on!" WarRock exclaimed.

* * *

**That's it for this chapter. Hope everyone enjoyed. Mangaia is owned by Gammatron.**


	119. The Continuum Shift

**Well, I didn't upload a few chapters, but you can hop on over to Gammatron's Cybernetic Blue Blur:Battle! to see what I didn't upload. I didn't upload due to personal choices, but I figure you'll enjoy them.**

* * *

Early morning for the Smash Manor was a serene time...

"Help me!" Ragna screamed as he fled from an enraged Samus and Noel.

...Except for when Ragna ends up making a comment and causes the more 'trigger happy' girls to chase him and try and kill the idiot. As they ran out the back entrance, Max was walking up to the front entrance of Smash Manor. He had just arrived back in the Zone, stepping around some craters in front of the Manor that he noticed were slowly regenerating. He pushed the doors open, surprised at how quiet it was.

"Must be having a meeting."

_**"Hmm...True," **_Kyurem agreed in Max's mind.

Max continued to walk through the Manor. He began walking through the halls until he finally arrived at the Conference Room where normal announcements were made. As he opened the door, he heard the tail end of Master Hand's sentence.

_"-will be a day off,"_ Master Hand's attention went to the door as he heard it open, _"Ah, Maxwell. You're just in time. I just finished announcing that today would be a day off to allow the fighters to recuperate. Well, that is all, Smashers. Try not to get too rowdy."_

_"Unless you're using the day off for kinky sex time. Then get as rowdy as you want," _Crazy Hand pointed out before screaming as he barely flew through a wall, making a hole in it, to avoid the attacks of various blushing women there.

Master Hand sighed as he shook himself. Master Hand then floated off the stage while the Smashers and Assists walked past Max, some greeting him, others giving him a simple nod. He pulled Hub aside, Ryuu following him.

"Hey, man," Hub said, grinning. "Where've ya been?"

"Some extra training," Max replied, shaking hands with Ryuu, "Was hoping you guys could tell me what happened in the matches I wasn't here for."

"Sure thing!" Hub replied with a grin.

"Yosha! It'll be wakiwaki!" Ryuu declared before frowning, "But also Zowazowa and Ujyaujya."

"...When did he start talking like that?" Max asked as he looked over at Hub.

"Onii-tachi!" the three turned to see Kyohaku run over with a note in her left hand, "Lookie."

"What's this?" Hub pondered as he was given the note, "'Hub, Going out with Maylu and Mirajane to Magnolia Town in Fiore. Please look after Kyohaku and your brother...more your brother than Kyohaku-chan. Love, mom.'"

"Oi, oi, oi!" Ryuu pouted.

* * *

"Ugh! This damn stupid barrier!" the only girl of the Absolute Hunters screeched as she kicked the barrier, only to scream as her shoe and foot were burnt badly and quickly healed.

"Seems that Dewloren is as crafty as ever," Mana noted, "Augmenting his own Mind Energy with this barrier forged by the sealing of the Death Arcana..."

"...Is pretty shitty."

The loyal members of Mana's inner circle along with Mana turned around to see a figure with his back leaning on thin air nearby. He had a calm, collect air around him, wearing a fine black formal suit with a white button shirt and black fedora, bits of his green hair visible. His smile was cool and warm, yet Mana could tell it wasn't a true smile.

"Tell me, it's been too long, hasn't it? This whole thing's just a pain in your ass, ain't it Mana Albarn?" the man asked, his eyes closed in a 'smile' formation.

* * *

Blaze, Tarn, Tara, and Lai looked up as Olo walked into the conference room the Hands had given them. "Shall I assume that this is about the presence of Narutaki?" he asked as he made his way to the closest chair, the door closing behind him.

"You assume correctly, Olo," Tarn said. "I normally would have called the full council here, but as you know, not everyone is as comfortable around the Hands as we are. And some are very….aggressive towards them."

"Indeed. Shall I assume that you have a plan for apprehending our rogue Watcher?"

"No," Lai said. His hands were folded, his stare drilling into the table. He moved his eyes to look up at Tarn. "It has been determined that we will be unable to apprehend him without great damage to ourselves and the area in which we attempt to do so."

"Tarn has decided that there is only one option open to us," Tara picked up, frowning.

"I am authorizing the use of the Zone Watcher Council's full force. All limiters are to be removed. Though apprehending him is what I wish for, I do not want to loses our forces simply to keep one insane man alive. If his death is unavoidable in a fight, then so be it."

"Are we certain the Zone can handle it?" Olo asked.

"Given that the Zone barely reacted when Blaze used his Ultimate Burn Out, yes. It can handle it." Tarn stood up, his cane tapping as he slowly walked towards the door. "Narutaki was a problem that we should have handled ourselves when the signs first began to present themselves. We will now take this problem back into our own hands. And Blaze," Tarn said, not turning as he opened the door.

"Sir?" Blaze asked.

"Inform the Hands and Maxwell. We will probably need their cooperation."

* * *

Of those there, Kenta and Ose were the most surprised by the sudden arrival. Having skill sets from their roots served them well, as they could tell something was up. Whoever this man was didn't appear very large-and-in-charge in the power department, but being careless or not, this dashing man managed to slip through the cracks of their collective sensory abilities. Without ever needing to make eye contact, the two Absolute Hunters had started formulating a plan of attack should anything go wrong - it paid to be cautious in their profession.

Lusha readied herself in a slight stance, though clearly was a bit nervous. Goka sported a rare expression of defensive glaring that could burn a hole through even the hottest star, since he hates cocky punks like this son-of-a-bitch who waltzes here like he owned the damn place. Suppressed, having kept his stoic mask, had snaked his right arm to the middle of his gargantuan scythe's pole on his back, the chain of rings connecting the butt to his wrist jingled slightly.

Mana alone remained undeterred by the surprise guest. True, he was honestly taken aback by this guest, yet successfully remained cool under the situation. In the split span of mere seconds that transpired, the brunette sorcerer and swordsman determined that this man - as it would appear - assessed the moment correctly, his addressing the brunette without a moment's hesitation or deterrence implying a form of formal familiarity.

Perhaps he was someone on Akainu's 'guest list' that arrived late to the party. Well, better late then ever. "I suppose we gave them more of an ample amount of time to ready the second act. Speaking of, I take it you're acquainted with Akainu?", Mana asked coolly in the heat of the potential standoff, urging his subordinates to stand down.

"Of course I am," the man replied before holding up Akainu's hat, slashes made with bloodstains sticking to it, "But he made a little mistake and had to be 'retired' from the Absolute Hunters. So sorry about that."

"!", expressed the group before him. Sure most of them really didn't care for the Marine - since their loyalty was with Mana - but for his murder to go unnoticed. Mana adopted a steely gaze.

"Dare I ask what the hell exactly happened before I decide to take one from Goka's book and proceed to beating you mercilessly within an inch of your life with extreme prejudice? The least you can do is explain yourself."

The figure stood there undaunted, yet knew this wasn't the time or place to be coy - the cards in this round weren't exactly in his favor at the present moment.

"Why simple, he was planning a simple thing, really; he wanted the power your late, yet soon-to-be-revived, girlfriend's body has, Mana," he explained, "However, the only way to do that is to absorb her soul, which is sealed with our little lady behind the doors. Now I ask you this; does anyone here know a woman that goes by the moniker of 'The Regretful One?' Answer? Me and Mana here do! Oh don't give me such a confused look, Mana Albarn, after all...You know the Regretful One on a more personal level since her life before was ended by Alexander's hands!"

Ose, Lusha and Goka exchanged odd looks, having never heard of an 'Alexander' in relation to their boss. Suppressed's expression change slightly - in the form of widened eyes, but otherwise remained the same - and Kenta slowly glowered. He knew. After all, it was how that battle in the Midepian Desert went down.

Mana's expression darkened by a few shades. "Well aren't you in a big hurry to die? You have a lot of guts uttering his real name to my face. Either that, or a dangerous lack of brain cells."

"Mana," came Kenta's flat tone, slowly conjuring his Zweihandler into existence, the long rosary beads at the handle's end shuffling. "It seems that in this man's housekeeping, he neglected a mess. Shall I take out the trash?"

Mana paused for a moment. "You have one chance to explain yourself. And make it count; I'm not known as a charity case with my time."

"W-wait a minute, I'm confused. Who's this 'Alex' guy?", asked Lusha.

Goka glowered, his singular blood-red left eye turning into a scowling gaze. "It's that motherfucking sack of shit Onii-San's real name, ain't it?"

Lusha cast a shocked expression at the bizarrely-clothed Devil Arcana user. "WHAT?!"

"Goka, language - there are children here.", Mana chided without the slightest hint of emotion; this also jeered at Goka's asshole-like nature. "So, you know about Alice's powers as well. Depending on how you explain yourself, you might convince me to not make mincemeat out of you."

"Well, it's simple, really. I'm here on a job from, well, you," the man replied as he took his hat off to reveal his bright, shaggy green hair, "Well now, this is quite rude of me as well. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Captain Hazama from the Novus Orbis Librarium, or NOL for short. Your Absolute Hunters achieved their goal of reviving the Regretful One, buuuut you also caused a major upset because the Death Arcana had been sealed, resulting in 'poor, little' Ryuu to become a-shall we say-'Black Beast' that created an existence-wide threat."

Suppressed felt a strange shiver go through his soul at the words 'Black Beast.'

"In your wise planning, you left some instructions to form the NOL and a little extra side-project data from your creating of DaiRyuuseiKiller." he began to give a slow applause, "Great job on that, by the way, if you hadn't attempted to create the ultimate weapon, we would have never had the plans to use souls and 'smelt' them together in order to form the Nox Nyctores or our salvation of discovering a power unlocked through them that could shatter the drills of a Spiral and rip apart the 'Truth' of a Mind; Seithr."

A sickly green energy began to emanate from the man. The energy caused confusion to almost all of them, though. They could see the energy, how it slithered almost like a garden of hungry snakes, yet they felt no energy.

"And there is no trouble with the mess. By now, my lovely 'assistant' Phantom is finishing the cleaning," Hazama replied as the energy died down, "Once she is, you'll be all that much closer to unlocking the Death Arcana and bringing the Regretful One back without causing a massive genocide of Existence and Nonexistence. And it all starts with getting out of here without even touching the barrier or alerting Dewloren of your escape from it. Clever little kitty, that half-tiger kid, he added a detection spell to the barrier to keep an eye on you all. This is why I personally hate cats of any kind; always so damn sneaky like that."

"Heh.", Mana finding himself seeing humor in those words. "Dewloren was always one who valued being through. Never letting anything out of his sight even for a moment. Looking back, this tactic is child's play to him. You can't underestimate a cunning beast eager for fresh meat."

Mana sneered. "But if he's a hungry tiger... then I'm the cruel king of wolves, the hunter of the eternal night." Suppressed in particular lowered his head slightly from the secret meaning in those words.

"The vengeful guard dog of Hell that will exact vengeance even if it means the gods become his next meal...", Suppressed said aloud, void of emotion.

"Regardless...", Mana quipped, fixing the mood a bit. "I knew for some time that it was Dewloren who set up the barrier to this area. I first was taken aback by that knight's display of power, but even that was an elaborate ruse. A through distraction that threw me off the scent, not knowing his handiwork till after the fact. Even so... it wasn't until this occurred that I noticed something truly... fascinating."

This caught green-hair man's interest; shown by his slight surprise at Mana's sudden change in demeanor - it was almost a sudden sadistic rush, the kind one gets from pleasure by instilling pain; regardless of the target.

"That knight's spiritual essence. In that one attack, he told me far more of his identity that mere words or data alone. I know his identity. He thought he was superior, but it also proves that he himself knows not this daunting truth."

Lusha, who's left arm was destroyed and stomach beaten to putty by that same... 'thing', was all ears. Anything was game for even the playing field with DaiRyuuseiKnight. "And that's..."

Mana merely smirked, running his right hand's fingers into his hair, stopping them at the neck of his digits, having tiled his head backwards. "Aah, it truly was a novice mistake. But that itself is what made it so genius." Ose quirked his brows. "I do not follow, I'm afraid."

"It's not so much a basis or anything. Merely.. a 'common sense' factor. A good number of high-class magic requires a decent mastery of several arts, especially ones that beckon the will of the elements... time and space... even the essence of life and death."

Kenta's eyes widened a decent amount. "Are you... implying that he's...?!"

"W-what? What is he?! Out with it already!", barked Goka.

"It's not entirely impossible to understand once you break it down. For the most part, high-class magic requires a form of spiritual manifestation and advanced understanding in the ethics of the universe around them. In other words... a contract with existence that's unique to each person."

This hit Kenta like a burlap bag of bricks. "You mean... a signature?"

Goka blinked once, "Huh? The hell are you talking about autographs for?"

Ose pinched his nose ridge. "He means someone's life force, dolt."

Goka scowled at the comment.

"Ose's got it on the money," the Absolute Hunter's leader confessed, "The signature of any individual is unique in every way. Even with the vast Zones and dimensions, every being and counterpart bears different, if not relative similar, 'marks'. However, that knight's mark is a perfect match to someone I know all too well. And besides, the spell that created at sustained his existence in this plane is extremely high-ranked and forbidden Mind Magic that only a select few were ever able to master, even to this day. There's simply no other explanation that fits the bill."

"So... he's a magic offspring? Like a homunculus?", asked Ose.

"Surprisingly, Ose, this is not quite it. It's a kin of sorts to this art, but far more advanced... and ruthlessly complicated. It's far more sophisticated that practically forging a golem or magical puppet. You are literally creating crating life from virtually nothing. An act of the gods."

"Like... making babies...?" Lusha asked curiously, but almost made it seem out of childish innocence.

Uncannily, Mana blushed ever so lightly at those words and looked away, coughing once into his fist. "A-anyway... I guess that makes sense. But it's a 'baby' made from a single person. A high-class sorcerer at that."

"...So, asexual reproduction?"

Mana's blush deepened, "Okay, where the hell did you learn this?"

"I'm not stupid you know. Besides, being at the base with no action for so long makes me bored. Had to do something."

The newcomer couldn't help but chuckle at this golden moment; it seemed to be almost too perfect a Kodak moment. Mana internally sweatdropped, an expression unlike him being worn, brows twitching and all.

_'So he passes time learning sex ed. Seems logical. Then again, what is anymore?'_ Mana recomposed himself, "So... that aside... this magic is pretty much making life from your own essence. But it ain't easy. In fact, it's a huge gamble for the unprepared."

"Meaning...?" Hazama inquired, feeling his silence was going on too long. Mana noticed this.

"You simply cannot make life from absolute nothingness. Even the most powerful and divine abilities have rules and guidelines to follow. Life must bequeath life to give life to another. That's what pregnancy is for, long and short."

Goka bent forward, hands on hips. "Whoa whoa whoa, you talking about a transfer here? You saying the 'parent' used his own life force to make that _THING_?"

"In a matter of speaking, yes. He cultivated a new lifeform from a snippet of his soul - an Alma."

"You mean a 'soul child'?", Kenta asked in amazement. "I thought that magic was condemned centuries ago!"

Ose nodded. "Indeed. I was raised thinking the same. You'd have to be extremely skilled to attempt it and hope to get out unscathed. That or completely mental."

"In addition to that, those who are successful are slated for execution for committing the act. Someone like Philemon would never allow it," noted Suppressed. Then his eyes widedend. "Unless... unless it was!" Everyone turned to the half-naked scythe wielder with Rapunzel-length pale brown hair. "Back then... when he had the Altars of Sin... I knew something was wrong. He knew who I was on sight. That means he was conditioned to fight us. That proves he's more than an Alma; he may as well be a groomed super-soldier."

Mana cupped his chin in thought, _'You sly devil... you really never fail to surprise me. No matter, I can play this game too, old friend.'_

"Well now that we've gotten that information out of the way...You're only half-right about the 'knight,'" everyone looked at Hazama as he took out a cell-phone shaped like a hard-boiled egg.

He flipped it open and pressed a button, revealing Dai in a hologram.

"Say hello to Dai Hikari, cloned 'daughter' of Hub Hikari and Mirajane Strauss-Hikari, but also..." Hazama introduced as the image showed Dai turning into DaiRyuuseiKnight, earning a surprised look from the others, "She is the body of DaiRyuuseiKnight. I should know since I was the one who made her from their DNA. I was so hoping to make her the perfect weapon and bring her here as a little present, but that damn cat just had to show up and kidnap her when she was finished being made. But, that's another story for another Continuum Shift. **Phantom**!"

A black flame erupted behind Ose, showing no warmth, no cold, just a sense of...nothing. The flame died down, turning into a skin-tight purple robe, hugging the lithe figure of a woman. Tassels ending with ends resembling they had been burned off wrapped around the large collar of the robes. Shadowing her face was a hat, leaving nothing to be seen beneath. Much like Hazama, not one of them could sense anything about her. Floating beside her was a mop and filled bucket of dirty water.

"Oh come now, you know I prefer not leaving a mess uncleaned by someone," Hazama frowned at the figure, "Plus, the maid outfit looked adorable."

"..."

"Fine, fine. Lousy no-good...Try to have a little fun..." Hazama grumbled before smirking, "Behold, your key to escape. My lovely assistant, Phantom the Sorceress."

"Charmed," Mana replied to the feminine figure, lightly placing his hand to his breast in a formal respect, "I certainly hope it wasn't as big a trouble completing your task as your master's fetish may entail."

"F-Fetish...?!" Hazama gawked, face flustered with a deep blush.

Phantom's nose ridge bared a slight rosy hue, placing her scarf ends in the shape of 'knuckles' to her hidden lips, seeming to also share the surprise.

"N-Now, I do believe we've strayed off topic..." Hazama pointed out.

Mana sneered, "Oh, look who's talking. Lolita fetish much?"

"You're not helping."

"Pot calling the kettle black."

"Pirate."

"Lewd."

"Mangy dog."

"Fashion disaster."

"Potted plant head."

"Brussels sprout."

"My hair is a rich forest green, thank you!"

"Oh, so you're a shrub. Good to know."

"GRRRRRRRRR!"

While Ose, Lusha, Suppressed and Kenta could merely stare - Suppressed merely blinking and Kenta pinching his nose ridge and shaking his head - Goka sighed on a slightly different...

"Shit. And I never brought popcorn. This totally sucks," Goka noted before a small burst of black flames made a bucket of popcorn appear in his hands, "Sweet!"

"You're not helping!", roared Mana and Hazama, both yelling as if scolding a child than out of the incessant childlike antics afoot suggests.

Goka at that moment proceeded to have hopped back on one foot in a crazed crash test dummy position out of the sheer catching off guard, dropping a bit of his popcorn, "Cripes, don't do that! You trying to give me a stroke?!"

The other four underlings merely stared at the strangely-attired redheaded Devil Arcana user blankly, thinking an unanimous, _'...You're the one who brought it on yourself...'_

"..." Phantom turned to Hazama.

"Ah, yes. Forgot about that. Phantom!"

Hazama snapped his fingers once. From under the brim of her hat, sinister red eyes glowed. The Absolute Hunters blinked before black flames had engulfed the area. Mana narrowed his eyes before his eyes widened. Runes. Trillions upon Trillions of miniscule runes made up the flames.

"Right now, to the naughty kitty that's being such a peeping tom, we're all still behind the barrier. But, in reality..." Hazama explained as the flames died down, revealing they were before a massive wall with the center sporting a series of overlapping 'wings' in a circular pattern, "We're directly beneath Smash Town. Behold the **Cauldron**!"

"..." Phantom's hat twitched slightly to the left.

"Of course, Phantom. You forgot that I've seen every possibility they could do?" Hazama asked, earning confused looks from the Absolute Hunters, "Oh, yes. Well, I'm known as an '**Observer**' which allows me to see every. single. possibility. Every word you use, every move your make, every attack you could or couldn't learn. I've seen it all and I've been focusing on one little part that is doomed to fail in this Continuum; your lover's revival, Mana, and the reason is simple; Lan Xavier 'Ryuu' Hikari. So long as he's alive, the Death Arcana is sealed. Upon his death, the Death Arcana becomes unlocked."

"..." Phantom's hat slightly twitched to the right.

"Oh, good point. Due to how long the **Death Arcana** being sealed for so long, there's a little problem," Hazama noted, "Upon its release, _everything_ will die in a matter of minutes. Because of this, we're going to have something I love to call a '**Bad Ending**.' It's why I had Phantom bring us to this. Upon killing him, this Cauldron will open up. Once you jump through it, you retain your memories and abilities from the previous Continuum and emerge in the next Continuum Shift. However, because of my status, I'm connected to myself all over, so only Phantom will accompany you through it."

"...What'd she say?" Goka asked.

"Oh, yes, forgot that only Mana and I am able to understand her silence words," Hazama chuckled, "Phantom in merely saying that if you try to go through it without her placing **Seithr Seals** on you all or if you're not something made of metal with a soul in it or if you're 'connected' to an Observer, you'll transform into an uncontrollable, soul-smelting, semi-immortal, semi-invulnerable '**Black Beast**' that can only be harmed by its own energy. Though, I'm expecting for Goka to just forget it all like usual." He hopped off the rock he was standing on and pulled out a pair of butterfly daggers, "Well, I'll handle killing the Hikari brat for you all." He stopped once he went by them, "Oh, yes, I almost forgot to introduce my 'partner.'"

The Absolute Hunters tensed up as they finally felt it. Hazama's energy was massive and...tainted. The way it felt made them think they were in a den of serpents, completely engulfed in their slithering bodies. The power surging from Hazama blew away his fedora, revealing his hair sticking straight up. His eyes snapped wide open, revealing they were a brilliant gold with a serpent-like look to them.

"**Restriction Number 666 Release! Dimensional Forcefield Deployed!**" Hazama declared before giving off a maniacal cackle, "**Now behold the power of the Azure, the forgotten twin of Ultima Energy! Code S.O.L. 'Azure Grimoire' Activate!**"

A ring of green runes, each glowing a tainted, sickly green, appearing around him. Twin hisses went off in the air as the butterfly knives glowed with the same energy before transforming into bronze/gold serpent heads that began to go around him along the sides of the runes. Their 'bodies' were lines of the energy made into a chain-like style, the tails being the butterfly knives. The feeling of power vanished just as quickly as it appeared.

"Behold! **Geminus Anguium: Ouroboros (Snake Pair: Ouroboros)** and the power of the **Azure Grimoire**!" Hazama cackled before looking up at the sky, "I'm comin' for ya, Ryuu Hikari!"

* * *

"Yikes..." Max gawked, "So that's what's been going on."

"That's right," Hub nodded, "Still can't believe that Onii-san knows a...scratch that, I can believe it."

"Yosha!" Ryuu nodded while giving Kyohaku a piggyback ride around the park they were in.

"Faster, Oniichan, faster!" Kyohaku giggled in delight.

"So this 'Narutaki' guy could be the cause of it all, right?" Max suggested, "The whole 'Messing with the Smash Tournament' thing, not the 'Universal Oblivion' thing."

_**"Agreed,"**_ Kyurem agreed, _**"I've been smelling something...off...ever since we got he-Hm?"**_

_'What's up?'_ Max thought.

_**"This is bad...I smell a Nox Nyctores."**_

_'Knocks Nick Tore Us?'_

_**"It's heading right for...Reshiram!"**_

"Oh! Sorry!" Ryuu's apology got Max's attention.

Max turned at the same time Hub did. There, before Ryuu and Kyohaku, was a strange figure. He seemed to be cool and laid back. His skin was a mix between a healthy peach and an unhealthy pale. His vivid green hair was barely visible under the black fedora he wore. His body sported a white button shirt under a black button vest and a grey jacket and grey formal pants and dress shoes.

"Oh, it's not a problem," the man replied as Kyohaku ran over to Hub and Max, "However, do you know a 'Lan Xavier Hikari' that goes by 'Ryuu?' I have a message for him."

"Oh, that's me!" Ryuu grinned, "Ore wa Ryuu, Reshiram no Ko."

"I see..."

_**"Get him away! Now!-!-!"**_

Max flinched at the volume of Kyurem's roar in his head. The sounds of birds flapping was the only thing heard after he flinched. The world stopped cold for a few short seconds for Hub, Kyohaku, and Max. Slowly, the head of Ouroboros dissipated into black and green energy that faded away, giving clear passage for blood to start falling. It was like the air and life in the world was sucked out of everyone's lungs. All color began to fade, time and space feeling violated and slowed to a diabolic standstill. The Hikari boy's body slowly descending to the earth for what felt like it was taking an eternity, the bloodthirsty grin on the green-haired that seeped into every nook and cranny of the denizen's minds.

It was like while his gaze laid upon Ryuuin this eternal moment of agonizing dread, the three seeing it had been stabbed in the same place, the man's psychotic expression casting down upon them like it was Judgment Day, and whatever higher power was behind that divine gavel sneered at them from an above, unreachable haven; it felt like the difference between heaven and earth, the picture of dominance.

"Mana Albarn sends his regards and thanks you for the Continuum Shift!" Hazama cackled, his hair sticking straight up with his fedora long gone.

"You bastard!-!-!-!" Hub roared as he turned into Soul and charged at Hazama with a roar.

"Oh please!" Hazama sneered as his Nox Nyctores circled him and caught the zabatou while the sky turned red, "As if you can do anything! The Cauldron is opening as we speak! Amaterasu comes forth to smite this Continuum and begin anew!"

* * *

"The red sky..." RZ whimpered as he turned to Dewloren, "Master..."

"I know. But what did she mean by 'cauldron?'' Dewloren scowled.

"Uncle Dewwy!" the cat-man turned to see Julie run up, "We need to get to the Cauldron! Follow me!"

"Rokusho Zero."

"Yes, Master," the Medabot nodded as they followed after the time-traveler.

* * *

Goka kept glaring at Phantom. Ever since he had his marks put on him by her, and the instant she had met them, he did not trust her.

"Ay! You! Hey!" Goka waved a hand over her hidden face, "What the hell's going on?! Why are we just waiting for it to open when we can open it?!"

"..." Phantom replied by having one of her scarf ends point at the Cauldron.

"So he did it," Mana smirked as the area began to rumble.

Slowly, the 'wings' covering the Cauldron began to fold in on themselves. The Absolute Hunters choked back gasped and shivers at feeling the immense power pouring out of it. The inside of the Cauldron was nothing buts a vortex of flames and wails of peace, suffering, agony, redemption, honor, and so many clashing other cries and calls that it was put into a melodic tone of utter chaos.

"Th...This is the Cauldron?" Mana gulped, _'Such power...I can't feel it, but_ seeing_ it...'_

"Well, this existence came and went," Ose shrugged before he was the first to enter, turning into azure flames, _"Not that I care."_

"Whoa..." Goka and Lusha awed before Phantom picked them up by her scarf ends and tossed them in, _"Hey!"_

Mana bowed to Phantom as he and the others followed the ones that had gone through.

* * *

"This is it? **The Cauldron**?" Dewloren asked.

Before Dewloren, Julie, and Rokusho Zero was a massive wall, the center of it sporting a 'feather' hexagon. the area began to rumble as the 'hexagon' slid open, revealing a massive orange and white vortex. A soulful, wailing moan erupted from it as Julie paled.

"No...Reshiram is dead," Julie trembled, "We must hurry, Uncle Dewy! Into the Cauldron! The Continuum Shift won't affect you if you go through it!"

"How do you know this?" Dewloren demanded.

"Because I've had to go through this damn thing a thousand and fifty times already!" Julie snapped.

"..." Dewloren blinked in surprise before pursing his lips a little, as if he wanted to say something.

"Just go now! I'll be alright," Julie assured, "You'll see me again."

"Master, we must hurry. I...I feel something coming, something horrific," Rokusho Zero trembled.

"..." Dewloren looked at Julie.

"Uncle Dewy, I'll be fine," Julie assured, "Now get going, I'll be seeing you in the next Continuum."

"..." Dewloren nodded before the two ran and jumped, Dewloren turning a soft blue in flames while Rokusho Zero turned into white flames.

Unaware to them, Rayne and Turbo poked out. They looked at each other and nodded. If the universe was going, they needed to prevent it to the best they could. With that, the duo ran and jumped into the portal, turning into orange flames.

* * *

"This...This was not caused by Decade," Narutaki whispered as he looked out at Ryuu's corpse, ignoring the one-sided battle nearby, "...Lan Xavier Hikari...is a threat _worse_ than Decade. The Destroyer...of Existence."

"Narutaki!" the man did not even turn away as the Zone Watchers appeared near him, "You are..." Blaze saw Ryuu's corpse, "What did you do?!"

"He...is the true Destroyer of Existence," Narutaki whispered before leaving through the silvery mists, appearing before the Cauldron, "Decade...he can be left alone. The Destroyer of Existence...I must remove first before I can eliminate Decade."

With that, he was covered by the silvery mists as he entered the Cauldron, turning into the mists themselves in a fiery form upon entering it.

* * *

"What is happening?" Max demanded as the area began to rumble with the strange moaning wails, "Hazama, what did you do?!"

"Me? Why just killed the Goddess Reshiram and disrupted the entirety of everything and nothing!" Hazama declared with a mad laugh, "Now behold the ultimate Reset! **Master Unit: Amaterasu**! Phantom!"

In a swirl of darkness, Phantom appeared and took away Hazama just as the Zone Watchers ran over. Hub, his armor torn apart with his right arm ripped off, collapsed to his knees, starting to cry over his brother's lifeless form. Suddenly, the rumbling stopped as the cracks in all the buildings, the ground...everything began to seep out a light that was azure in color. Nearby, Kyohaku held onto Max, earning his attention.

"Amaterasu comes. Change it, Kyurem-Oniichan," the little girl whispered to Max.

"What?" Max pondered before he cried out as a Negative Zone portal engulfed them just as the azure lights erupted from everything and engulfed everything and nothing. Amaterasu had come and went in less than an instant.

* * *

"Wait!" Max sat up soaked in a cold sweat, banging his head. "OW!" He rubbed his head, looking around in the dark. "Where…" He stopped, looking at the familiar table to his right. "No…no, that can't all have been a dream…"

"Walter?" called a familiar voice from behind the door just down the narrow walkway. The door opened, Karen and Chuck stepping through. "Walter, are you okay?" Karen asked, walking over and sitting beside Max.

"I…" Max went silent, searching for some sort of understanding. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, looking for the power he knew was there. He felt it, barely. But it was all he needed to confirm that he hadn't been dreaming. "Max. My name is Max, Mrs. Karen. I remember everything." He opened his eyes, looking at Chuck. "How far from Ground City are we, Mr. Chuck?"

"Well, hang on now," Chuck said. "Slow it down a bit, Wa-…er, Max. You just got your memory back, so don't overdo it."

Max opened his mouth, but went quiet again, hearing a soft snoring sound. He looked past Karen to see a much younger Kyohaku sleeping on the booth of the table. "Kyohaku…"

"Do you remember her, Max?" Karen asked. "We found you two together, you know. You didn't remember anything, but she remembered her name and you."

Max stared between Chuck and Karen, sighing. "I…I need to leave in the morning. I need to get to Ground City. Can you tell me where my leg gear is?"

"It's in the drawer underneath your bed," Chuck answered. "We'll talk more in the morning. See how much you actually remember. _Then_, you can go, Max."

"Alright, fair enough," Max agreed, nodding. He lay back down as Chuck and Karen walked back into the vehicle's only bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind them. He closed his eyes, but didn't sleep, instead digging through the four years of memory, making connections and coming to a conclusion. He knew that time had been reset, remembered the little bit of conversation he had with Kyohaku before it happened. He then let loose another sigh, before letting his thoughts drift into other things, succumbing to sleep.

* * *

**And so ends Return to the Zones. The story will continue in The Zones: New Shift, which'll come out at some point this month. Just, ya know...not sure when. Be on the lookout for it and you'll see it at some point.**


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